Wheelchair revolution
Patrick McDonnell looks at the latest developments in the world of wheelchairs.
Wheelchair mobility will assume a high profile when the Paralympic Games in Greece take place in late September. Yet for the majority of disabled people it will be the incremental advances that will be of most importance to their lives. Here, Disabled Motorist examines the latest trends in mobility for disabled people, looking at what is on offer to those with mobility difficulties, and the choices available.
Much as in the motor industry, powered wheelchairs now
figure in various drive formats, rear, front and four-wheel
drive. These range from fully powered wheelchairs to power
packs. Then there are manual chairs, sports chairs, ultra-lightweight chairs, special chairs for every size and shape of person and travel chairs.
Balder Wheelchairs offers rear-wheel drive in its “Liberty”
wheelchair and front-wheel drive in its “Finesse” models.
Both feature flexible chair-lift functions, allowing users to
reach high cupboards, move to a bed or use the bathroom. The wheelchair produced by Hand-Pro of Norway boasts powered split-level footrests and the armrests can be flipped back or lowered to a complete horizontal position.
The Liberty rear wheel drive layout, with high ground clearance of 8.5cm and good grip, is equally at home inside or
outside. The front-wheel drive Finesse is particularly manoeuvrable thanks to its narrow undercarriage in an indoor environment.
Models feature optional controls mechanisms. Each are powered by two 12V batteries, and both tip the scales at
126kg.
Permobil, better known for its front-wheel drive wheelchairs,
has returned to rear-wheel drive for its latest “Street”
series to address problems posed by city life. Rear-drive was
selected because it allowed a faster average speed of 12km/h, making it easier to negotiate city streets and also keep up with, for example, cyclists. The wheelchair is designed to handle narrow and awkward spaces; all wheels feature individual suspension. The Street also features a new column seat, which raises the seat by 25cm. The seat glides on a rail, so the centre of gravity is always in the same place when the chair is tilted, the seat also can tilt to 45˚. All supports on the Street are adjustable. A backpack is available, plus lights and a taxi anchor allowing transport of the chair in a motor vehicle.
Front-wheel drive returns to centre stage for Permobil,
plus speed features in its “Chairman 2S” range of powered
wheelchairs with a maximum speed of 10km/h. This has been
achieved by Permobil redesigning the stabilising gyro on the wheelchair to allow for increased speed. An additional
function on the Chairman 2S is a 200mm seat lift, with a
30˚/45˚ seat tilt. The leg rest has a divided one-piece footplate, with electrical adjustment of leg and backrest.
The “Chairman K2 Lowrider”, as the name suggests, is a
lower chair — by 8cm— meaning that it can be used under
a standard dining room table. The user can dispense with sitting at the side and having their food on a tray balanced on
the chair. Permobil considers this an important boost to selfesteem in being able to move quickly and seamlessly to the user's place at the table. The Lowrider comes in various colour combinations, silver, silver/black, red and navy, with leatherette or fabric upholstery.
The award-winning Alber “Adventure”, distributed by EPC,
is designed for a more active life-style. The modular aluminium chassis Adventure is equally at home either indoors, outdoors or off road. The driving force behind the Adventure is the location of its electric motors, sited in the main wheelhubs, which use less energy and give up to 45% more range than conventional motors. Depending on the conditions the user has a useful driving range of up to 48km without re-charging. Allied to the drive is a regenerative braking system, where energy from braking is converted
back to electrical current to re-charge the wheelchair's batteries. The Adventure features extra long wheel travel for its independent suspension, with the chassis and suspension adjusted to the user's weight.
Under normal urban conditions the Adventure can easily cope with kerbs up to 7cm (this is increased to 12cm with the
optional kerb climber). A new, all-terrain tyre was specifically developed for the Adventure, allowing a smoother ride and
easy rotation on smooth surfaces with safe traction across the roughest ground. All the main components such as wheels, seat and battery packs can be removed from the chassis without tools. The Adventure will fit into most cars on the UK market.
Hub-mounted motors also feature on Alber's products
like the “e-emotion” and “e-fix” range of wheelchairs. The
e-motion wheelchair is a variant on a traditional manually controlled wheelchair. The batteries and drive motors are wheelhub mounted, and control is via use of the pushrims. Sensors set in the wheel rim adjust the sensitivity of the push rims, dispensing with the need for a joystick or button control system.
The e-motion system is particularly useful when driving uphill
or negotiating kerbs. The wheelchair's forward motion is
controlled with slight checking of the push rims. The e-motion
can be adapted to almost all manual wheelchairs. The e-motion powerpack/batteries increases the width of the wheelchair (depending on the model) by between 3–5cm. The unit has a range of 12kms based on the ISO 7176-4 directive.
Alber's “e-fix” hybrid will be more recognisable to users
of power chairs as it features a joystick control. As in the emotion wheelchair, the power comes from hub-mounted electric motors. The battery pack is fastened to a mounting beneath the seat. The control unit, with its large buttons and easy-to comprehend symbols makes it particularly easy to operate by those with restricted movement. All functions are monitored by the in-built electronic control technology. If, for example, there is a long interval where the wheelchair is not in motion, e-fix will automatically switch off to save battery life. The e-fix power wheelchair function can be instantly disengaged, allowing manual operation of the wheelchair if required. The e-fix also features rear tilt supports for crossing kerbs and ledges.
