Page 14 - Mobility Management, July 2017

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University of Pittsburgh HERL Launches Air-Powered Wheelchair
The University of Pittsburgh’s Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have introduced a wheelchair that is propelled by compressed air.
The PneuChair was introduced April 7 at Morgan’s Wonderland, a San Antonio, Texas, theme park and playground that is entirely wheelchair accessible.
Because it doesn’t have batteries, the PneuChair weighs about 80 lbs. and is waterproof. Morgan’s
In the news announcement, Cooper said, “Morgan’s Inspiration Island’s need and our HERL research are essentially an ideal match. The potential to open oppor- tunities for people with disabilities who need powered mobility to access splash parks, water parks, beaches
or pools is transformative. In addition, PneuChair users not only will be able to experience wet environments, but also take advantage of the chair’s lighter weight, less recharging time and less-complex mechanical structure than traditional battery-operated wheelchairs.”
PneuChair has about a three-mile range, far less than typical power chairs that run on batteries. But PneuChair also recharges much more quickly — in just 10 minutes.
Gordon Hartman, who launched his foundation and named the resulting theme park after his daughter who has special needs, said, “We want Morgan’s Inspiration
Artist’s rendering of Inspiration Island water park.
Wonderland will be using the PneuChair at its new Inspiration Island water park, opening later this year as an expansion of the original theme park.
The park expects to have an initial inventory of 10 PneuChairs produced by Stealth Products, according to a news announcement.
The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation, which created and funds Morgan’s Wonderland, reached out to HERL Director Rory Cooper, Ph.D., a year ago and also provided funding for the PneuChair project.
Dr. Rory Cooper, University of Pittsburgh, introduced PneuChair at Morgan’s Wonderland accessible theme park.
Island physically challenged guests to be able to enjoy our new splash park to the max. Besides, guests who rely on expensive power chairs for mobility can’t afford to get them wet, so we reached out to Dr. Cooper and his team for a solution.”
Inspiration Island guests will also be able to borrow waterproof manual wheelchairs. Morgan’s Wonderland worked with Convaid and Ki Mobility to design caregiv- er-propelled and rigid-framed, self-propelled manual chairs to be used at the water park. A local company provided the manual wheelchairs’ upholstery in colors coded according to wheelchair size.
Changing rooms at the water park will be available for guests to transfer from their everyday power or manual wheelchairs to waterproof ones built especially to make a splash. m
Inspiration Island at Morgan’s Wonderland will be filled with cool, splashy play areas, including Castaway Bay, pictured here.
12 JULY2017|MOBILITYMANAGEMENT
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PHOTOS COURTESY MORGAN’S WONDERLAND