Page 17 - Mobility Management, March 2020

A WINDING ROAD FOR IBOT & TOYOTA
The path for robotics in complex rehab has been long and winding over the past two decades, including the widely publicized production (and later discontinuation) of the iBOT stair-climbing wheelchair system.
In 2003, Independence Technology — a division of healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson — introduced the iBOT to rave reviews from mainstream media, who hailed the wheelchair as a revolutionary device that “will force [wheelchair users] to reconsider virtually all the presumed boundaries in the world,” according to one Dateline NBC reporter.
But as Mobility Management reported at the time, Independence Technology hit several snags in its quest to sell the iBOT directly to consumers via clinician assessment and cut CRT providers from the distribution chain. The chair cost $26,000
at the time the company ceased production in 2009, and
Braze Mobility’s sensor system
customer-centric,” Viswanathan said in an interview. “The challenge in robotics
is that it often ends up being a technology push. As long as the focus stays on the problems rather than the solutions and on the customer rather than the developer, there is tremendous opportunity.”
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Medicare declined to classify its seat elevation or stair- climbing abilities as “medically necessary.” While popular with veterans and some clinicians, the iBOT also did
not offer typical rehab functions, such as tilt, recline or elevating legrests. In addition, users needed the ability to use a traditional joystick.
In turn, Independence Technology struggled to sell the chair, citing low demand before dissolving in 2009. The iBOT has continued to be revived by other companies, including Toyota North America and most recently by Mobius Mobility, which began promoting the chair last year with some added rehab functions.
Mobius Mobility’s iBOT
THE ELEMENTS OF SAFETY
LEARN MORE AT: QSTRAINT.COM/QLK-150
Meet all the Elements of Safety and Find Your Formula at: qstraint.com/elements
PERSONAL WHEELCHAIR DOCKING SYSTEM
MOBILITY MANAGEMENT | MARCH 2020 15 2/3/20 1:26 PM