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| Amigo TravelMate III |
I went to the annual People In Motion show looking for new products for the disabled. Usually I find things that are not of interest to me personally. But you may recall that last year I wrote about the Alex powerchair with because I knew I would be in the market for a new chair. If you read this blog, you'll know that I recently ordered a Quickie XPlore. The problem with the Alex is I can't get the kind of footplates that I need because of front wheel drive. But that's what People In Motion is all about. It's a one stop shop for the disabled. Again this year I live tweeted from the show. And I did find some new products. The first is the Amigo TravelMate III collapsible scooter. In the past, collapsible scooters have left a lot to be desired. But Amigo has manufactured scooters since 1968 and this is their first attempt at a collapsible scooter. It's not designed as a primary scooter. But if you use a scooter and travel a lot, this is for you. I thought it looked very sturdy. Others I have seen in the past seemed very fragile. It looks like it can take a pounding. But the main feature is you can fold the TravelMate III in 30 seconds. It only weighs 53 pounds so it's very simple to put it in your car trunk. And it even has a handle so you can carry it like a piece of luggage. This is a brand new product that is just going into production. It is manufactured in Michigan and sold in Canada by Premier Mobility in Richmond Hill. It sells for $1800 and for more info you can go to http://www.premiermobility.ca or call them at 905-889-2336.
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| FreeWheel |
FreeWheel is a manual wheelchair attachment that is designed to make it easier for user to navigate curbs and other obstacles. FreeWheel is for manual chairs with rigid frame footrests. It will not work with the individual footrests that swing away to the side. When you attach FreeWheel to your footrest, it raises the front casters so you can get over obstacles. It seems to be well manufactured and it only weighs five pounds so it's very light. It comes with a perch that attaches to your seat back and you clamp the FreeWheel to it when you need to store it. Using the FreeWheel should ease the shoulder pain that most manual wheelchair users are all too familiar with. And it gives you a smoother ride as well. It sells for $599 but is not yet ADP approved. I am told the application is pending. Epical Solutions in Regina is the distributor and you can visit their website at http://www.epicalsolutions.com
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| Lift & Lock |
The Lift & Lock Wheelchair Mounted Arm is a modular device designed to make it easier for paraplegics and quadraplegics to use monitors that most of us take for granted. If you're a powerchair user, have you ever tried to keep a laptop or an iPad in your lap? Good luck. The Lift & Lock mounts on your powerchair and anything with a screen can be attached to it. That includes laptops, tablets, cameras, monitors, iPads etc. etc. And it's all hands free and it's very sturdy. It's clamped on so it won't slip. There are different models available and the manufacturer is open to customization for the individual user. The modular design is a pretty significant breakthrough. The product was invented by a Toronto man and the manufacturing is by Monitors In Motion. Their main product is high end monitor brackets. You might get big screen TV brackets from them. This seems like an altruistic sideline for them. The pricing varies depending on the specific needs. There's no question there is a need for this kind of product. But the customization makes it somewhat questionable that it can be profitable on its own merit. They have to make new molds for each variation of the arm. Molds are expensive. Monitors In Motion is in Tottenham and their website is http://www.monitorsinmotion.com/ So that's it from People In Motion 2001. I'll see you there next year.
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