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Wheelchaires
that can climb staires
By
Lisa Richwine
Washington:
A battery powered wheelchair that can climb staires,
maneuver over gravel or sand and handle 4-inch curbs
won US approval on Wednesday.
The
iBOT wheelchair, to be sold by Johnson & Johnson, also
can balance on two wheels and elevate seated users to
reach objects on high selves or have eye-level conversations.
The
device will cost about $29,000 and should be available
in three or four months, the manufacturer said.
An
estimated two million people in the United States alone
use wheel chairs.
Alan
Brown, who was paralyzed 15 years ago and recently test-drove
the iBOT, called the device ground breaking for the
wheelchair bound. With the iBOT, he was able to take
his son to the beach for the first time, he said.
"There
are no boundaries in life anymore." Brown said in an
interview.
The
iBOT, conceived by prolific inventor Dean Kamen, uses
gyroscopes, electronic sensors and computers to help
mimic the way people maintain their balance, and adjusts
to each movement. Kamen later used the same technology
in his famous Segway scooter.
The
iBOT also has a four wheel-drive mode for traversing
rough terrain and climbing curbs, and can scoot through
3 inches of water.
The
ability to rise up to standing height is a big plus
for people in wheelchairs, Brown said. He said he was
tired of having to tug on people's suit jackets at cocktail
parties to get their attention.
"The
feeling of being able to be upright…and talking to people
face to face - it's priceless," Brown said.
For stair climbing, people position the iBOT with their
backs to the staires, reach behind and grab a rail for
the chair to ascend each step. Four big wheels rotate
over each other in pairs of two. The iBOT also can go
down staires.
Jean-
Luc Butel of Johnson & Johnson unit Independence Technology,
said the iBOT's $29,000 cost was not as high as some
specialized wheelchairs on the market. Plus, the iBOT
saves people from having to spend money modifying their
homes with ramps or other accommodations.
Source:
The Times of India
Dated: Aug. 15, 2003.
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