"You realize that they're exactly right," Sita said. She smiled, stopped. "You know, when the first walkaway prostheses project started, most of the people contributing had lost an arm or a leg in Belarus or Oman, and were tired of paying loan sharks for something that hurt and barely worked and could be remotely repossessed by an over-the-air kill-switch if they missed a payment. But once they got here and started living, realized how much had been left on the table by conservative companies that didn't want to get into a patent fight and didn't see any reason to add advanced functionality to something that you didn't have any choice about, they got radicalized.
"They stopped saying 'I just want to make an arm that'll get through the day,' and started saying 'I want an arm that does everything my old arm did.' From there, it was a short step to 'I want an arm that's better than my old arm.' And from there, it was an even shorter step to 'I want an arm that's so outrageously awesome that you'll cut off your own to get one.'
"I'm suspicious of any plan to fix unfairness that starts with 'step one, dismantle the entire system and replace it with a better one,' especially if you can't do anything else until step one is done. Of all the ways that people kid themselves into doing nothing, that one is the most self-serving."
Probably not the first and definitely not the last time that idea will be tried in sci-fi (and out of).
I can't recall what story but there's one where operations people have twice the usual complement of fingers.
There's also a guy who hacked the interface for his prosthetic arm to directly control a sound board. Why go analog-digital-analog-digital-analog when you can skip two steps in the middle?
Without knowing much about the couple's relationship, I would say they are trying to create a design that allows for other outdoor terrains, such as a dirt road. If you imagine a traditional wheelchair design, the subtle bumps and dips on a dirt road would make it taxing for the rider or anyone assisting them. Jerry's Rig tries to mitigate those issues to offer a quality of life improvement so that wheelchair bound outdoorsy people can still be outdoorsy people.
Like codekansas said, people can very quickly scope creep into making an all together badass arm when all the person wants is something to get them through the day.
By the way, I read @codekansas' comment [1] not as a warning about feature creep, but as a comment on the inertia in the medical industry (emphasis on "industry") versus just a few enthusiasts who don't feel bound by patents, conventions and markets, and simply want to build something to improve their lives.
I've thought about what a cool wheelchair would be like since the 'regular' stuff that exists seems disappointing. I wonder if e-bikes and more accessible battery packs are what make this possible now.
I think there's a lot of opportunity in this space for making something that you'd actually want to use if you were disabled.
A lot of the stuff that exists in the current market seems overpriced (though I'd guess there are regulatory reasons for this and it's not a simple fix).
I'm glad they made this, hopefully more people will hack on things like this too.
His name is Zach...
Not to mention electrical power (Vs. gas in the competition) definitely could result in the user being stranded, even if it has a power-usage monitor (given how environmental factors can impact non-air conditioned batteries).
Edit: Actually I checked again and Outrider has a semi-off-road vehicle for $5k now which is pretty cool.
Holy mother, I had no ideas they could be so expensive!
Out of curiosity (and unfortunately because I might need one myself before too long :(, I just had a quick Google here in the UK, and I can't find any more expensive than $3k. I'm not sure if you meant "normal" electric-powered wheelchair, or something else?
What kind is it? Here in the UK the typical price I'm finding is ~£1000, with high end models ~£3000
https://www.uk-wheelchairs.co.uk/electric-wheelchairs-power-...
https://rootedinrights.org/video/disabled-bikers/
This video shows bikers of many different abilities using many different kinds of bikes and it shows how versatile bikes can be for different people.
I'm kinda curious why it's a quad-wheel system rather than a tricycle. At 2:28 in the video I linked, there's someone paralyzed that uses a tricycle to go off-roading (two wheels in the front, one in back with a hub motor). I'm not saying there isn't a reason for the 4-wheeled system, I'm just wondering what if offers.
Those were single-wheel in front, two wheels in back. I guy from my high-school rolled one and broke his wrist, back in the day.
From growing up on a farm, tractors with tricycle gear in the front don't work as well in the snow, and I'm not certain why this is. I think it's because you have to break three paths through the snow rather than two. In addition, a four wheel setup in snow tends to go in a straight line. If you get tricycle gear stuck in a rut, you're going sideways and it can be difficult to maintain a straight line.
Also, lets be real, this assumes side walks and bike lanes are even available.
