Nearly six million people worldwide are forced to use wheelchairs. Without them they would become burdens to those around them, or restricted to a small (boring) radius of activity. While motorized wheelchairs are available, the high cost is prohibitive for many who need them. Yet conventional wheelchairs are definitely restrictive in their range.
Independence Technology, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, announced the March availability of the INDEPENDENCE(TM) iGLIDE(TM) Manual Assist Wheelchair.
The Manual Assist Wheelchair operates similarly to a conventional manual wheelchair, but uses proprietary technology to supplement user input power. To the user, the wheelchair feels like a much lighter chair -- moving over a flat, smooth surface regardless of the terrain. The sensors and microprocessors provide motorized assistance, thus requiring much less effort from the user than required in a traditional manual wheelchair.
The new style of wheelchair maintains most of the features of a manual wheelchair while combining advantages currently only available in larger, heavier power wheelchairs. The contemporary design incorporates an unobtrusive, built-in, under-the-seat system that provides the user with discreet power assistance. Weighing somewhere close to 55 pounds, the wheelchair was designed for easy transport, with quick-release wheels, battery removal and fold-down seatback.
The user won't find much that is different in operating the new wheelchair. S/He simply pushes the handrims as if propelling a standard manual wheelchair. The patented technology of the iGLIDE(TM) Manual Assist Wheelchair monitors both the user's input and the resulting motion, determining the appropriate level of additive power to provide a similar feel even when ascending or descending ramps or crossing resistive terrain such as grass or soft carpet.
A casual observer probably won't notice any difference between this and a regular manual wheelchair. To the user, however, there is a remarkable decrease in the amount of energy required to get around.
Reducing the Stress and Strain of "Manual Wheelchair Syndrome" enables users to be far less dependent on others to get out and around. Those who can already send their little wheelies scooting will feel a surge of new speed. Those who are experiencing the strain of operating in the upper reaches of their abilities will find themselves breathing easier and more comfortably.
The iGLIDE(TM) Manual Assist Wheelchair was developed to assist people with varying forms of mobility disorders ranging from arthritis, multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy, paraplegia and tetraplegia, and may relieve and/or reduce the risk of "manual wheelchair syndrome," -- repetitive stress injuries, such as rotator cuff and carpal tunnel syndrome, which are common problems among manual wheelchair users.
It also provides an option for wheelchair users looking to sensibly protect and preserve upper body strength and function for years to come.
"Virtually all users will be able to get around their home, office or even outdoors safely, with much less strain or effort than in a manual wheelchair," stated Charles E. Levy, M.D., chief, PRMS, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System.
"For many, it even provides an attractive, meaningful alternative for the transition from manual to power chairs. By reducing muscular effort, heart rate and perceived exertion associated with 'wheeling,' the iGLIDE(TM) Manual Assist Wheelchair provides meaningful benefits for all users," Dr. Levy observed.
Dr. Levy and colleagues tested the performance of the Manual Assist Wheelchair among eleven manual wheelchair users with a variety of medical conditions. Nine of 11 users in the study reported that the new wheelchair was easier to push on smooth surfaces and inclines compared to their manual chairs, and was thus preferable.
The test users anticipated that they would be more active in such a chair, with nine
participants saying they could see themselves venturing to new and different places in the
community once they owned an iGLIDE(TM) Manual Assist Wheelchair.
The study concentrated on elder manual wheelchair users (average age 70.5 plus or minus 7.8 years). Dr. Levy and his colleagues are preparing to conduct a larger, longer-term study to examine the effects of the new wheelchair on other age groups.
"I expect the iGLIDE(TM) Manual Assist Wheelchair will benefit wheelers across disability categories, regardless of age," Dr. Levy stated.
"The range of people with disabilities is expanding," agreed Rory Cooper Ph.D., chair and professor of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. "For those who realize they can't go as far as they want -- or even go anywhere at all -- assistive technology offers a viable solution."
In addition, baby boomers, with their expectations of remaining physically active even while they lose physical capability, represent a tremendous audience for this new, assistive technology.
Independence Technology gained the iGLIDE(TM) Manual Assist Wheelchair technology through the November 2002, acquisition of DeltaGlide, Inc. of Hamden, Conn. The new wheelchair will retail for approximately $7,900, with a percentage of that cost expected to be covered by insurance.
Independence Technology: A Company with a Mission
Created in 1995, and formally known as Independence Technology, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company since 1999, the company mission is to develop products and technology applications that help people with disabilities live their lives with greater freedom. With this product, Johnson & Johnson extends its tradition of innovative health care service to a community of
| In November, 2002, Independence Technology also received a unanimous
recommendation for FDA approval from an expert independent advisory panel
assembled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to evaluate data for the
company's INDEPENDENCE(TM) iBOT(TM) Mobility System.
The iBOT(TM) Mobility System operates on rechargeable battery power and uses a complex system of sensors, gyroscopes and electronics to simulate balance, enabling users to climb and descend stairs, navigate variable terrain, ascend curbs and elevate, for extended periods, to a "standing" position. The company hopes to introduce the iBOT(TM) Mobility System in mid-2003. |
For additional information about the new wheelchair, the iBOT(TM) Mobility System and Independence Technology visit http://www.independencenow.com or http://www.iglidenow.com
the end
for the advice of an appropriately qualified and
licensed professional in that particular field.
Deal Directly With Your Insurance Company
Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of". Click HERE for more strength training information