Bridging the Gap
By Cooper, Rory A.; PN: Paraplegia News, Vol. 57, No. 1, p. 18Publication Date: January 2003
Article discusses the creation of Three Rivers Holdings, LLC, which is a company that is dedicated to transferring advances in rehabilitation technology from the laboratory to the marketplace in order to enhance the mobility, independence, and well being of people with disabilities. Three Rivers’ core approach is to bridge the gap between an existing demand for rehabilitation products and an untapped supply of innovative technologies in universities and research institutions around the country. The company’s first commercial product was the SMARTWheel, which is a precise tool used for the comprehensive measurement of wheelchair-propulsion biomechanics. The device had been a research tool to gauge the causes of pain and injury among wheelchair users. Three Rivers worked to enhance the SMARTWheel so that therapists can use it as a clinical tool to maximize wheelchair prescription in new clients with spinal cord injuries, and as a training tool to test the efficiency of wheelchair-related products. Three Rivers also developed and released the Natural-Fit Handrim and the Thumb-Guard. The Natural-Fit Handrim is designed to maximize the fit of a wheelchair user’s hand and the chair’s pushrim. The Natural-Fit features a separate surface for the thumb, and an enlarged surface for the palm of the hand, which creates an improved contact area for gripping the pushrim. The Thumb-Guard is a lightweight ring that snaps onto existing handrims to provide a surface area between the handrim and the chair wheel to prevent thumb and finger injury.
Assistive Products Discussed: NATURAL-FIT
SMARTWHEEL
Published by: PVA Publications (Website:http://www.pvamagazines.com)
Paralyzed Veterans of America (Web Site: http://www.pva.org )
