Electric Wheelchair Future Technology

ALTERNATIVES

This is part 3 and conclusion of brain controlled assistive devices future… We have reviewed three products already on the market (or in last stages of development), and today we will check what else is out there, and what alternatives exist… At the end, we will wrap our closing thoughts on cost and whether and when pricing of these devices will fall on more acceptable levels…

OCZ's Neural Impulse Actuator

The newest player in brain controller technology is PC memory maker OCZ, known especially in over clocking community. Their latest brainchild, the Actuator (based on Cyberlink's Brainfingers) claims to bring mind controlled functionality to mass market for a price below $300. Device is identical to Brainfingers, therefore we will not review it in depth. It will suffice to say, that it tracks movement of user’s eyes, monitors brain waves and picks up facial muscle movements uses recorded signals to link to input commands on the computer, allowing user to play Tetris or even a first person shooter, or trigger external commands, i.e. piloting electric wheelchair

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As we cover technological breakthrough in mobility and accessible devices, most of our coverages are focused on new technology or some other improvements. One common thing to all these new and upcoming devices and solutions is that they are very expensive, carrying a price tag of many thousand dollars… Ingenuity of a charity Free wheelchair mission could challenge all commercial devices, and drop price point for wheelchairs dramatically! 

Many of us can not afford new electric wheelchair every time we wish to. Medicare and other insurance companies always seem to find a just reason to dodge the payment. But we are still scratching only the surface of the problem, as worldwide there are over 100 million people with need for a wheelchair (manual or electric), but can not afford it. Charity organization Free wheelchair mission is helping these poorest of the poor, by giving away wheelchairs for free. "So what?", you say. Sure, we have had charities and donations before, giving away wheelchairs, but mostly they can help a few, or mostly up to few dozen people. What sets Free wheelchair mission apart, is their plan, and their numbers. In last five years

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All parents can empathize with the challenges that both parents and children face while dealing with a disability. So it is no coincidence, that engineers at the Bath Institute for Medical Engineering, have designed the Wizzybug - electric mobility buggy for disabled children under five. Smart design makes buggy look less electric wheelchair and more a toy, so end result is that other children want to use it. The Wizzybug is also fitted with a towing hook so that a trailer can be attached and towed. In evaluations of Beth Institute, friends of the disabled children wanted using Wizzybug saying, "I like your car, where did you get it from?".

Wizzybug incorporates suggestions from therapists and parents, and has top speed of two miles per hour. The Wizzybug electric wheelchair weighs 31 kg (69 lbs), and features fully adjustable seating system with memory foam cushions. Wheelchair buggy has a programmable joystick and can be controlled either by the child or by a parent/caregiver. Wizzybug can be used both indoors and outside. Recommendation is to keep it on even grounds, but either way

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