wheelchair developed out of a car seat
Rick
developed out of a car seat by Dean Lavia in Tennessee. A link to an
article on it is http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=1145. I've
always found the seats in my Cavarans extremely comfortable and
supportive and I have thought of designing a drive system around one.
So I'm very curious to see what has transpired with this story. And
with getting back into using rehabilitation services I am not
impressed with the wheelchair technology they seem to have lock
themselfs into. So any information on this or similar approaches being
taken would be appreciated.
Rick
Burgerman
news:705f426d-7483-4f12...@z6g2000pre.googlegroups.com...
There are any number of wheelchairs already available with a "car" seat.
Actually they are usually Recaro seats. But for most they are a bad idea. I
Have 2 that I have removed in the garage...
Here is a short list of just a few reasons why they are a bad plan for most!
a) if it gets wet or soiled (many users are paraplegic/quadraplegic or
whatever and have occasional accidents...)
b) pressure support. If I of most other paraplegics/tetraplegics sat in a
car seat for long periods they would develop pressure ulcers as they need
and use specific cushions -- Jay2 Gel in my case.
c) They raise the seat height considerably, meaning that your legs dont fit
under tables/desks etc and that the C of G is now too high. This causes
stability issues and that requires the seat to be further forwards so you
dont tiop up on ramps and fall out the back. And that means less control,
and a bunch of other issues including battery range and longevity (dont
ask...) And if you fit the chair lower then you dont have enough room for
large enough batteries (ah) to have all day range or any real performance.
d) Transfers as most wheelchair users need to do often. Is very difficult as
the very shape that makes it have lateral support stops you moving sideways
as easily.
e) Backrest is much thicker than a simple sling back. Powerchair
manoeverability both indoor and out is a much bigger issue than you may
think. I made my chairs shorter and narrower so I can turn and manoever in
tight spots like public loos. That thicker back means that instead of my
head touching the wall first the powerchair does. That means its about 4
inches longer overall than my own shortened chair.
f) you cant reach behind you as I just did to pick up the phone for example.
The backs are too high and too wide further reducing my ability or disabling
me further if you prefer.
I am in the process of building myself two new properly thought out
powerchairs starting with the best I have seen as far as layout and design
goes. I buy old f55 powerchairs like this
And turn them into a much better performing, shorter, prettier, more
manoeverable and faster chair. They are better finished than new and have
better batteries, can fast charge in 1 hour, etc etc. here... Total cost
including a rusty knackered donor chair £1500 to £1700 and its a lot better
than a "new" one.
http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/images-powerchair/rebuilt-powerchair-1024.jpg
You need to read this page to understand all of it. Its a bit of a major
modification and rebuild. Although its not yet finished by about 3000 words.
And all the photos will link to large ones.
http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/powerchair.htm
Rick
> "Rick" <rckb...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:705f426d-7483-4f12...@z6g2000pre.googlegroups.com...
>
> > Has anyone got any information they could share on the wheelchair
> > developed out of a car seat by Dean Lavia in Tennessee. A link to an
>
> And turn them into a much better performing, shorter, prettier, more
> manoeverable and faster chair. They are better finished than new and have
> better batteries, can fast charge in 1 hour, etc etc. here... Total cost
> including a rusty knackered donor chair £1500 to £1700 and its a lot better
>
> You need to read this page to understand all of it. Its a bit of a major
> modification and rebuild. Although its not yet finished by about 3000 words.
> And all the photos will link to large ones.http://www.wheelchairdriver.com/powerchair.htm
I agree some of the issues you point out are right, I would just like
to see how he approached them.
My condition is one where I used a crutch for 45 50 years till I
developed a lot of joint problems from the unnatural movements in my
walking. So I still have a lot of mormal ability to transfer and
stand. My transition to powered mobility started about 13 year's ago
with a scooter for work and outdoors. In the past few years I acquired
a small scooter for the home and work environments. This has been and
still is very effective, to the point where I turn down the last offer
for a 90% funded prescribed electric wheelchair. I just found that the
small scooter could out maneuver the chair in my home and it provide
more support for doing transfers in my situation. This does mean I am
totally happy with it. There are a lot of other approaches to
designing a chair that could be more effective. For instance if a
chair's drive wheels could rotate to any direction, then they could
propel the chair any direction. Life would much easier when wanting to
move an inch or two to the left or right becuse it could do that.
Think of what one has go through now in having to jockey back and
forth to move along a counter or desk.
Again, I'm highly skeptical about the car seat too. The only thing is
I've driven in them for 13 years, as well as half driven across Canada
a few times in them and I have found them to be the most comfortable
seat to be in given my condition. So that makes Dean Lavia's approach
worth looking at.
Rick
Burgerman
Rick
_______________________
Fair enough. But many chairs are already available with automotive seats
including recaros, and many lesser seats.
Limits the chairs overall dimensions, and makes transfers difficult (for
most) and leaves the Cof G too high and too far forwards but everyone is
different.
I have a almost new recaro here somewhere and some olde tatty ones...