The transdisciplinary research mode has gained prominence in the research on and for sustainability transformations. Yet, solution-oriented research addressing complex sustainability problems has become complex itself, with new transdisciplinary research formats being developed and tested for this purpose. Application of new formats offers learning potentials from experience. To this end, we accompanied fourteen research projects conceptualized as real-world labs (RwLs) from 2015 to 2018. RwLs were part of a funding program on ‘Science for Sustainability’ in the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Here, we combine conceptual and empirical work to a structured collection of experiences and provide a comprehensive account of RwLs. First, we outline characteristics of RwLs as transformation oriented, transdisciplinary research approach, using experiments, enabling learning and having a long-term orientation. Second, we outline eleven success factors and concrete design notes we gained through a survey of the 14 RwLs: (1) find the right balance between scientific and societal aims, (2) address the practitioners needs and restrictions, (3) make use of the experimentation concept, (4) actively communicate, (5) develop a ‘collaboration culture’, (6) be attached to concrete sites, (7) create lasting impact and transferability, (8) plan for sufficient time and financial means, (9) adaptability, (10) research-based learning, and (11) recognize dependency on external actors. Characteristics and success factors are combined to illustrate practical challenges in RwLs. Third, we show which methods could be used to cope with challenges in RwLs. We conclude discussing the state of debate on RwLs and outline future avenues of research.

Amputations in the lower limb are now carried out principally in the elderly because of vascular disease. The management and rehabilitation of the amputee is best achieved by a team approach with the close cooperation of the different disciplines. Attention should be paid to the psychological state of the patient who should be encouraged to mobilise as soon as possible. Prosthesis design and manufacture has changed greatly in recent years. Widespread use is now made of lightweight plastic materials. Modern technology is being applied to the design and manufacture of prostheses, with increasing use of modular systems of components.

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Between 1972 and 1989 angulation osteotomy was performed on 61 patients with long humeral stumps at the Orthopaedic Hospital of Heidelberg University. Marquardt's surgical technique was used to improve function in patients who had undergone above-elbow amputation and in children with a risk of terminal osseous overgrowth. Thirty-one patients with 43 angulation osteotomies were followed up. Of the 10 adults followed up, the osteotomy had not straightened, whereas with the 33 angulation osteotomies in children, one had straightened out within 6 months, seven within 12 months and a further 12 up to 24 months after surgery. The only recognizable reason for this difference was the patient's age depending on whether humeral growth was not yet completed. Marquardt's angulation osteotomy, however, is still the only surgical technique that improves humeral stump function, providing a rotation-stable humeral prosthesis and a free-moving shoulder joint.