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| IBOT |
The iBOT is a powered wheelchair developed by Dean Kamen in a partnership between DEKA and Johnson and Johnson's Independence Technology division.
As of 2009, it is no longer available for sale from Independence Technology, but support for existing units was available until the end of 2013. Production was discontinued for cost reasons; only a few hundred were sold per year at a retail price of about $25,000, and Medicare paid only $5000.
The iBOT has a number of features distinguishing it from most powered wheelchairs:
- By rotating its two sets of powered wheels about each other, the iBOT can "walk" up and down stairs, much like a cog railway or a rack and pinion with the two wheels as the "teeth" of the gear.
- The iBOT is capable of tethered remote control operation, useful for loading the wheelchair up ramps into vehicles, or "parking" out of the way when not occupied.
- Custom software receives data via various sensors and gyroscopes, allowing the iBOT to maintain balance during certain maneuvers.
- It allows the user to rise from a sitting level to approximately 6' tall. The user may also travel in this "standing" configuration.
- It can climb and descend curbs ranging from 0.1 to 5.0 inches, according to the manufacturer's specifications. The limits are determined by the rider's technique and risk tolerance.
- It is capable of traveling through many types of terrain, including sand, gravel, and water up to 3" deep.
’Ibot’, Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, 5 FEBUARY 2016, Last revised 21 December 2015, < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBOT>.
Ibot is just amazing and I wish we could see it appears on the market soon. I found something similar around us but I am not so supportive towards this tool as it actually brought inconvenience.
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| electric wheel chair |
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