The other month we went to the UK’s largest show for disability equipment – Naidex, and as you probably know there’s a distinct lack of ‘style’ not least because it was at the NEC! Our previous report found a few interesting items such as an easy to use knife and The German National Tourist Office “Feeling Fearless” campaign that included wheelchair ‘Parcours’. So here’s the sequel or Part Deux:
First off we were very interested in anything new in the scooter world, following the interest many of you have shown in our recent mobility scooter articles. We found one we haven’t seen before the eFOLDi. It won the ‘British Invention of The Year 2016’ at The Gadget Show Live and it’s a scooter/chair that folds to the size of on board luggage for a plane. The lightweight battery is ‘air safe’ and the scooter folds in seconds as you can see from the video below. Prices start at a very reasonable £699. They’re being crowdfunded and have met their target so hopefully it’ll be in production soon.
The website says
“It wasn’t designed to change the world…It wasn’t designed to make a billion pounds…It wasn’t designed to be the next new cool thing for the ‘in’ kids…It wasn’t designed to be the most beautiful work of art in the world…It was only designed to help people out and about more easily and hassle free…”
“eFOLDi is the first scooter that takes the lightweight and fun elements of the toy scooter, but add the durability and quality of the mobility scooter and the range and appeal of the urban transport scooters.”
So something for everyone. Having seen it we would suggest that you need to be quite mobile to use it as it’s quite close to the ground so getting on and off could be an issue. You would also need core stability as there are no armrests. It’s certainly compact and we can see it being useful at an airport or a shopping mall, somewhere where there’s no bumps in the surface or heavy traffic.
Second, we met Tom Yendell who was not only promoting his foot painting (see previous review) and Flat Spaces (more of this later), but also an assistive device called GlassOuse. It’s a mouse that helps people control electronics without using their hands and sits on a rather fetching visor with a mouthpiece to conduct movements via Bluetooth/Wireless. The video below explains how:
We’ve seen these before but they’ve cost up to £1000. However, GlassOuse is only £200 approx. and was designed by a young Turkish guy, Mehmet Turker for his friend who became disabled. They’re again crowdsourcing via Indiegogo and we hope they get what they need as it’s really useful, even if you can use your hands, as well as rather stylish as you can see on the model below????…………I can vouch for it’s comfort and lightness.
Third, as mentioned above, Tom Yendell also runs a charity called Flat Spaces whose vision is
“To help provide high quality, fully accessible holiday accommodation for the………less abled traveller by means of …a network of well equipped, internally identical Flat Space bungalows.”
There’s only one at the moment in Ropley, Hampshire but they’re looking for donations to expand across the UK and overseas. An ideal place if you’re severely disabled as it has everything you might need and we love the idea that the space will be the same wherever you go.
Fourth and finally we met ReWalk Robotics who are
“designing, developing and commercializing exoskeletons allowing wheelchair-bound individuals to stand and walk once again.”
We met the people from Rex Bionics two years ago and their exoskeleton did the same thing. It cost £90k approx. and ReWalk is £50k approx. So they’re coming down in price but you still need a small mortgage to afford one.
ReWalk Robotics are now on version 6.0 with a faster walking speed and a more natural gait. It certainly appeared easier to get on and off and it was definitely more slimline than than some we’ve seen. It has an on board computer, battery power for a full day, can climb stairs, is totally self supporting and an adjustable ankle system. Designed for personal use rather than just re-habilitation it’s definitely a step forward. A bigger step forward would be a more affordable price!
These were the best we could find at Naidex 2016, who knows what next year will bring?? We suspect more of the same s*** so we’re thinking of creating our own Blue Badge Style Lifestyle Show with an emphasis on disability technology, design, fashion and style. If you think this would be a good idea let us know here.
