Firefly motorized third wheel

Best of Gearcrip


We launched Gearcrip earlier this year on our website as part of NEW MOBILITY’S continuing effort to keep you, the readers, up to date on the latest trends, technology and products. In it, our Ian Ruder, a real life gear-obsessed crip, provides quick, usually snarky, but hopefully helpful looks at new and upcoming gadgets and gear intended for the wheelchair-using crowd. He’s always on the lookout for new stuff, so if you come across something cool, weird or even just useful, drop him a note.

Happiness in the ‘Friction Zone’
(May 15)
The latest press release from the Comfort Company is all about “bony prominences” and a trademarked “Low Friction Zone,” meaning it can only be supporting two things: sex toys and/or wheelchair seating solutions. Since you are reading this, you can probably guess which one is right.

Vicair X-Series cushion
Vicair X-Series cushion

The Vicair X-Series cushion line and GlideWear are the latest seating and positioning solutions from Comfort Company. Montana-based Comfort Company has been developing state-of-the-art seating and positioning equipment since 1987. The X-Series is a full line of air cushions built around Vicair’s Comfort Cells — small, soft air-filled packets. The website touts a new coccygeal insert, a contoured top surface and a different bottom profile as key differences from previous Vicair cushions.

“We are ecstatic for this launch and very thankful to our excellent customers, therapists, and end users for providing us all the suggestions and input in order to develop this new cushion line. Because we have developed a product that was asked for, I am very confident that the acceptance in the market will be overwhelmingly positive,” says Steven Dufresne, the vice president of product management.

The cushion covers also offer GlideWear, an “ultra-slick and extremely breathable material” placed directly under a user’s bony prominences to reduce friction and stress on the skin. In case you were worried about simply slip-sliding away, the company promises that the “Low Friction Zone” is balanced out by a “Stability Zone” that helps keep you in place.

If you are interested in the X-Series, talk to your doctor or therapist, or visit Comfort Company’s website (see Resources below).

The Firefly: A Motorized Third Wheel
(July 15)
In the whimsical world of the Internet, you can never predict when a video — new or old — will go viral. Recently on Facebook and social media, a slightly grainy video of a woman attaching a motorized third wheel to her manual chair and then driving through a residential neighborhood has been making the rounds.

Firefly motorized third wheel
Firefly motorized third wheel

Other than a graphic identifying the device as the “Firefly” and a brief link to a foreign website at the end, the video has no voice over, details about the device or other information. After a couple of friends shared the link, I decided to investigate.

Using the handy translate feature, I learned that the website belonged to a European distributor of mobility products made by U.S.-based Rio Mobility. In addition to the fully motorized Firefly — which can go up to 12 mph — Rio Mobility also makes similar-looking manual and assisted handcycles that can be easily attached to a manual chair. The manual handcycle attachment is called the Dragonfly, and the assisted version is the eDragonfly.

Rio Mobility’s website has a number of videos that do a better job of explaining the firefly and showing it in action. As a user named Larry testifies, having a motor attached to your chair can be a savior in hilly locations like the San Francisco Bay Area.

None of these products are brand new, so why the video recently went viral is beyond me, but they do look to be cool options in the rapidly-growing power-assist and handcycle markets. Rio Mobility also makes a lever drive attachment called the Pivot that allows the user to crank levers to propel a chair instead of pushing.

Whether any of these options is right for you is, of course, for you to decide. It is worth noting that the Firefly is available through Amazon.com; though it will set you back around $2,000.

Permobil black tires
Permobil black tires

Black is Back Here
(June 5)
As an admittedly vain individual, I can’t begin to describe how excited I am by Permobil’s new black tires. Using the slogan “Black by popular demand,” Permobil has announced that customers can now order the mid-wheel-drive M300 or M400 with black, non-marking tires. For the less vain (or smarter) wheelers, this may seem trivial — and to be honest, I have no brilliant rebuttal — but damn, do the black tires look slick!

The basic package comes with silver rims, but Permobil is also offering black rims for both the casters and main wheels. You can choose between solid or pneumatic drive tires. Personally, I think the black-on-black of the “Blackout Wheel Package” is a little much. I prefer the black tires with the standard silver rims.

