Another Wheelchair Power Assist: NEXT Mobility Tailwind

NEXT Mobility has a power-assisted manual chair that provides resistance free assistance for the user. The Tailwind Power Package, which is fitted to their RTm lightweight manual chair, consists of a controller, lightweight battery, motors, and quick-release wheels with touch sensitive hand rims. The controller senses inputs from the hand rims about 200 times per second and will provide power assistance when it senses that the user will have difficulty, such as when the user is going uphill or traversing rough terrain. It will even assist in keeping the chair tracking correctly if it senses that one wheel is slipping and could cause the chair to travel off the intended direction. The battery provides up to 9 miles of sustained assistance and can be charged in less than 4 hours. This should provide another viable option for those needing a powered assisted manual chair. Check out the clip to see it in action.

Real-life Iron Man Suit: HAL

A Japanese company called Cyberdyne has created a exoskeletal suit that enhances the strength of the user. The Hybrid Assistive Limb, or HAL for short, Uses sensors attached to the skin to allow effortless movement with your muscles and it has the capability of increasing your strength up to 10 times. It also has a continuous operating time of about 2 hours and 40 minutes. HAL is expected to be applied in various fields such as rehabilitation support and physical training support in medical field, ADL support for disabled people, heavy labour support at factories, and rescue support at disaster sites, as well as in the entertainment field. I just find it amazing that a company like Cyberdyne exists: let us hope that they do not start to create machines that want to take over the world like the Cyberdyne in the Terminator series. Check out the info on HAL on their site.

Not Just For Cellphones: Prosthetics Get Bluetooth

If you were asked what a pair of prosthetic legs has in common with a cellphone, you would probably say “nothing.” And you would have been right—until recently.

Prosthetic legs have been made from every material from wood to plastic to metal. With each generation prosthetics experts try to make the limbs look and behave more naturally. At the same time the devices have become more complex. Now an Iceland-based orthopedics and prosthetics company, Ossur, has significantly raised the bar. Two factors make the company’s new prosthetic different from any of their predecessors. Their power knee uses artificial intelligence to sense and make adaptations for pressure and angle changes as the amputee moves. In itself computerization isn’t a giant leap away from where other prosthetics were headed. But add this to the Bluetooth device on the ankle, and now we’re dancing a new step. This Bluetooth device coordinates the movements of one leg with the movements of the other.

The technology was originally designed to be used on single leg amputees. In its originally conceived configuration, the 10-pound prosthetic would mimic the movements of a flesh-and-blood leg. In the case of a double amputee, the Bluetooth devices need to “sync up” with each other. In either case, the first step or two the user takes is usually pretty sloppy.

Users of older forms of prosthetic tire easily. It takes a great deal of effort, and a good bit of contraction from potentially damaged thigh muscles, to move a hunk of wood or a shaft of metal. But motors built into these new Bluetooth devices do much of the work. As a result, users can do more than ever before without expending nearly as much energy. There are, of course, challenges that need to be addressed with any new technology and these new prosthetics are no different. Cost is chief among the hurdles. Up until now, a top-of-the-line set of prosthetic legs ran about $20,000. The Ossur device comes with a price tag hovering around $120,000. That’s outside the price range affordable by the typical user. Furthermore, it’s been difficult to adjust the strength of the motors that help to propel the leg.

While these motors do save the user much-needed energy, on several occasions they have produced undesirable effects. Current users have reported such things as excessively strong knee jerks when trying to stand. And, because of the built-in power supply, this new device has to be charged overnight. That means going out for a long night on the town may mean either taking off the device at some point in time or leaving it at home altogether.

New Suzuki MIO Concept To Debut At Tokyo Auto Show

Suzuki is unveiling a revised version of the MIO, a fuel cell scooter concept that they began developing a year ago and seen in a previous post. Like the earlier version, this scooter uses methanol, which is stored in easily replaceable cartridges, instead of batteries as its means of energy storage. The idea is that the cartridges are easy enough to replace that it could provide the user with a virtually unlimited range. Here is the press release issued by Suzuki:

"Suzuki's MIO electric wheelchair is powered by a direct-methanol fuel cell rather than by a conventional lead-acid battery. The methanol solution is held in a cartridge-type bottle that's easy to replace with a full spare one, so the user gains extra freedom and doesn't need to worry about running out of fuel on the road. Suzuki began joint trials of the MIO with the Shizuoka prefectural government in November 2008 with a view to enhancing its reliability ready for commercialization."

Duane Stevenson: MMA Warrior & Coach

The following clip is a trailer for a documentary of Duane Stevenson, an MMA coach who happens to be crutch-bound due to tumors in his spine. With an abusive childhood adding to the complications of dealing with a disability, Duane uses Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as an outlet to vent his aggression. This eventually turned into the means in which he harnesses his fighting spirit and earns the admiration and respect of others that have come into his life. His determination and fighting spirit serve as an inspiration to all who have had the privilege of meeting and working with him. As you can see in the trailer, Duane treats everybody, disabled or not, the same way he likes to be treated. He teaches his students more than fighting: he teaches them how to overcome any obstacles that are in their way. Watch the trailer and get a preview of the life of this extraordinary individual.