| The following from 9to5Mac Apple Intelligence |
| Who put the iPhone in accessiblity? Dynamic Controls did. The company has integrated an iPhone into its power wheelchair electronics, enabling powered wheelchair users to use them as normal while also gaining access to detailed information and control system access of their chair using the device. |
| The solution connects a user’s iPhone or iPod touch to the wheelchair system to display chair information in real time as well as speed in kph or mph and a compass heading. A cradle is available to mount the iPhone or iPod touch onto the wheelchair. |
| Benefits also include the on-chair charging for the iPhone and a ‘chair doctor’ wheelchair diagnostics feature that interprets problems with the wheelchair. Read it all |
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The State of Illinois has put 83 year old Felice Dworkin in a fine fix. The state’s budget ailments and slow paying habits have cut her pipeline to repairs on her wheelchair and has ended her independence.
A sad situation but not as uncommon a one as we might think. This situation is doing repeat performances in many states all over the country. It is certainly a troubling sign and likely a peek at things to come. It is made even more upsetting since these situations will likely affect vulnerable seniors more than any other population. Why are seniors more vulnerable than the rest of us? For several reasons- As a group they have a high dependency on assistive technology for purposes of mobility, activities of daily living, and socialization. The elderly with disabilities are one of the poorest segments of society and usually are unable to self fund their way out of a tight corner. And yes, many seniors are afraid to speak out or to engage in self-advocacy. These are tough times and all signs indicate that they will be getting tougher. Permobil, a leading wheelchair manufacturer recently announced that they will be building a 120,000 sq ft facility in the USA. 80,000 sq feet will be dedicated to wheelchair manufacturing. Permobil, Inc., is an international wheelchair manufacturer best known for it’s complex powered wheelchairs with such features as front wheel drive and systems that allow wheelchair users to recline, elevate, tilt, and stand while in the wheelchair. The new facility will be a $12 million project and will be located on a 17 acre site in Lebanon Tennessee. This project is the single largest capital investment that Permobil has made in its 40 year history. The project is slated for completion sometime during the summer of 2010. Watch the Permobil video on this topic. This comes at a time when the wheelchair industry in the USA is fighting off National Competitive Bidding, getting ready to be hit with a medical equipment tax, anticipating more Medicare cuts, and looking over their shoulders at more and more wheelchair products from China. I hope that Permobil has a strong game plan in place. They may just need it. Suzuki’s new green MIO wheelchair uses fuel cell technology to provide power and has a range of 25 miles. Fuel cells are powered by methanol, while a back-up battery provides electricity for those times when the tank goes dry. The generated electricity is stored in a large capacity Li-ion secondary battery, acting as a back up source of power. The MIO chair features armrests that double as safety barriers to prevent its occupant from falling out, while the handlebars have been designed for greater comfort and to give full steering lock with minimal effort. A mesh fabric is used for the seat to give greater comfort. The MIO has been built to help determine customer reaction to these new wheelchair technologies, though Suzuki says it could be in production in the near future if the prototype gets a positive response. Well, there’s some information on the powerhouse that MIO is packing but very little on features that would make or break any wheelchair. Swiveling seat for access and egress and ground clearance for obstacles. How about stability and turning radius? Can this wheelchair cut indoor space as well as the outdoors. OK, now the big one- What is the anticipated cost if and when it goes to market. Will it be within reach of wheelchair users or just a wish for under the Christmas tree? Let’s see where it goes.
Convaid Inc. successfully crash-tested & built a WC19 compliant transit wheelchair with an integrated five-point safety harness. The new improved wheelchair harness is designed to replace the current three-point vehicle mounted lap/shoulder belt and improve safety for small children. Selected new Convaid transit wheelchairs models EZ Rider®, Cruiser®, Convertible® have the five-point harness (as standard) and have been tested and approved for children less than 65 lbs. According to research published by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), “A wheelchair-anchored five-point restraint harness will offer improved restraint and safety to small children by improving belt fit and encouraging better distribution of restraint forces to the strongest skeletal regions of the body.” The Convaid five-point wheelchair harness system was developed in collaboration with the SafeGuard division of IMMI, manufacturers of occupant protection products. UMTRI Transportation Research Institute assisted in prototype testing of this five-point wheelchair harness. More information can be found at: www.convaid.com Exmovere Holdings Inc. is developing a Segway-based upright mobility device that surrounds the user’s thighs, hips and legs in a kind of cocoon, called the Chariot. The users hands, arms and chest remain free. Exmore states that this would position the vehicle as a direct competitor to existing sit-down mobility scooters marketed to obese, elderly and limited As opposed to conventional wheelchairs and mobility scooters, the Chariot maintains the user in a standing position. Pretty handy for getting in faces, bellying up to the bar, or reaching those hard to get at items up there on the shelf. “The Chariot is Exmovere Holdings Inc.’s starting point for further development for people who have a hard time standing or walking and for those people who must stand or walk long distances.” Future Chariots will offer unique features such as: smart battery management and inductive charging, core body temperature monitoring, heating and cooling, dynamic stabilization on rough, sandy, uneven and wet terrain, wireless connectivity and GPS, and sonar and radar systems for visually impaired riders. Quite the ambitious endeavor fueled by Exomore’s analysis of the number of wheelchair users, disabled veterans, and no doubt the tremendous amount of elbow room in the niche wheelchair markets. It should be interesting to see where this goes. Regardless, it is nice to see new products that shoot for greater technological reach than what the existing industry players have to offer. The Chariot may make it as a marvel of wheelchair technology, but can it survive the funding issues, or rather, the lack of third party funding in a market that is heavily dependent on third party payers such as Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Administration, or the bevy of insurers. On a personal level- I’m cheering for the Chariot. New technology is always a good thing and challenges the entire industry to reach for new heights. As for usefulness? I guess we will have to wait and see. As for third party funding? Except for possibly the Veterans Administration, ain’t a snowball’s chance in hell right now. A coalition of national disability organizations and industry shirt-tailers have developed a wheelchair user survey. The survey is aimed at helping politicos better understand the needs of wheelchair users and maybe, just maybe, get them to lighten up on some nasty restrictions that they are working on. Take the survey and you can enter a drawing for a flat-screen tv or 500 bucks (US coin of the realm). Here’s the word:
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