Product development: Wheelchair technology on the move

The design for wheelchairs has not changed much since the first patent in 1869. Today, it is important to drive technology with new ideas and to make life easier for people with disabilities. Supported by the U.S.'s National Science Foundation (NSF), collaborators with the University of Illinois developed a ballbot wheelchair with hands-free Torso Control. The lead designer on the team, Deana McDonaugh, came up with the name PURE which means "personalized, unique rolling experience".

Adam Bleakney is involved in a few different projects looking for different mobility devices for individuals with disabilities, primarily wheelchair users. In his opinion there are many "systemic hurdles that stall the greater participation of disabled individuals in research". Bleakney, on the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Team in Athens and Sydney and Head Coach of the University of Illinois Wheelchair Track and Road Racing team since 2005, can use his personal experience to improve mobility for wheelchair users. That is why his ideas had a major influence on the project to create a ballbot wheelchair. REHACARE.com had the chance to talk with him about the idea, the process of the project and the future of mobility. 

Mr. Bleakney, the hand-free ballbot wheelchair is an innovation that provides a novel mode of mobility to individuals with physical disabilities. In a few words: What is the hand-free ballbot wheelchair?

Adam Bleakney: The ballchair is a novel mobility device that will enhance the lives of individuals with a mobility impairment. It liberates the hands from the act of propulsion and in doing so provides users more meaningful experiences, allowing them access to activities such as holding the hand of a loved one while on a walk.

It all started with a drawing of yours. Can you tell our readers about the initial idea?

Adam Bleakney: The initial idea grew from my personal experiences as a paraplegic and daily wheelchair user. My goal was to develop a mobility device that had all the benefits of an ultralight manual wheelchair – things like a small footprint, low weight, easy to get in and out of a vehicle – but to enhance with more sophisticated functions by adding self-balancing and hands-free driving features.

What did a new Star Wars movie have to do with your idea?

Adam Bleakney: Initially, my idea was essentially to take a 2-wheeled self-balancing device and interface a lightweight frame atop it. After a few meetings with our team, we veered off that path toward using a single ball instead of wheels. The motivation for that change came about after I was visiting with Jeannette Elliott, who is the physical therapist on our team. She had been at the house of a friend who had two young children who were playing with a remote-controlled BB8 toy. She said, "Wouldn't it be cool to sit on one of those?" I thought it was a great idea and drew up a couple of sketches to share with the team. Everyone was on board and interestingly enough, one of our engineers – Tim Bretl – had just spent time at the Carnegie Mellon Institute with the inventor of the ballbot, a gentleman by the name of Ralph Hollis. Tim mentioned that a self-balancing, ball driven robot existed, and we very much accelerated down the path of creating a seated ballbot.

Could you explain exactly how the system works? For example, how do direction changes take place?

Adam Bleakney: It works on the principle of dynamic stabilization. PURE's goal is to always keep the riders balanced atop the ball. So as the riders shift their weight in any given direction, the motors will drive the ball underneath them. This allows for very intuitive control. One unique feature is that we've designed the sensitivity so as to allow someone with very limited trunk function the ability to easily control PURE. It doesn't take much more than a slight movement of the shoulder to move.

Numerous researchers, lecturers, designers, students and many others from various institutions were involved in the work. How did the collaboration go?

Adam Bleakney: In 2018, Toyota staged a contest seeking teams from across the world to submit ideas and projects that would revolutionize mobility for individuals with lower-limb mobility impairment. The winner would receive $1.5 million. I thought we were well positioned at the University of Illinois to submit a proposal, especially given our long and rich history of disability research along with our world-class engineering and design programs. So, I recruited a team of eight, which included researchers from engineering, design, and disability, and we set off to bring my idea to life.

You are the head coach of men's and women's wheelchair athletics at University of Illinois and have competed and challenged many times as a wheelchair racer. How do sports influence your research and ideas?

Adam Bleakney: In whatever project I'm involved in, I've found the process to be not all that dissimilar to how I approached my personal athletic goals when I was competing and how I develop the athletes I coach. I've found the methodology to be widely applicable. I'd say as well that many of my research and innovation projects are sports and human performance related, primarily because that’s where my interests are.

Liz Hsiao-Wecksler, Professor Mechanical Science and Engineering at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, said in an interview that she is happy that the Beckman Institute at Illinois is doing design with people with disabilities, instead of just design for them. In this project you are the "user voice" and idea holder. Why is it so important to involve affected individuals in research processes and projects?

Adam Bleakney: Our team's underlying philosophy and one that guides our approach is that users must always be at the center of the process. Too often, ideas are developed where the user may have a little input early in the process and then again after a prototype is developed, but they are completely cut off from participating between those points during the meat of the development, which is the most important part of the project in my opinion. It seems self-evident that the individuals who will be using the product should have the loudest voice in its development.

Are there already other ideas and plans you are working on that will make life easier for people with disabilities in the future?

Adam Bleakney: Yes. One particular project is a travel chair that individuals with mobility impairments can use during air travel and when showering. The goal is a lightweight device that is easily stowed and that increases people's level of independence while traveling.

How do you see the future of "personalized, unique rolling experiences"?

Adam Bleakney: We are currently working on Gen 3.0 of PURE, which will improve the driving experience as well as allow it to navigate terrain that is experienced outdoors. We’re also in the process of commercialization, but that is still a few years away.

Carlotta Hensel
REHACARE.com