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A $1k Wheelchair

newmobility.com

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Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#321

Post by Beretta_Vexee »

conductr wrote: post #311
ninalanyon wrote: post #303

In the UK you can buy a simple wheelchair for 132 GBP: https://www.uk-wheelchairs.co.uk/ugo-essential-self-propelle... And what look like slightly fancier ones for between 300 and 500 GBP: https://www.millercare.co.uk/collections/self-propel-wheelch... A magnesium alloy framed one is only 450 GBP: https://www.mobilitysmart.co.uk/magnelite-self-propelled-whe... So what am I missing?

I don’t know much about wheelchairs but I watched the video in the article and by the looks of it these are a certain class of wheelchair and they don’t look comparable to what you’ve linked to. My guess is photos are deceiving and there’s a handful of features worth having if you spend your waking moments in one of these things. The reviewer in the video mentioned some features he liked and disliked, wheels specific…

There are wheelchairs with specific features, such as one-handed folding, so you can get in and out of the car on your own. Models for people with specific needs, different levels of independence and physical ability (hemiplegics).

NaW offers a fairly basic product, which doesn't look foldable, for example.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#322

Post by tim333 »

permo-w wrote: post #310
ninalanyon wrote: post #303

In the UK you can buy a simple wheelchair for 132 GBP: https://www.uk-wheelchairs.co.uk/ugo-essential-self-propelle... And what look like slightly fancier ones for between 300 and 500 GBP: https://www.millercare.co.uk/collections/self-propel-wheelch... A magnesium alloy framed one is only 450 GBP: https://www.mobilitysmart.co.uk/magnelite-self-propelled-whe... So what am I missing?

it seems to be similar with hearing aids. I recently saw a video explaining that the new airpods will be usable as hearing aids. the video went on to explain that this will make them great value for deaf people as hearing aids can run into the thousands of dollars. I just checked and you can get hearing aids in my country for less than $100. so what's going on? I'm guessing this is either a non-problem, i.e. the expe…

My dad bought hearing aids that cost like £2000 (private, UK). The market here is kind of split between fairly mundane ones you can buy in shops for £100 or so (or free on the NHS) and fancy ones you get prescribed by an audiologist with computer sound processing that are more like £2000.

My dad's never actually cracked his biggest problem which was if you are at a table with many people talking, picking out one conversation. It looks like the coming Apple AI may actually be able to do that. It's a hard problem technically.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#323

Post by kanwisher »

diebeforei485 wrote: post #134
xnx wrote: post #30

Went down a bit of a rabbit hole and found this industry guide to Taiwanese contract bike manufacturers: http://www.wheelgiant.com.tw/ebook/flib/2024TBS_%E6%95%B4%E6... If there was enough demand, I'm betting some of the companies in here could make quality wheelchairs real cheap.

Each wheelchair is custom so it's totally different than other products.

not at all I've been buying wheel chairs for my sister for a decade now. finally electric ones from china are getting to $1500-2000 range, before it was $10k-20k when they can scam insurance companies

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#324

Post by tim333 »

humbleferret wrote: post #116
fotta wrote: post #16

Custom fit lightweight wheelchairs are expensive. My Ti-Lite (one of the most popular lightweight chair brands) Aero Z starts at $3k and goes up quickly with wheels and backrest and casters and various other options that I need for sitting 16 hours a day without creating more problems. Insurance covers this for me every 5 years, but of course that's not a luxury every one has. Most plans don't cover DME 100%. What Za…

I was curious so looked at a few power wheelchairs...It's wild how expensive they are, especially considering the advancements in electric mobility tech elsewhere. You'd think they'd share some components with e-scooters, e-bikes, or even electric cars – motors, batteries, controllers. Are the powertrains and control systems in power wheelchairs really that specialised? Or is it another case of the medical device mar…

It's impressive and a little sad how cheap you can get them second hand.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#326

