New device makes wheel chairs obsolete

[1monster]

Last edited Mon Apr 2, 2012, 07:45 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.wimp.com/newdevice/

at least for paraplegics. Wonderful invention.

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. wow.

[Kingofalldems]

2. Fantastic.

[Warpy]

3. This is what the Segway should have been all along

I hope this company is well funded enough to go into production for paras all over the place. Spending their lives in a wheelchair will kill them eventually. The position change this arrangement allows will keep their bones strong, their kidneys more functional, their legs less likely to grow the clots that migrate and kill them, their lungs better inflated, and not least of all, their mood greatly enhanced.

You could always tell when a para in rehab had stood between parallel bars for the first time. The improvement in their moods was often astonishing, just from standing for a few seconds.

I have taken care of many paras in the past. Were it in my power, I'd get these things for all of them. It would turn a devastating injury into a mere nuisance and that is amazing.

[IDemo]

7. Like this? ->

http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/action/2006/12/15/i-ibot/

[PoliticAverse]

8. The Segway's inventor's wheelchair replacement was the iBot:

It could even climb stairs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBOT

[Warpy]

11. I remember that, but the person was still seated

and that kept all the flaws of the wheelchair as far as the para's body was concerned.

I'm not surprised the Tek is being developed in Turkey. Some of their R&D on health products has been astonishing for years.

[Mopar151]

24. The rights to this were sold to Johnson & Johnson 10 years ago

Or so say my contacts at DEKA. A lot of the technology is the same as Segway. but DEKA/Segway cannot (IMHO) sell it for medical use, cuz J&J owns that end.

[freshwest]

45. $26K...

[dotymed]

65. That was my concern.

It seems to be a great innovation for paraplegics but it is presently cost prohibitive for most average people. If they go in to mass production, someday they should be affordable for many citizens of advanced nations.
It does not look like it would be able to be used on rough terrains or (like the segway model) for climbing stairs, etc. It seems that a combination of the two models could remedy that.
It would be wonderful to see everyone who needs one, have one.

[LiberalArkie]

4. Amazing.. about time

[dipsydoodle]

5. Pretty cool

[enlightenment]

6. That is very, very cool.

Fantastic idea.

[hifiguy]

9. Holy cow!

That is an amazing piece of technology.

[Motown_Johnny]

10. Maybe makes Electric wheel chairs obsolete

but I still need to see if it can handle small obstacles like a curb.


Great idea though. The ability to stand up straight while moving around must be very helpful.

[mainstreetonce]

46. Not obsolete

My friend who is in a wheel chair because of ALS could not use this.

[roguevalley]

52. I wish a cure for that could be found. what a cruel thing

this brings people up to eye level, an incredible quality of life improvement.

[ananda]

12. Now that is seriously cool!

nt

[silverweb]

13. Wonderful!

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]I half expected to see Dean Kamen involved somehow, but this comes out of an R&D company in Turkey.

Hopefully, covering the cost and making it available to people who need this device the most will be an active part of various help organizations.

[WillyT]

14. Fabulous !!! - K & R !!!

[cachukis]

15. You have to love it. Technology can be good.

[lunatica]

16. This is a really wonderful invention!

It could eliminate a lot of jobs that wheel chair bound people can't do. Like being a sales clerk behind a counter, or even a waiter/waitress. Anything that someone walking could do. I can think a lot of things that the person would be freed up to do. Being able to use both arms normally makes all the difference.

I think in a short amount of time these apparatuses will be even less conspicuous.

[davidwparker]

17. So much better use of research dollars than making war. n/t

[bluevoter4life]

18. And this is only the first generation

If this company can sustain the funding and research, imagine what the device will be like in 10 years. A wonderful invention. I'm so happy that paraplegics everywhere a chance at the same activities most of us take for granted.

[Ruby the Liberal]

19. That is extremely cool!

Bookmarked the video. Thanks!

[marybourg]

20. "device"

[1monster]

37. Okay, I was excited and didn't spell check. ;:op

[Rex]

21. Wonderful idea!!!

I need to tell someone I know that could benefit from this! She could use this device!

[malaise]

22. Fabulous

I'm almost crying

[onethatcares]

23. once upon a time in America

we used to be cutting edge on all things medical, now, not so much.

What a great idea, and what a great thing to be developing.

[PoliticAverse]

27. 'Drone studies' are where it's at now...

