Technology

Electronic Wheelchairs

In the first of its kind in the country, an electronic wheelchair is being developed by the Department of Assistive Technology at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre by Jon Pearlman, who is pursuing his Ph.D in Rehabilitation Science and Technology at the University of Pittsburgh, USA.

This wheelchair will provide disabled patients the maximum benefits which a normal wheelchair fails to do. “The power wheelchair has been designed after research on 30 people who faced problems in operating the normal wheelchair. The research helped in designing the wheelchair according to Indian conditions with an eye on the cost.  

“The wheelchair has been shaped around the patient’s lifestyle and will work effectively on the rough terrains around the house where normal wheelchairs have problems in maneuvering,” adds Pearlman.

The wheelchair can carry a weight of 200 kg and has a steering which can be easily operated by the patient himself, but for those who cannot use hands to operate the steering there is an option of choosing the joystick which can be located anywhere on the wheelchair according to the patient’s need and can be easily operated by leg or shoulder movement.

According to the National Sample Survey Report 2002, there are 8 million potential wheelchair users in India and a majority of them find it difficult to navigate them due to inappropriate configurations resulting into pain and secondary injuries.

Dr HS Chhabra, chief of Spinal Service, Spinal Injuries Centre, said “apart from developing the wheelchair, the department will focus on designing other necessary gadgets which will be helpful for the disabled in their day-to-day routine work.”

Source: Power wheelchair for disabled. Shah Times, Daily, New Delhi, 9 March 2007.