Post by tim333 »

orlehuxwell wrote: post #251
amiga wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a guy who has disassembled and reverse engineered a standard Jazzy power chair, and what I noticed was the attention to detail regarding failures. The chair is thoroughly designed to shut down at the slightest bit of trouble. There's some redundancy in things like the controller, where it used redundant hall effect sensors that were identical to the others, but ran in an inverted power profile, to detect any weir…

My mum recently had a curbside crash while she was riding an e-bike. This resulted in her breaking bones in both her hands, which resulted in a surgery in her left hand and various problems (tcl fracture related) with her right hand. This makes me actually appreciate reliability in e-vehicles motor cutoffs etc. I keep thinking if this could have been avoided with a better quality e-bike or if actually it would be eve…

The safety with ebikes does vary a bit although I'm not sure it's down to price. My one is quite a cheap one but has quite a lot of safety features - will only go if you pedal it, motor cut if you touch the breaks, 14 mph speed limiter etc. But I guess you can come off any two wheeled vehicle.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#327

Post by sandworm101 »

rtkwe wrote: post #27
sandworm101 wrote: post #21

>> It’s mesmerizing to watch. When the laser is done cutting, sometimes the leftover material just falls out, but sometimes it stays in place. Please be very careful when watching an industrial laser, particularly one cutting shiny metal. I would honestly support any reg that puts hard barriers between eyeballs and running laser equipment. Invest in a good camera and watch the show on a screen.

It is enclosed. They show a picture later and there's a green safety window to view the work piece in the machine, that material will be designed to block whatever wavelength of light the laser is using (most likely IR, and what do you know safety glasses for the IR bands are mostly green).

No. Such materials are designed to let through all but the narrow wavelengths expected of the laser. And some IR "shields" actually reflect IR light rather than absorb it. A proper laser shield should not be engineered to do the minimum necessary. Metal works. Wood works. Even blackout curtains bought at walmart can work.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#328

Post by pbasista »

lynx23 wrote: post #258
humbleferret wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was curious so looked at a few power wheelchairs...It's wild how expensive they are, especially considering the advancements in electric mobility tech elsewhere. You'd think they'd share some components with e-scooters, e-bikes, or even electric cars – motors, batteries, controllers. Are the powertrains and control systems in power wheelchairs really that specialised? Or is it another case of the medical device mar…

Assistive technology costs are high because consumers barely have an alternative. I am blind. In Europe, a 40-cell braille display starts a 6k. 6k, just for a monitor which displays 40 characters . Prices are largely unchanged since 20 years. Technological advancements are irrelevant. Resellers will squeeze the cow, thats plain capitalism man.

If that is the case, then there seems to be a place in the market for someone else who can sell these devices for cheaper.

However, as you have pointed out, since it is also a market where people have few choices, there is no incentive for any new player to significantly lower the prices. Even if they easily could. Because they know that they will get the customers anyway.

That seems to be the root cause of the excessive price problem. An existing oligopoly of rent-seeking companies. Or a cartel, if you like.

I think that one of the ways to disturb this market and bring the prices down is for some honest company to join it and price their products fairly.

Once there is one such company, I assume that everyone else will lower their prices as well. Because otherwise they will run out of business.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#329

Post by [deleted] »

f1shy wrote: post #306
srockets wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, you can't buy a reasonable quality wheelchair for less. You can buy what a person who doesn't need a wheelchair consider reasonable. If you had to use those cheap chairs for 16 hours a day, and pushing yourself even just for a mile of well paved roads, not even uphill, you would never consider those reasonable.

This is absolutely the point. You have to live sitting in there. That must be more comfortable than the best thing in your house. No way you can do it for less than 1k.

[deleted]

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#330

Post by Mashimo »

throwaway346434 wrote: post #315
spaceman_2020 wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why? The comfort level and ergonomics demands are completely different. Bicycles are for a few hours of weekly use. Wheelchairs are for 16 hours of daily use.

Bicycles built for long duration use - people do ride for 16-24 hours straight more than you'd think do exist.

I don't think many people do that, and if so, how many of them do it on one that cost "couple of hundreds"?
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