This opens up a whole new realm of color combos for the vain (or fashion conscious) wheelchair user. It also represents a huge step forward for wheelchair ninjas — staying in the shadows has never been so easy! Find out more here: permobilus.com/blacktires.php

Wijit: Crank Heaven
(May 15)
Forget push rims, levers are SO in right now.

I recently posted about Leveraged Freedom Chair, a low-cost, highly durable lever-based wheelchair designed for users in developing countries. We’ve also got the Wijit — a slick accessory that attaches to most manual chairs to convert them from being push-based to lever-propelled.

From the press release …

Wijit lever propulsion system
Wijit lever propulsion system

The Wijit is a wheelchair accessory that replaces standard push-rim wheels with a lever-driven wheel set that allows users to go faster, climb easier, brake safer and turn more precisely without the wrist, shoulder and hand injuries endemic to push-rim wheelchair use. Wijits allow users to sustain a healthy cardiovascular rate for extended distances, helping to curb multiple co-morbidities related to wheelchair use. Wijits fit on nearly any manual chair and allow many individuals who cannot operate a manual chair to become actively mobile.

The Wijit just won United Cerebral Palsy’s 2014 Universal Accessibility Design Award for its empowering potential for users who are unable to push normal manual chairs. Watching one of the videos demonstrating how to use the Wijit on YouTube, it’s easy to see how the lever-based system could be a game changer for many chair users. Cranking levers instead of pushing takes a little bit of time to get used to, but it actually looks kinda fun — like cross country skiing. A slight pull inwards on the levers activates the brakes, eliminating nasty skin burns and the danger of getting your fingers stuck in the spokes.

Brian Watwood designed the original Wijit after sustaining an incomplete C5-6 injury in a bike accident. “To be able to drive a wheelchair was impossible for me,” says Watwood. “I couldn’t feel it with my arms and hands.” He began selling a much-different version of the Wijit in 1997, and has been refining the product since then.

The Wijit is sold by Innovations Health Devices and is covered under many insurance plans, Medicare and Medicaid in many states. It is also available in some crazy styles.

Airshells Protective Wheelchair Covering
(August 1)
I’ve never met anyone who was excited about flying with a wheelchair. Between inconsiderate or poorly trained baggage handlers and the unknown horrors of the cargo bay, wheelchairs get damaged and wheelchairs get broken. A lot. Airshells, a Copenhagen-based company, is hoping to change that.

Airshells protective covers for air travel
Airshells protective covers for air travel

Since 2005, Airshells has been offering European travelers the ability to rent durable protective bags for wheelchairs, scooters and other oversized goods. On July 15, Airshells announced a partnership with United Airlines to launch its service stateside. Now you can rent any of the four sizes of Airshells for use on any domestic flight by United. All you do is go to the website, choose your product (as little as $25 for the first week/$12 each week after) and then input your travel specifics. Airshells will overnight the bag to your departing airport, then you pick it up and use it. The bags weigh six pounds and are foldable with handles, making them easy to lug through the airport. The company asks you to give 48 hours notice for delivery.

Right now, the bags are only suited for manual wheelchairs, scooters and smaller devices, but if they work, hopefully Airshells will develop a similar solution for the more-susceptible power chairs. I spoke with Ole Laustsen, the COO of Airshells, and he assured me the company is working on a deal with more carriers. He said the bags have been very well received in Europe. He pointed out that because the bags are approved by the airline, any equipment damaged in transit in a bag is reimbursable.

I still yearn for the day where I can just roll on to a plane in my chair, but until then, Airshells seems like a great idea whose time has come. Check them out and let us know, either in the comments or via email, how your experience is.

Resources
• Comfort Company: www.comfortcompany.com/#vicair
• Permobil: www.permobil.com/en/Corporate/
• Rio Mobility (Firefly): http://riomobility.com/en/
• Innovations Health (Wijit): www.innovationshealth.com/#
• Airshells: www.airshells.us/


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