Tag: Wheelchairs

Wheelchairs can’t yet be summoned via voice commands or connect with other wheelchairs to issues warnings about what’s ahead. Dr. Konstantinos Sirlantzis wants to change that.

Electric wheelchairs offer independence to those with mobility issues, but there are still limitations. They can’t yet be summoned via voice commands or connect with other wheelchairs to warn each other about obstacles ahead. Or can they?

Dr. Konstantinos Sirlantzis, Senior Lecturer in Intelligent Systems at the University of Kent, envisions a smart wheelchair future enabled by robotic plug-ins and add-ons.

Brazilian start-up Hoobox Robotics has collaborated with Intel to produce an adapter kit that allows almost any electric wheelchair to be controlled by the user’s facial expressions.

The Wheelie 7 kit equips a wheelchair with artificial intelligence to detect the user’s expressions and process the data in real-time to direct the movement of the chair.

Smiling, raising the eyebrows, wrinkling the nose or puckering the lips as if for a kiss are among the repertoire of 10 gestures recognised by the prototype Wheelie 7.

Don’t ever call me ‘wheelchair bound’. My wheelchair doesn’t bind me – it liberates me!

The wheelchair represents many different things, depending on the beholder’s personal experience. Many is the time I have been acutely aware that my wheelchair makes me the living embodiment of that blue symbol that adorns bathrooms and parking spaces.

I hadn’t really given wheelchairs much thought myself, until 13 years ago when I fell from a tree and sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI), causing instant and permanent paraplegia.

These are just some of the common frustrations shared by people traveling with a disability, but according to Heng, traveling could be made a lot easier.

“It’s about ensuring all links in the tourism supply chain are made accessible, from airports and airlines to public transport to tourist attractions to shops and bars,” Heng told Pro Bono News.

“All too often there are gaps in the chain that makes traveling with a disability frustrating, to say the least.”

A modified wheelchair pieced together so that a campaigner could use it to climb Mount Snowdon is one of the winning pieces of equipment at the Remap awards, which took place recently.

The “Snowdon Push” is a fund-raising challenge organized by Back Up Trust – a charity that supports people with a spinal cord injury.

Teams of between 10 and 16 people aim to conquer Mount Snowdon, which at over 3,500 ft is the highest mountain in England and Wales.

Casey Moore’s withered right hand pushes the small joystick that thrusts a special wheelchair down a TouVelle State Park trail, with the chair’s tracks carrying him over rocks and thick grass.

“It feels like I’m driving a mini tank,” Moore laughs.

He powers down a short embankment to experience something he hasn’t since a diving accident 18 years ago left him paralyzed from the chest down, with limited use of his arms and hands.

These unique push gloves are designed to help quadriplegics and others with limited dexterity by making it more efficient and less strenuous to maneuver wheelchairs and to aid in daily tasks such as transfers and dressing.

The gloves help the user become more independent thus improving their quality of life. The combination of quality suede, a “tacky” palm insert, and an easy on and off closure make them a valuable resource.

TAMPA (FOX 13) – They are athletes who have faced more challenges than sports but there’s a company in Pinellas Park giving them a competitive edge with the right set of wheels.

For quadriplegics, life can be extremely isolated. Those without the ability to control their arms, legs or head must rely entirely on a caregiver to move, or even turn around, their wheelchair.

One cause of quadriplegia is the neurodegenerative disease ALS, which afflicts an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 in the U.S., according to the CDC.

Because the disease is progressive, those afflicted can go from having completely normal motor control to being fully quadriplegic without the ability to talk, in the span of just a few years. Previously having the ability to move independently can make the loss of movement even more difficult for those with ALS.

In honor of National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month, Vocational Rehabilitation shares the story of a man who was able to return to his career with the help of assistive technology.

Winter Haven, FL (PRWEB) October 10, 2017 Watching Othedus (Theo) Harvin at work in the kitchen at Sonny’s BBQ is like watching a graceful ballet. He moves from the grill to the refrigerator to the slicer and back again in one seamless motion. He pulls a lever to stand up so he can use the slicing machine or reach into the refrigerator, and he lowers the lever to sit down at the grill and get supplies. His movements are smooth and fluid as he maneuvers his wheelchair around the kitchen.