March 30, 2012

TEK Robotic Mobilization Device

The central design flaw of a wheelchair becomes apparent during egress and ingress: A user that can only support themselves using their arms must insert themselves into the chair backwards. If you think about it this makes very little sense, and from a design standpoint it's a clear example of a user having to suit themselves to the object as opposed to the other way around.

The TEK Robotic Mobilization Device, in contrast, is designed for paraplegics to "enter" from a more natural, frontal position. After first seeing the device I thought it too robotic-looking, but after seeing the video I'm convinced of its design improvements over a wheelchair:




Enabling the user to comfortably perform tasks at standing height seems a huge boon, and I love that the RMD has an allowance for those awkward in-between heights that you'd encounter at a bar or bar-stool-equipped cafe. And while the device can't tackle stairs, it can travel anywhere a wheelchair can. Additionally, the much smaller footprint, which enables the RMD to go places a wheelchair can't (assuming accessibility to the location in the first place) seems a huge plus, particularly in space-tight urban stores where the aisles are narrow.

The RMD was developed by AMS Mekatronic, a Turkish concern dedicated to innovative mobilization devices for the physically disabled. Although they point out that they do not consider it a proper replacement for a wheelchair, it certainly seems to offer more functionality.

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