It can be difficult to appreciate the technological strides of a certain industry at times, especially if you weren’t privy to how products within this industry were before your time. Wheelchairs are an item that almost everyone will be able to imagine in one way or another. Still, it might not be immediately clear to you what differentiates a modern wheelchair from a more outdated one.
If you find that you need a wheelchair, knowing which modern functions to look out for might be what you need to find the most ideal solution, one that can suit you as much as possible.
The Powerchair
The powerchair is a certain type of electric wheelchair representing a sort of halfway point between what you might expect of a traditional wheelchair and a mobility scooter. This can offer you all of the efficient, effective advantages of the more powerful latter example while also making it viable for use in outdoor spaces due to various features. Powerchairs might offer you an option that provides the best of both worlds, with different varieties available that are often intended for other spaces, such as indoors or around different outside environments.
Knowing this, you can browse the available options to find the one that best suits your lifestyle, perhaps feeling more comfortable with it than either of its two predecessors.
Available Upgrades
The state that something comes in is often not the state that it is fated to stay in for the rest of its existence. Phones get new cases, cars can get different wheels or materials, and your prospective wheelchair can be customized in various ways that improve your time with it. The urge to upgrade it in the first place might stem from a place of discontent with certain features of it when you first get it (such as the armrests being uncomfortable). Still, it might also be that you’re more concerned about the lumbar support it offers, meaning that you want to make the upgrade for the sake of your health.
That won’t be all that’s available, though, and doing the proper research into the different routes you could take will give you some ideas on which way you’d like to go.
Electromagnetic Braking
Suppose you’ve been conducting your own research into electric wheelchairs. In that case, you might have come across the concept of electromagnetic braking a few times but not yet understand what sets it apart from more traditional braking. Mechanics of how the actual function works aside, the gist of the difference comes from your own input. Conventional braking might often rely on you activating it yourself, such as with a standard bicycle brake. However, with electromagnetic braking, the act of you releasing the throttle automatically starts the brakes, potentially providing you with a safer system that can react before you do in certain situations. This is something that most electric wheelchairs have, so if this interests you, it shouldn’t take too much digging to find one that features it. If you are nervous about using your electric wheelchair in busy spaces, then sensitive brakes can give you peace of mind.
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