Innovative Wheelchair Could Aid Disabled
By Booler, Tim; Sunderland Echo,Publication Date: August 13, 2009
Article features an innovative wheelchair which its inventors believe could transform the way people with disabilities are transported in hospitals, care homes, and their own houses. Developed by a team of scientists and entrepreneurs in the North East of England, the Smartchair works as a multi-function platform and can change from a wheelchair to a stretcher or lifting platform, without affecting stability. The idea for the Smartchair reportedly started several years ago, when one of the team members was looking for a mobility device for a family member with multiple sclerosis and found nothing suitable on the market. The concept has been demonstrated to the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States and, in association with Georgia Tech, presented to scientists at the Shepherd Center, which helped design the wheelchair system for actor Christopher Reeve. The Smartchair team hopes to have the product ready for manufacture within 12 months. The article includes a link to an animated video demonstrating the operating modes of the device.
Published by: Northeast Press
Link to text: http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/Innovative-wheelchair-could-aid-disabled.5547235.jp
Link to video: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2999987001?bctid=33321449001
