“UpNRide” addresses the disadvantages of sedentary life for patients with reduced mobility.Although we already knew of the existence of certain robotic exoskeletons that are allowing some paraplegic patients not only to stand up, but also to gradually recover mobility at levels considered impossible before their invention, a solution was still needed to help quadriplegic patients literally get up from the wheelchair.
With this in mind, Dr. Amit Goffer (the creator of the ReWalk robotic exoskeleton, who’s himself quadriplegic because of an accident he suffered back in 1997), designed the UpNRide, a vertical wheelchair that, with an easy-to-use strap system, offers quadriplegic patients the possibility of standing up while still in the wheelchair, enjoying the many health benefits of moving from a sedentary to a vertical position.
In addition, according to statements by Oren Tamari, director of UpNRide Robotics in Israel, the invention not only revolutionizes the wheelchair industry, but also reduces the cost of medical care for both insurance companies and families, and allows users to focus “not on disability but on a new perspective on the world, themselves and life.”
The first commercial model was presented in Dusseldorf, Germany, at the RehaCare international fair in late 2016, and went on sale early this year.
