A couple of months back I posted about the Freedom Flow II, an exciting new remote controlled leg bag emptier that promised new levels of independence for those who rely on leg bags. In the post, I mentioned that it was exciting to see some innovation in an area that had remained relatively stagnant for a long time. Well, wouldn’t you know that there is another newcomer in the leg bag emptying crowd?

The Melio Self-Emptying Leg Bag System comes out of the UK, created by Trevor Wills when he saw the difficulty his aging father had emptying his leg bag after a stroke. Like so many of our aides, Wills got tired of getting down on hands and knees to unscrew the bag cap to empty. His solution, the Melio, is more complex and mechanized than the Freedom Flow II or JB-3 that I discussed in a prior post. Unlike the other options, it relies on a proprietary leg bag and it doesn’t use gravity to drain, using a pump instead.

Melio relies on a sensor in the custom bag to tell when it needs to be emptied. The sensor triggers a vibrating controller you wear on your waist (there’s also an audio alarm). Then you press a button on the controller to pump the urine up and you dispose of it via a retractable tube you can aim into the toilet (or somewhere else if you’re into that).

I haven’t tried Melio, and while it seems like a good idea, I’m not sure quads like me are its target audience since we typically can’t use our fingers. As much as Melio trumpets the fact that the system doesn’t use gravity, I’m not sure why that is a real benefit. Looking at the website and watching the video, it’s hard to miss the company’s emphasis on how the user doesn’t have to lift his/her leg. I’m sure that’s a big plus for some users, but I don’t know many paralyzed leg bag users who lift their leg to empty it. It’s also hard to miss the absence of authentic-looking wheelchair users on the site. Most of the people shown are using generic chairs and look uncomfortable. Additionally, while the idea of being notified when the bag is full is nice, especially for users who may be nonverbal, I’m not sure I want a vibrating, flashing, beeping leg bag on my hip (or anywhere else). That’s not even mentioning the added difficulty of manipulating the discharge tube.

Still, it’s great to see smart minds devising new solutions to longstanding problems like this. I am sure a lot of people can benefit from the Melio system and hope they find it.

What would you like to see in the next evolution of leg bag emptying systems? Have you devised your own solution? Share below.