Your Wheelchair and Mobility Scooter Resource
Monday, November 10th, 2008
Wheelchairs today offer increased mobility to people all over the world. Even in only the last ten years, there have been many improvements to the design and reliability of the electric wheelchair, but there are still many areas, both around the home and away, that can present an obstacle to a person using a wheelchair. In an effort to help make choosing a wheelchair based on its abilities to navigate these types of obstacles easier, a new ISO standard was recently released.
This ISO standard, ISO 7176-10:2008, is the tenth part of a of an ISO that deals with wheelchairs. Specifically, this new standard is aimed at determining the ability of an electric wheelchair, or power chair, to climb or descend obstacles. This includes curbs, doorways, uneven pavement, and other obstacles that an individual might encounter. It presents a set of test procedures to use, describes the type of equipment required to preform tests, and how to evaluate the findings.
It is hoped that with the adoption of this standard, the consumer will be able to better rate different wheelchairs and find one that specifically meets their needs. This rating will better reflect not only the overall ability of the wheelchair, but also how adept it is at driving over obstacles.
The International Organization of Standardization, or ISO, is an organization that is represented by individuals from across the world. They meet to create international standards and specifications for many types of products, including health and disability related products. Even though the organization is itself not directly tied to the government, many of their standards end up being turned into law.
The ISO 7176 is a series on wheelchairs prepared by a group of professionals and researchers of Assistive products and how these devices can be used by people in wheelchairs. It help provides a method of classifying wheelchairs based on factors like their size, weight, maneuverability, energy usage, ease of control, acceleration, overall strength, crash resistance, quality of brakes, and speed.
Monday, November 10th, 2008
The first electric wheelchair was invented in the fifties. This chair made use of a simple control stick that could be mounted to either side of the chair. This allowed the chairs occupant to control the movement of the wheelchair using little more than a finger. This control setup is still very common, but, as the inventors in the fifties quickly realized, many people cannot use the joystick system.
Alternative control methods were developed almost as soon as the electric wheelchair was created. Several different control schemes were created, but the most common utilized head movement to control the wheelchairs.
There are many different control setups that are used today, including several that utilize head movements. One of the most common types of alternate wheelchair control uses the breath of the user to control the chair. The occupant will blow or suck through a small straw, which controls the wheelchair.
Several different wheelchair control systems are currently in the development stage, which use computers to control the chair. One uses voice recognition software to control the chair, while another uses a small magnet that is stuck to the riders tongue. A special headset picks up the movements of the magnet and sends them to a computer.
Recently, thought controlled computers have begun to be experimented with. This is commonly referred to as a brain-computer interface (BCI.) The development of a BCI actually began in the seventies, but it wasn’t until the middle of the nineties that an actual working prototype was built.
A brain-computer interface offers two different services. It can allow an individual to interact with a computer or it can be used to help trigger nerves and possible facilitate movement. In the terms of wheelchair control, the ability to interact with the computer is of most importance, but being able to have the computer signal back if there is an object in the way, could also be extremely beneficial.
In regards to wheelchairs, this technology offers many exciting applications. Computer controlled wheelchairs are currently available and being developed. These machines can be for the most part completely controlled by a laptop, so using BCI, an individual will eventually be able to control their wheelchair with only a thought.
There are two main types of Brain Controlled Interfaces: Invasive and non-invasive. Invasive BCI, involves physically implanting an electrode into the brain. These offer the clearest signal, but pose a health risk, as sometimes the area will scar or weaken. There are also a less invasive version that implants electrodes into the head, but not into the brain. This improves signal, but reduces the risk of irritating the brain.
Non-invasive BCIs are more common today. A user will wear a piece of headgear that is covered in electrodes. The signal is weaker, but it is currently safer to use in this manner.
Brain Controlled Computers will likely play a big part in rehabilitation treatment in the future. Several studies and commercial ventures are currently taking part in research and development of BCI. There are several systems available that allow a user to control a computer with their mind and thereby allowing them to speak and communicate their thoughts.
Monday, November 10th, 2008
The first electric wheelchair was developed in the early 1950′s. These early power chairs took an existing wheelchair, usually the E & J manual wheelchair, and outfitted them with an electric motor. These chairs quickly became popular and today millions of people benefit from electric power wheelchairs.
While today, electric wheelchairs are much more advanced than the first electric power chairs, they do share one similarity. The joystick control system was first developed in the fifties and is still one of the most popular means of controlling an electric wheelchair today. The joystick can be mounted on either side of the chair and usually only requires a little bit of pressure for the occupant.
There are many people, however, who can not use this type of control system, so there are also several types of alternate control methods that can be used with an electric wheelchair that do not require the use of the occupants hands.
An electric wheelchair and a manual wheelchair share many similarities in regards to the services they provide, but they are also very different. Since power chairs are electric powered, it is necessary to charge them after each use. The range that a power chair can travel per charge depends largely on the model, but the places that you choose to use it can also effect the range. For example, driving the power chair up a very steep hill will cause the chair to loose its charge quicker. Most can travel a minimum of ten miles on a single charge.
An electric wheelchair will typically have a minimum of 4 wheels, but some have six. In these cases, the extra wheels are more for support. The way the wheelchair is propelled will help determine how many wheels it has. A traditional electric wheelchair usually only has four wheels and the rear wheels are what actually move the chair. These are called rear wheel drive power chairs.
A, relatively, new type of wheelchair has become very popular over the last ten years. These chairs use a mid-wheel drive system, a set of stability wheels located in front and in the back of the chair. The mid-wheel drive wheelchair is incredibly maneuverable and this makes it great for indoor usage.
Electric wheelchairs are incredibly popular today and many people would not be able to get around with them.