ISRAEL 21C
by Abigail Klein Leichman
August 14, 2014
The robotic ReWalk exoskeleton from Israel’s Argo Medical Technologies, featured on primetime’s Glee, Time magazine’s list of greatest inventions of 2013 and at the London Marathon, will be a hard act to follow. But the ReWalk’s inventor, Amit Goffer, is hoping to score another hit with a new innovative wheelchair, UPnRIDE, designed for people like himself who cannot benefit from the ReWalk because they are quadriplegic and don’t have full functionality in their arms. (The ReWalk is only by those who are paraplegic, paralyzed below the waist.).
UPnRIDE will enable many wheelchair users to be fully mobile in standing position anywhere, including in an urban environment, says Oren Tamari, CEO of RehaMed Technologies. “After seven years at Argo, and after bringing the ReWalk to where it is now, I am currently working with Amit Goffer on a new product that will improve the quality of life and health of all wheelchair users,” Tamari tells ISRAEL21c.
“This is very meaningful, because we know that not every wheelchair user can use the ReWalk. This new solution can fit almost everyone who uses a wheelchair.” As a category, the standing wheelchair is not a new product. These devices have been shown to improve circulation, elimination and bone density, and could also improve overall quality of life and independence among wheelchair users. What’s different about the UPnRIDE? “The twist we bring here is the stabilization,” says Tamari.
“Other solutions on the market may only be used indoors because they move the center of gravity out of the chair and there would be a fall on a slope. The UPnRIDE will stabilize the user no matter what surface he rides on. He’ll stay vertical to the ground even if it’s uneven or sloping. This is the essence of this product, because we can maintain the center of gravity and allow full mobility in standing position.”…….
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