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Manual Chairs

Invacare's Spyder starts at $2,050.

Lighter, faster and stronger has been the push in recent years for manual chairs, especially with the advent of sports wheelchairs built for speed and stability. But many convenience features have also rubbed off on manual chairs designed for everyday use.

The Libre, which tilts and can be folded laterally, is the latest manual chair from Freedom Designs, a manufacturer in Simi Valley, Calif.

Quickie XTR base price is $2,295.

New, too, from Invacare is the Spyder, a lightweight manual chair that can be easily collapsed and folded by simply pulling a strap.

And check out Quickie's XTR model, which can be equipped with knobby mountain bike tires and Rock Shox incorporated into the frame to smooth the ride and give it off-roading capabilities.

Features for Lifestyle

Accessories and options are an affordable way to upgrade or change a chair's performance and capabilities. Seating systems, tilt-in-space features, standing chairs and high-tech electronics are all possibilities. Several models, such as the OmegaTrac and the Chairman, have raising and lowering capabilities that allow the user to fit comfortably under a desk or table.

Bruno PWC-2300 begins at $4,800.

Bruno Independent Living Aids has released new power chairs that include a Drop Down Controller so that the user can easily be seated under a desk or table. The feature is found on its Bruno PWC-2300 Mini and PWC-2200.

Other accessories mean easier operation. Invacare's MKIV Touch Pad is ideal for someone with little strength and limited movement. The programmable control pad, an upgrade option, is similar to a mouse in some laptop computers. It requires just a quarter of an ounce of force from a finger to drive and steer the chair. Some power chairs, such as Permobil's Chairman Vertical or Redman's Chief 107SR, combine standing capability with powered mobility.

The Chief 107SR by Redman, based in Tucson, Ariz., allows its user to completely recline, stand and stand while moving. The Chief's positioning features, such as armrests and other supports, move with the user when the chair's positions are changed.

Sam Redman, sales manager for Redman Power Chairs, said that standing devices offer users many physical and psychological benefits, such as improved bowel and breathing functions and reduction of bladder and kidney infections. Standers cause the user to bear weight, which can improve or maintain bone density. They also reduce the need for positioning.

"We are big believers that the standing aspect has to be incorporated into your everyday chair," rather than using a separate standing frame, Redman said. "In over half of the cases, the people we sell our chairs to have a standing frame but they're not using it."

Permobil expects to unveil the next generation of the Chairman this summer - the Chairman 2K, which will also include standing capabilities, Iammarino said. The C2K will feature a new generation of electronics, a new base and a suspension frame, all of which should lead to upgraded performance.

On the Horizon

Johnson & Johnson's Independence 3000 IBOT caused quite a stir when NBC's "Dateline" aired a story last year about its futuristic capabilities.

Both the Vestil Freedom Rider (below) and the IBOT 3000 Transporter are awaiting FDA approval.

By rearing up and balancing on two wheels, the four-wheeled IBOT goes through sand, over curbs, and up and down stairs. It also features a lift to allow users to reach high counters and hold eye-level conversations with standing adults.

The chair relies on gyroscopes, electronic sensors and the ability to switch between four wheels and two in order to traverse uneven terrain. It climbs and descends stairs by moving one pair of wheels past the other and placing them on a higher or lower stair.

Clinical trials are underway as part of the FDA approval process, and the company hopes to begin marketing the IBOT near the end of the year.

Vestil Freedom Rider will start at about $6,000.

In the same futuristic ballpark, the Freedom Rider by Vestil, an industrial materials manufacturer in Angola, Ind., is a multidirectional chair designed to turn on its own radius and spin on the spot. Innovative wheels covered with spoollike cylinders are part of the technology that allows the chair to perform such maneuvers as moving sideways. Manufacturers hope the Freedom Rider will be available by March 2001.

The Future Looks Bright

It's tough to predict when futuristic features like stair-climbing will become the norm, but one thing is for sure: Variety and technology make this a great time for wheelchair consumers. Manufacturers agree that technology will mean more choices and greater independence, especially with power wheelchairs.

"Wheelchairs as a whole, whether you look at mid-wheel drive, front-wheel or rear-wheel drive ... they've all undergone immense changes and immense advances over the past five years. With technology, everybody has had to step their game up a little bit in how they come out with power chairs," said Pride's Peterson.

The Internet is especially handy for wheelchair consumers, Peterson said. Web sites (see "Resources") and discussion boards that compare and test wheelchairs allow consumers to get product feedback, details and honest opinions from other users with similar needs.

"So as manufacturers we have to make sure we keep up with advancements that will better their quality of life and make [wheelchair users] more independent," Peterson said. "It's our job to enable everybody to be as independent as possible."