High Technology Mobility Aids
Losing one’s mobile ability is not only frustrating, but also emotionally debilitating. It is hard to be left alone, stuck in one spot while watching other people do things for you. It is hard to think that you cannot even give yourself a proper bath without sacrificing your privacy. Thankfully, there are innovative mobility products available for people with walking disability. Losing one’s ability to walk and to stand is not so big an issue any more. Mobility aids such as stair lifts, wheelchairs, canes, and bathroom safety aids are becoming more popular and more socially accepted these days. They have become a common feature in many establishments like hotels and restaurants, which recognise the need of physically disabled people for easy mobility. Aside from being a simple tool to help individuals with mobility issues, many of these aids now come with intelligent, high-tech electronics to further assist their users.
Electronic Wheelchair
One notable high-tech mobility product is an electronic cane, which was designed with various assistive electronic technologies. It is great for blind individuals and for older people who need a hand while walking. The electronic cane comes in different models and prototypes. Some are designed with an “echolocation” technology that tells its users if something is blocking the way. While some versions of the cane are geared with LED lights and a magnet to respectively illuminate the path one is taking and to assist the user in picking up metal objects such as car keys, spoons, etc. Another remarkable mobility aid that is getting a lot of innovation is the wheelchair. Modern wheelchairs are not only designed to help one move from one place to another, but also to help in more ways than one. Call them futuristic modes of transportation, but these chairs are really upgrading. There is one latest innovation from Toyota that does not need to be mechanically propelled. The wheelchair is designed with a brain-scanning cap that reads the user’s brain signals. A system allows the user to control the movement of the wheelchair using his/her thought. Another concept currently being considered for mainstream production is the climbing wheelchair. The technology is designed with innovative wheels that allow users to climb stairs and elevate to a standing position.