I like the product, though. Seems like good people trying to do a good thing.
Good medical equipment is always going to be expensive.
Mist disabled folks won't be able to afford this, and, of the ones that can, they may not want or need them.
That doesn't mean they shouldn't make them, but they probably won't get rich on them.
If anyone watched the Apple keynote, one of the sessions was introduced by Meg Frost, who rides the most badass wheelchair I've seen: https://youtu.be/GEZhD3J89ZE?t=1299
and it has some nice off-road capabilities.
I can't find his website but he appears to be active on instagram[2]
1. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-49528426/kenyan-inn...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lTz7OIPp7fscYDhig3Qyw/vid...
Even if the "Not a wheelchair" has a lower speed, and less off-road capabilities than the Swincar, it still seems like roll protection could be a useful safety system.
I guess they're relying on the light[er] weight?
I had unsubscribed to every other smartphone review channel as I'm not going to change my smartphone every other day and at the same time I want to keep myself apprised of the developments in smartphone hardware; JRE serves me perfectly for that.
The only political video I've seen of him is the recent video he did with other youtubers asking people to vote, that's all, there was no mention of any party and in-fact someone in the video explicitly said 'vote for anyone, but please vote'[1].
Unfortunately, asking people to vote is seen as a threat by one side of the political spectrum; however foolish that is in a democratic country.
While a device with bunch of features would be better, most people with disability don't need features, they need something reliable to move around that doesn't require huge fortune to keep running.
From what I see this thing is so simple nobody will have trouble repairing it with regular tools and off the shelf parts so most people will be able ask family member to get it repaired.
One way to solve it would be to have only single wheel powered. If you get that one powered wheel lifted you could shift your weight to tip entire vehicle (assuming you took care to load it evenly).
Its clearly being marketed to disabled people as a mobility device, which makes it a wheelchair, and makes it a class II medical device that must have design controls.
He's in for a rude awakening by a visit from the FDA.
[i] https://www.amazon.com/JJBOOM-1000W-Electric-Bicycle-Convers...
[ii] https://calibike.com/product/lithium-ion-72v18ah-ultra-light...
http://wesellit.ca/m/image/catalog/products/gokart200cc-roll...
I'd look into those user groups for info.
https://youtu.be/vuMg0QwKAGI?t=151
The turning radius isn't that great, and the lack of a differential helps explain why. Definitely an interesting design choice.
But even on a hard surface it might work just fine, because the turning radius looks pretty shallow.
The advantage is that a solid axle is simple, cheap, reliable, and performs well in low-traction situations.
http://actiontrackchair.com/ https://www.ziesel-adventures.com/welcome/models
That being said, I'm kinda more partial to the adaptive mountain bikes like the Sport-ONs[1]. Two wheels in front, one powered wheel in back, and a more "aggressive", sporty posture for the rider. Clearly a different market and twice the price as the Rig. It seems to me that the Rig could be a lot more comfortable and competent with some changes.
Jeremy P. McGhee[2] seems to be a reseller and booster of them.
Here's a video of him and another guy riding them along with a friend of mine (the guy on 2 wheels).
The Rig with it's capability for cargo, reminds me of an industrial bike like a Worksman[4].
[1] https://adaptivemountainbikes.com/ [2] https://www.facebook.com/jer.mcgoo [3] https://youtu.be/-IIQbD0hwto [4] https://www.worksmancycles.com
But I have to admit, I saw "not a wheelchair" and was a little disappointed that it wasn't a strandbeest chair.
Shut up, I'm not crying. You're crying!
I fail to see benefit compared to ATV - I just checked some shops and you can buy brand new gasoline ATV for like 3000USD, electric ATV around 5000USD. ATV will be faster, cheaper and have better range than this
This is basically a recumbent four-wheel electric light-duty fatbike. It's a niche and I think it's cool.
One could just as easily compare an electric bike to a honda ruckus.
Probably not the best terminology to use on a post about people with disabilities.
You've obviously never hung around with people with disabilities. "Political correctness" is not exactly their/our long suit.
One of my favorite experiences was watching a group of people with learning disabilities call each other "retard" and crack up every time.
Don't even get me started about Deaf people and the jokes they make about people that can hear when they think you're not watching.
