Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Surehands Lifts Systems

Not just your typical assistive-lift system, the Surehands lifts excel above the competition through encouraging independence with a unique holster design that allows users to access the toilet, shower, and bed on their own without assistance.
Where other lifts systems use a sling to lift the person out of their wheelchair, the Surehands lifts also offers a holster setting, the Surehands Body Support, with padded and shaped metal arms that slide under the arms of the user, and a strap that goes under their legs, leaving their body open from the mid back to the knees, which a sling typically covers, hindering the user from doing any of their bathroom business on their own.


The track system typically runs from the bed into the bathroom, through a sliding door if necessary, raising and lowering with a remote control that hangs around the users' neck for ease of use. The track or multiple tracks are built to access as much of the room as possible.





We tested one of these lifts at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas; there are only four rooms out of over 2,000 with lifts in them, and they are requested often.
Vegas doesn't taut these lifts, nor does Wynn, which is surprising to us, but true; perhaps because they do not want the need to outweigh the supply, as the lifts are already highly requested even without their advertisement. However the high use of these lifts should encourage not only the Wynn line to brag about their access, but should also encourage other hotels to begin to offer the same universal design to bring in this growing market of travelers with disabilities, who spend over $13.6 billion annually on travel in the US alone (as of 2005).

We’d love to see Surehands lifts in your hotel. If interested in catering to this huge niche with this assistive device, or for more information, videos and images, visit the Surehands website at www.surehands.com.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

EXOSKELETON BY BERKELEY BIONICS ENABLES PARAPLEGICS TO WALK

reprinted from Empowered

BERKELEY, CA – OCT. 7, 2010 — Berkeley Bionics™, developer and maker of bionic exoskeletons that augment human strength, endurance and mobility, today unveiled eLEGS, a wearable, artificially intelligent, bionic device that powers paraplegics up to get them standing and walking.

eLEGS was unveiled at a press conference today in San Francisco by Berkeley Bionics’ CEO, Eythor Bender, who explained that the company’s mission is to provide people with unprecedented mobility options. “Many of the 6 million Americans who live with some form of paralysis today were highly active and at the top of their game when they sustained their injury. As they research their options for increased mobility, they discover that wheelchairs are pretty much it. This has been the only alternative – their only hope – for nearly 500 years,” he said. “We want to enhance their independence and freedom of movement,” he added, “and with eLEGS, they can stand up and walk for the first time since their injury.”

“As a wheelchair user, I experience the multiple health and fitness benefits of mobility from the standing position. I can’t wait to share this alternative with other individuals,” shared eLEGS tester and a partial quadriplegic herself, Dr. Suzy Kim, an assistant clinical professor at the Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, UCI Medical Center, as well as director, Clinical Spinal Cord Injury Program & Scientific Liaison for Reeve-Irvine Research Center. “The application of eLEGS will revolutionize the field of neurologic rehabilitation from the hospital to the home setting.”

Initially, the device will be offered to rehabilitation centers for use under medical supervision, and can be adjusted to fit most people between 5’2 and 6’4” and weighing 220 lbs or less, in a matter of minutes. Users must be able to self-transfer from their wheelchair. Simple Velcro straps, backpack-style clips, and shoulder straps secure eLEGS to the user, over their clothing and shoes, and with a little practice, users can put eLEGS on and take it off in a minute or two.
eLEGS provides unprecedented knee flexion, which translates into the most natural human gait available in any exoskeleton today, making it better equipped to handle mixed terrains. It is also relatively quiet while in operation. Walking speeds depend on each patient’s aptitude and condition, but speeds in excess of 2MPH can be attained, and speeds can be varied. The device is battery-powered and employs a gesture-based human-machine interface which — utilizing sensors — observes the gestures the user makes to determine their intentions and then acts accordingly. A real-time computer draws on sensors and input devices to orchestrate every aspect of a single stride.

Clinical trials will commence early next year at select rehabilitation clinics in the United States. A limited release of eLEGS is scheduled during the second half of 2011 at several of the most respected rehabilitation facilities around the country. At that time, eligible patients will have the opportunity to enroll in a medically-supervised eLEGS gait training program, working with their physical therapist. Therapists will undergo training in order to become eLEGS-certified prior to assisting patients.

Berkeley Bionics developed the first practical exoskeleton and the first untethered exoskeleton in the world. Lockheed Martin Corporation entered into a licensed agreement with Berkeley Bionics in January, 2009 and is currently productizing the Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC™). HULC’s users can carry up to 200 lbs for hours and over all terrains.

About Berkeley Bionics

Berkeley Bionics (www.berkeleybionics.com) – based in Berkeley, CA and founded in 2005, develops and manufactures powered and artificially intelligent human exoskeletons for military, civilian and medical uses that augment strength, endurance, mobility and injury prevention.