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-03-28/news/31247611_1_student-pilot-drone-unmanned-aerial-vehicles

[onethatcares]

41. well hell yeah,

it's a lot easier to destroy things and knock them down than it is to build anything up. The building always takes

a lot more thought and energy.

Peace

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. That's awesome!!!

[kas125]

49. I sent a link to it to Cathy about two weeks ago when I first saw it posted here.

I also tried contacting some people who know them and have more money than most people asking them if they can help make it happen, but I haven't heard anything back from them. Our friend needs and deserves to have one of these and god, I hope he gets one. I would so love to see him getting around in one of those things!

[proud2BlibKansan]

51. Sadly,

last time I talked to him he was losing the use of his arms. So I don't know if he could use this device.

But yes, I thought of him right away when I saw this.

BTW, just talked to Lobo yesterday. He called to tell me he was rooting for Kansas in the game tonight. LOL

[kas125]

56. OMG, he CANNOT lose his arms, too. She didn't say anything about that to me.

The first time I saw him was when you told me that he was coming up here. He couldn't move much at all then and could barely speak, but he got better. I will be doing my version of praying that he gets another miracle. God, how I hate that all this happened, and is still happening, to such wonderful people...

I haven't talked to Lobo in a while, but I might call him just to see how he's doing. He can always make me laugh, which I could use more of these days. I so love all of them; they're just amazing people!

[sonias]

26. Very cool!

This is a great update on wheelchairs.

[LittleGirl]

28. that is so cool.

I love it even though I don't know anyone that needs one! Progress!

[chknltl]

29. knr, n/t

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

30. I dunno...

I mean, this sounds like a great innovation for improving people's lives, but looking at it, all I can think is:

1. It must be easy to tip over with that shape. The driver probably can't do it deliberately, but accidents happen.

2. It can't handle curbs or small bumps, or they would have shown it doing so.

3. You can't get out quickly in an emergency.

4. It must be pretty expensive. Like, "no insurance company or government health plan would touch this thing with a 10-foot pole" expensive.

This is a step in the right direction (no humour intended), but it's got a long way to go before it's ready for the mainstream market.

[vankuria]

39. I wondered about cost too

It looks like a very expensive devise and I'm wondering if insurance would cover it. Also, whoever uses it would have to have a certain degree of upper body strength to lift themselves up to a standing position. Still, glad to see research is being done to make mobility easier for the disabled.

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

48. Upper body strength doesn't look like a big problem.

That guy in the video isn't pulling himself up just by his arms. There's always a winch or piston providing some of the force.

[tclambert]

62. I was wondering about hills. They only demonstrated it on perfectly flat floors.

Uphill, downhill, side hill, what happens. Clearly, in a fall the user would need assistance to right the machine.

Maybe they have considered these issues. They obviously put a lot of thought into the design.

[SoCalDem]

73. Handicapped people already plan out their travels very carefully.

and an unforeseen obstacle is something that many of them plan for as well. Bystanders are usually helpful and our handicapped friends never turn down needed assistance

When our friend had a leg amputated recently, their neighbors had built ramps to front & back
doors before he left the hospital...and they would not accept payment.

This would be 99.999999% helpful

[zipplewrath]

64. Yeah it's far from perfect

I thought the same thing. It's great for inside of buildings, I don't think it is ready for "the street" yet. But even if one just had it in their house/aparment, it could make people alot more independent and less needy of a "wheel chair friendly" residence. The tipping over thing could be a nightmare for many folks. Some deployable outriggers probably won't be a bad idea. Or some sort of "self righting" function. They're on to something, although I suspect the longer term goal is the exoskeleton kind of solution.

[polly7]

31. Thank you for this!

My friend was partially paralyzed skiing in 2010. This could be wonderful news for him!

[annabanana]

32. I would like to see this used

by older & heavier people. A LOT of people lose mobility from diabetes etc as they age, and the people they show in the videos & pictures are young & skinny

[Alameda]

33. Look at this from a US company...and Hal from Japan

It would be nice if it were more available for civilians.

the HAL from Japan. It can be rented for around $2,000 a month.

[Aerows]

34. That's awesome!

It's a great concept, and I hope that more people get the opportunity to use it if it is necessary.

[marasinghe]

35. thanks, very much, for posting this.

passing info to cousin, who's been wheelchair-bound for a long while.

[southernyankeebelle]

36. I hope people will be able to afford this piece of equipment. I bet it is very expensive and

only the rich can afford it. But who knows the cost of scooters seem to be reasonable.

