Conceptual design of a paraplegic walker

摘要

Roughly 1% of the world's population relies on wheelchairs for mobility. With the aging of the population this number is skyrocketing. This means approximately 3 million Americans, 5 million Europeans, a total of roughly 10 million citizens from developed countries and 60 million people worldwide rely on wheelchairs. While the wheelchair has dramatically improved in quality over the past decades, the options for people with mobility disorders have been limited. Wheelchair users can suffer from multiple health issues arising from lack of mobility and the secondary complications of wheelchair use: urinary tract, bowel, cardiovascular, metabolic and skin related problems allied to psychological conditions all contribute to significant morbidity, care costs and increased mortality. The invention is an eye opener to this problem. The assistive walker has been designed from the outset to provide mobility to non-ambulatory wheelchair users, enhance endurance or aid mobility of those able to walk with crutches. It does not require any additional supportive aids such as crutches. The device is self-supporting allowing the user to keep his/her arms and hands free to use.