DailyDirt: Advances In Wheelchair Technology
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
There are nearly 6 million people in the US living with some form of paralysis. Despite some controversy, the FDR memorial has a statue of the president sitting in a wheelchair. Wheelchairs have been around for over a hundred years, but technology could improve how they work. Here are just a few examples.- The Tongue Drive System allows users to control their wheelchairs via tongue movements. This prototype requires a "clinical" tongue piercing and a dental retainer, so maybe a camera system would be a nice improvement. [url]
- Tek RMD is a robotic mobilization device that might replace a wheelchair and give paraplegics the ability to move around upright. It's not quite a powered exoskeleton, and it can't do stairs, but it's an interesting robotic alternative to a wheelchair (even though it costs a lot more). [url]
- A wheelchair from Kyoto University called the Permoveh has omnidirectional wheels, so it can move more freely and turn on a dime. The prototype has a top speed of 3.7 mph and costs over $36,000, but future models are expected to be cheaper. [url]
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Filed Under: omnidirectional wheels, paralysis, prototypes, tongue, ui, wheelchairs
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Honda's walking assist robot!
This probably won't work for paraplegics, but maybe?
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Israeli Exoskeleton Suit Enables Paralayzed People To Walk
Berkeley Bionics: Introducing eLEGS
Hercule Exoskeleton Receives Arms
Robotic exoskeleton at PERCRO lab (Pisa, Italy)
Rex user - Hayden Allen 1
Ekso Bionics' exoskeleton for paraplegics
Now I would like to see an exoskeleton married to an omnidirectional wheel, so if I stand up I can walk and if I kneel the wheels roll me to wherever I need to go, it could be four or just two wheels.
I also wonder why there is no 2 wheels chairs.
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His had the fancy cowling installed though.
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A Tongue Can Be The Functional Equivalent Of Two Fingers...
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Response to: Yasmine on May 2nd, 2013 @ 2:45am
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