QuadshoX and Blumil: Kits to pimp your ride


John Morris, a C4 quad, began with a simple question: Why aren't all wheelchairs manufactured with a suspension system?
John Morris, a C4 quad, began with a simple question: Why aren’t all wheelchairs manufactured with a suspension system?

QuadshoX

“If every car is manufactured with a suspension system, why aren’t all wheelchairs?” That simple question drove John Morris, a C4 quadriplegic, to invent the QuadshoX QX1 – an aftermarket retrofit kit that works as a suspension system for the rear wheels on tilt-in-space manual wheelchairs. Morris promises ease of use and functionality.

“Our unique patent pending design consists of only a few simple parts and can be installed by caregivers or technicians with only a crescent wrench and a nut driver (similar to a screwdriver),” he says. “Our initial product, the QX1 will accommodate most models of the Tilt-In-Space and a range of weight classes.”

Morris, the CEO and founder of QuadshoX, was paralyzed in a snowboarding accident nine years ago and is currently studying economics and business at Colorado State University. He says he hopes to release the QX1 this summer and to obtain classification as a Class 1 medical device by the FDA, allowing it to be covered by Medicaid and private insurance.

Blumil

Keeping with the modification theme—have you ever seen someone tooling around on a Segway and wished you could use one as a wheelchair alternative? Now you can, thanks to Milosz Krawczyk and his invention, the Blumil. Blumil is a kit that allows you to modify a Segway i2 or x2 to be ridden in a seated position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uCy-FBy_WE

Krawczyk is an incomplete quad who lives in Poland and built the kit to satisfy his own desire to use a Segway. He developed a stabilizing braking system to allow for transfers and figured out how to keep the device’s unique balancing system working with someone using it in a seated position. He says there are still difficulties transferring or braking on surfaces that are not flat.

A modified Segway will not replace a wheelchair, but Krawczyk says it works well for covering rough terrains most wheelchairs can’t – including grass, gravel, sand and snow. The low slung back will likely present difficulties for many wheelchair users with trunk stability issues, but Krawczyk says a fellow C5 complete quad was able to adapt and use the kit with some practice. A single charge can cover almost 20 miles.

 


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