[mopinko]

38. i can't imagine a price

that would not be cost effective.

[Auntie Bush]

43. I bet Medicare nor Medicaid will pay for this. Yes, it's only for the rich.

[southernyankeebelle]

47. It would be sad if it were only for the rich. It would make a world a difference to people to help

them become independent.

[Marrah_G]

40. Oh that is cool!!!!!!!

[Honeycombe8]

42. OMG. That could really change the lives of many people. What a marvelous invention. nt

[Auggie]

44. K&R

[efilon]

50. Nice

My ex husband tried out a device like that at least 25 years ago. It was nice but of course, the cost was prohibitive. I'm sure it wasn't covered by Medicare or BC/BS at that time. He is a very active guy so if he could have had one it would have been great.

edit to add: It didn't sit down though, one he was in it he was standing the entire time he was in it.

[Odin2005]

53. My friend Laura would LOVE this!

She has limited use of her legs because of brain damage from being shaken as a baby and uses an electric wheelchair to get around.

[HiPointDem]

54. That is pretty nifty. For one thing, standing position will help maintain bone strength.

Also looks like you might be able to use the toilet easier.

Also, way better for avoiding pressure sores.

[Uncle Joe]

55. That's an outstanding creation!

Thanks for the thread, 1monster.

[Better Believe It]

57. Thanks for the link. A wonderful device that should be made available to everyone in need of it.

[dixiegrrrrl]

58. thank you for this, I have forwarded it to a LOT of people.

[Godot51]

59. Issues...

Several posters have questions about this product, I sure a little searching will provide a few answers.

1. Price. According to one website about $15,000. Certainly worth it if true.
http://gizmodo.com/5894489/segway%2520style-device-for-paraplegics-puts-wheelchairs-to-shame

2. Stability. According to the maker's product home page it's stabilized and safe. http://tekrmd.com/

3. Availability. According to Gizmodo, link above, it is already available.

4. Accessibility. According to the maker it can climb 3 cm. (less than 1.5 inches). Doorjambs, possible, stairs and curbs, impossible.

5. Safety. Well, ask anyone who is wheelchair or bed bound. Without assistance most dangerous situations are deadly.

I think this is indeed a step in the right direction, with proper disability friendly houses, buildings, public areas and the like it could be a life changer.

[AmateurPolymath]

60. For once, the free market works as intended

Hey look, Ayn Rand's "producers" actually produced something! (Although with subsides from DARPA and cheap overseas labor) These are the kinds of innovations that should result from capitalism, but mostly don't. Right now, capitalism is an ever-accelerating gravy train for the one percent to pummel the weak, keep us on obsolete energy sources indefinitely, and bribe legislators to keep things that way.

I suspect it won't catch on due to costs and lobbying from the wheel chair industry.

[FailureToCommunicate]

61. Great invention. However, the wheels are way undersized and

Last edited Tue Apr 3, 2012, 10:04 AM - Edit history (1)

enclosed, so any change in surface (like a door threshold) would stop it. Another advantage of a wheelchair is it can be rolled tilted backward, if need be, up or down stairs with assistance.
This is a good advance, as another assistive device, but no way makes the wheelchair obsolete.

I still want to see one of these:



(Hard to tell from the pic: Spy Kids grandfather (Ricardo Montalbán) in flying wheelchair)

[leveymg]

63. There's also the Rewalk exoskeleton strap-on motorized legs. This is really amazing>

8 hour battery life. Can be used to drive a normal car. The only hangup is that the current version is close to $150K.

&feature=related

[FailureToCommunicate]

66. THAT is cool! As far as the $150K price...Mitt Romney makes that every two days...

Just saying.

High cost should not automatically be a barrier to assistive technology innovation. Look at how many billions year in and year out we taxpayer throw at the Pentagon to waste on devices who only purpose is to kill, or disable people such that they need artificial legs or arms...

(Sorry for the rant. Seen too many disabled vets)

[lumberjack_jeff]

71. That's cool. They should put the function controls into a thumbwheel on the crutches. n/t

[leveymg]

72. It's like cross-country skiing for parapalegics - this part of the 21st Century is great!

[MatthewStLouis]

67. Amazing! /nt

[TwilightGardener]

68. That's pretty awesome.

[Baitball Blogger]

69. Tres wonderful!

[siligut]

70. Thanks for posting

This is wonderful it and warms my heart to see it.

[SkyNeT13]

74. needs a plasma cannon in 200 watt range...

then it will be complete.