Inventors and innovators are an amazing breed. They look at the way things are and ask themselves, “What if?” That’s what Bart Kylstra at Rio Mobility did when he looked at a wheelchair. What if you could take that wheelchair, add a cycle to the front of it and climb hills? Bart loves designing these types of products because of the interesting technical challenge that they present, and because they can quickly improve the lives of people who use them.
Over the last 4 years Bart and his company have come up with some of the hottest mobility products I’ve seen on the market. After just a few months, their newest design which they call the Firefly™ not only took the market by storm, but sold out.
So what’s all the fuss about? Rio Mobility has redefined mobility. Basically, they’ve designed attachments to use on manual wheelchairs that turn them into speed machines that are great for exercise, and lets a user go places that may have been challenging for them before. What this company has done is to transform the way people use their wheelchairs. They did it so manual wheelchair users are able to get out and have fun with family and friends without pain or fatigue.
Most people start out in a manual wheelchair and everyone knows that physically, a manual wheelchair allows you more exercise and keeps you healthier. But as shoulder pain, wrist pain, and fatigue set in, the only alternative is going to an electric wheelchair. That’s when the weight comes on and lack of exercise eventually leads to additional health problems. Rio Mobility’s products changed the rules. These products are ergonomically designed to eliminate aches, pains, fatigue and injuries, so users are able to continue in their manual wheelchairs and enjoy the exercise everyone needs to stay healthy.
The first Rio Mobility product that caught my eye was the Pivot™. Basically, you adapt your manual wheelchair with a dual lever drive and it propels you with an ergonomic motion similar to rowing a boat. You can power up hills or race down sidewalks with ease because it has multiple gears. This amazing accessory moves forward with push and pull strokes which doubles your power, balances your muscles and relieves strain on your shoulders. The Pivot™ can be added to any manual wheelchair with quick release wheels, and the $3,950 selling price is reimbursable according to Medicare / Medicaid guidelines under the code E2227 - "Manual Wheelchair Accessory, Gear Reduction Drive Wheel."
After looking at the Pivot™, Rio Mobility showed me Dragonfly™. Talk about innovation! Picture in your mind, a wheelchair turned into an arm-powered hand cycle. One of the greatest features about the Dragonfly™ is that you don’t need to transfer from your chair to use it, you just snap in and you are off and cycling. The Dragonfly™ features a Shimano 8 speed hub so you can change gears on the fly with minimal dexterity. The wheel travels easily over obstacles and is great for “off roading”, while getting amazing exercise. The Dragonfly™ retails for $1,190.
The Firefly™ which is on backorder until mid-August is an electric-powered version of the hand cycle. It converts almost any wheelchair into a freedom finder. This crazy little devil climbs hills, passes joggers and maneuvers perfectly on sidewalks. The Firefly™ which you can often see zipping up and down the hills of San Francisco where Rio Mobility is headquartered, can travel for fifteen real world-miles on a charge, and can go up to 10 mph. The Firefly™ costs $1950.00 and can be covered by medical insurance under code E0984.
Now you obviously wouldn’t want either the Dragonfly™ or Firefly™ attachments on your chair all the time, but that’s no problem. Bart and the designers came up with a “Quick Dock” mounting system for fast and secure attachment making them easy-on, easy-off in about twenty seconds.
If you go to their website, http://www.riomobility.com, you can see more information and videos of these products in action. If you are like me, you’ll want to see more from this company. Their “About Us” page tells us that there are other products in the pipeline. To stay in the loop with all of the latest news on new products you can either send an email with your information to sales@RioMobility.com or like them on Facebook.
