Page 52 - Mobility Management, July/August 2021

TESTING AND VALIDATION METHODS
LUCI gives power wheelchair riders unparalleled stability, security and connectivity through cloud-connected software and hardware mounted between the seat and base of their current chair.
As an accessory to a power wheelchair LUCI is an FDA Class I, exempt medical device and meets the associated requirements of the FDA and FCC. In addition, LUCI meets the applicable requirements of IEC 60601 for home use medical electrical equipment.
The essential performance of the system requires that LUCI not create unintended motion of the wheelchair and that LUCI alert the user to detected unsafe conditions. These basic safety requirements have been tested in a wide variety of environmental conditions, while exposed to extreme electromagnetic interference, and under multiple failure conditions of the base wheelchair and LUCI. We have had no known safety failures of LUCI in our testing.
LUCI’s internal technology verification process involves completing over sixty analyses, simulations, tests, and reviews covering...well...everything.
LUCI tests at the module, subassembly, and final assembly level to prove that it is worthy of use by the wheelchair riders we know and love. While we could dive into the details of our IP54 water and dust protection testing, medical grade electromagnetic immunity, RESNA approved impact and durability testing, or use of third parties to review our architecture and hazard analysis methodologies, it is more important to focus on the wheelchair collision avoidance and drop-off protection safety test standards that we have invented.
No system will ever prevent all collisions or tip events, but we have developed rigorous test protocols to evaluate LUCI. We are constantly working to find the perfect balance between an amazing user experience and the impossible bar of absolute safety. It is our sincere hope that by sharing these methods and results we can spark an honest discussion in the industry around user safety.
Drop-Off Protection Testing
Drop-off protection testing is performed on each wheelchair model. Each model is driven at a curb from various angles, at various speeds, and with different LUCI settings totaling more than 250 individual attempts to drop off the curb per model of wheelchair.
LUCI’s drop-off protection is greater than 99% effective based on our curb drop-off protection testing.
99%