Two 24V NiCd batteries power the e-fix giving a maximum
speed of 6km/h, and a range of 10km. The component weight
for the drive system is 24kg, and the overall weight of the
wheelchair is 70kg. The e-fix system can be fitted to a variety
of mobility aids such as nursing or support/posture chairs and paediatric chairs.
The Cyberbug LS three-wheel front-wheel drive wheelchair,
developed by 1st By Design, is designed for both children and
adults with restricted mobility. The Cyberbug is suitable for
use at home, on pavements, in parks and gardens and also for country walks. It can climb kerbs of up to 7.5cm. Alongside user control, via a left or right mounted joystick, a carer from the rear can control the wheelchair. The Cyberbug also features a remote control system monitored by a carer. The“Carer's Remote Safety System” uses communications technology allowing the carer to take control and stop the vehicle at any time. Other features include swing-away footrests, five-point safety belt system and a wide range of seat options.
The Cyberbug is fully crash tested, with European Union CE
certification and built-in accordance with international safety
standards. Commenting on the Cyberbug, one parent said:
“Our teenage daughter, although virtually unable to walk,
had absolutely no interest in traditional powered wheelchairs,
because of their unattractive and old appearance. She wanted something different, something with that all-important street cred. When she sat the controls of the Cyberbug, we knew we had found it!”
In celebration of the Greece Paralympics 2004, Sunrise
Medical has produce limited editions of its Quickie Ti
Titanium and EasyMax chairs. Paralympic Track Gold medallist Tanni Grey Thompson will use the ultra lightweight
Quickie Ti and EasyMax series. The chair's titanium frame is
three times stronger than an aluminium frame making it possible to build a lighter, simpler frame. Titanium tubing also provides a more controlled rebound and superior torque strength.
The Quickie has an average weight of just less than 8kg.
To reduce excessive weight and flutter, Sunrise engineers
have eliminated the caster housing so that the caster fork now threads directly into the frame. A caster-adjuster allows the forks to pivot 16˚ in 2˚ increments. This allows the user to adjust the seat “slope” between 2.5 and 3.5cm while maintaining a perpendicular caster-wheel/ground alignment. The frame can be configured and customised in six different ways: frame angle, frame inset, front-seat height, rear seat height and seat width and seat depth. In all, the engineers developed 4,000 frame configurations for the Quickie. With its fold-down back and L-shaped frame the wheelchair can fit easily into vehicles.
In its Paralympic guise the “Quickie” and “EasyMax” also
include metallic orange anodised parts, Greece 2004 backpack and calf strap. Other features include folding backrest with adjustable upholstery for the Quickie, and adjustable breathable upholstery for the EasyMax, each with the Olympic motif, neoprene impact guards and a certificate of authenticity. The limited editions will be available for six months.
Wheelchair manufacturers are increasingly tasked with
tailoring wheelchairs for higher weights ranging from 60kg
to 200kg. The Aldersley “Excel” range caters for users weighing up 300kg. The wheelchair is constructed of a reinforced tubular steel frame.
The frame of the seat is stronger, the footplates sturdier. The
joystick-controlled wheelchair incorporates independent
suspension and is powered by two 600- watt motors.
The Excel also incorporates anti-theft immobilisation technology.
Permobil's “Chairman HD” incorporates a seat lift that
increases height by 20cm. The chair is designed for a maximum weight of 200kg, and also features electrical application for changing positions of legs, feet and the back.
At the compact end of wheelchair scale is the Da-Vinci
“Super Compatta” that fits into the nooks and crannies in any
vehicle, especially sports cars and convertibles. The Liverpool
based company designed the Compatta in response to a sports car driver who could not fit his conventional wheelchair into his sports car. “What makes the Super Compatta unique is the way it folds away,” explained Da-Vinci's company director John Ingram. “Once the quick release wheels have been removed it is collapsed using two chains — the first releases the back seat and the second brings the foot rest up beneath the chair. The result is a compact unit that can be manoeuvred between driver and steering wheel and fits neatly on to the passenger seat or back seat if there is one.” When folded the 8.5kg frame is 66cm long, 56cm wide, but most importantly, is only 30cm deep.
The Compatta will be unveiled to the public in the South East along with products aimed at the disabled and obilityimpaired
and health professionals at the Independent Living London event, which takes place at Wembley Conference and
Exhibition Centre on September 22 and 23.
Contact details. Balder: 01256 767181; Permobil: 01484
722 888; Alber/EPC: 01252 547939; Sunrise Medical: 01384
446622; Wheelchair Corporation/Aldersley: 0121 568 7326;
Da Vinci: 0151 548 1999
The opinions on the products mentioned are those of the
manufacturers, and not those of Disabled Motorist magazine.
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