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Vertiwalk Vertical Walking
141–150 of 194 posts
Re: Vertiwalk Vertical Walking
#142Re: Vertiwalk Vertical Walking
#143Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think "this is a dangerous idea because people might need it to function" is a great take.
I had a roommate who was exceedingly stylish in an alternative sort of way. He once won a prohibition-era costume contest just dressed like he always does. He later suffered a smattering of strokes, during his recovery we got him a cane. He thought the cane was such a cool accessory that we had to have a sort of intervention: Dude, you're in your 20's, don't give up on walking without a cane just because you think yo…
You can’t compare a hipster wanting to flash a cane with a senior citizen giving up going up and down stairs in pain because a painless alternative exists.
Re: Vertiwalk Vertical Walking
#144This looks like a simple and elegant solution to a very real problem that affects lots of people's lives. But I can't help but think that in addition to the obvious upside of giving people a lot of autonomy, there's a significant downside here that should not be ignored. The flip side of making basic life activities easier is that if a person gets used to it, it can be pretty easy to slip into the complacency of rely…
Reading between the lines, you seem to think people with mobility issues are lazy. “Just focus on your rehab and you’ll be walking again in no time! Pull yourself up by your bootstraps!”
I can assure you that no amount of resistance training will undo the affects of very old age or multiple sclerosis.
Re: Vertiwalk Vertical Walking
#145Really curious why this made front page. I see nothing here revolutionary, just a crude solution with a lot of problems.
I have two people in my family who would benefit from this kind of product, and I don't see they using our anytime soon
Re: Vertiwalk Vertical Walking
#146If you've been around a loved one who is at risk of a fall on stairs, or exhausted and weary from stairs due to age or disease, this apparatus's appeal is immediately clear. When my mom was dying from brain cancer, her final days of mobility were an incredible strain for everyone. This would have made life a lot easier. If she had a seizure, at least she would be seated. If she got tired, taking a break wouldn't mean…
Yeah. Stairs are scary. My able bodied middle aged partner fainted halfway down the stairs, and damn, you know, uh, you don’t forget something like that, even though she only mildly fractured her spine and just was in a lot of pain but “fine”
Re: Vertiwalk Vertical Walking
#147If you've been around a loved one who is at risk of a fall on stairs, or exhausted and weary from stairs due to age or disease, this apparatus's appeal is immediately clear. When my mom was dying from brain cancer, her final days of mobility were an incredible strain for everyone. This would have made life a lot easier. If she had a seizure, at least she would be seated. If she got tired, taking a break wouldn't mean…
Keep in mind that in the Netherlands, where this business is located, the government will pay to install a stairwell elevator in your home when you are no longer able to use them yourself. This product seems very niche in comparison.
Re: Vertiwalk Vertical Walking
#148Much better video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whk2o98zlpc Literally worthless hero video on the linked site.
That requires a lot of upper body strength, which isn’t common amongst people who would tend to need assistive technology in getting upstairs.
Moreover, it doesn’t have a reset mechanism, in case you’ve used it and gone upstairs, and then someone else needs to use it.
It also requires carving a vertical shaft into your house, so that you can place the equipment.
People should ask Zack about the system he installed for his wife: https://youtu.be/aqMZfQODJZo
Re: Vertiwalk Vertical Walking
#149This resembles ascending a rope using prusiks, which is a lot of fun if you haven't tried it. Great to see a variation the helps people with limited mobility to get around unassisted.
Didn't know what prusiks were — had to look it up. The video for the Vertiwalk looks to me more like standing and sitting in order to ascend. In standing the seat climbs up a bit to follow your bum, when sitting the floor climbs up a bit to raise your legs into a seated position. Descending is a bit challenging for my brain to understand.
> Descending is a bit challenging for my brain to understand.
You would typically descend by rappelling, but it is possible to descend using two prussiks:
1. weight prussik B / unweight prussik A
2. slide prussik A down
3. weight prussik A / unwieght prussik B
4. slide prussik B down
5. repeat
I've never seen this done with two prussiks, but a similar sort of thing is done with two ascenders when rope soloing (e.g., to practice a single move over and over without re-rigging each time).
Re: Vertiwalk Vertical Walking
#150I couldn't see the counter-weight. A counter-weight matched to the sole user (able-bodied take the stairs) would make a huge difference to the muscular effort involved in getting up and down.
This seems to be about halving the strength requirement because you can use both legs on every step, while also eliminating the balance and coordination requirements of climbing and descending stairs. Maybe that is all that is needed if some-one has had a stroke and falls just short of being able to use stairs. But I don't see it buying much time with a progressive condition.