Wheelchair Revolution! My life with the iBOT.

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2010-03-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

IT is replacing the batteries

2010-03-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

IT is giving iBOT users new batteries. If you are an iBOT owner and you did not receive the letter, you might want to give them a call.

Have not been using my iBOT

2010-01-25T14:42:00.000-08:00

I've been horizontal since December 7th. I had surgery on my back (to add yet more hardware) on December 7th, and then again on December 14th. I probably won't be able to use Balance or 4-Wheel Drive for about 6 months while my back heals. : ( Life has not been good to me lately.

Taking the iBOT through theft detection devices at stores

2009-12-26T21:35:00.000-08:00

Question from a reader:

I have an unrelated iBOT question for you. The "book" says not to take the iBOT through those theft detection devices at store exits. I've obeyed this so far, but I wonder if it's an old wives tail. Any thoughts?

Answer:

I asked someone at IT once. They said to not take the iBOT through them while in anything but standard function. Going through the theft detector can shut the iBOT down, resulting in it crashing from balance function to standard function. This is what I have been told, and just to be safe, I've always transitioned to standard when I go through them. I highly doubt such a thing would happen, but better safe than sorry.

Any other iBOT users have any thoughts?

It's not an iBOT, but I really like this chair

2009-11-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

I just spoke with the guy who designed and makes these elevating wheelchairs:

Power Elevating Wheelchair

and...

Manual Elevating Wheelchair

I'm very excited about this wheelchair because I think it's a good alternative to the iBOT. Since finding out that the iBOT will no longer be manufactured, I've worried about my future without the iBOT. I don't know how I could go back to a normal wheelchair now that I've experienced the iBOT. The chair that I've just discovered and posted links to above does not have all the features that the iBOT does. It does not climb stairs and it is not an off-road chair. It does elevate the user though, and as I've said numerous times before, being eye level with an average standing adult is the most important thing.

I'm going to call the elevating wheelchair the EW (elevating chair).

Comparing the EW and the iBOT, the following is what I like about the EW:

1.Replacing parts on the EW is easy. Parts are easily available, and it is not a complicated system, meaning just about anyone could do the work. Replacing parts on the iBOT most likely means ordering the part through Independence Technology. When the iBOT needs to be serviced, it has to be done by a trained IT tech. Average Joe can service the EW.

2.Battery life for the EW is about 5 years. Battery life for the iBOT is about 1 year.

3.Cost to replace the EW battery is $30.00. Cost to replace the iBOT batteries is $1,100.

4.Weight of the EW is 150lbs. Weight of the iBOT is nearly 300lbs.

5.The builder of the EW claims it has good shock absorption. The iBOT definitely does not have good shock absorption.

6.The EW is far more aesthetically appealing to me. I've always thought the iBOT is incredibly ugly.

7.The EW goes higher than the iBOT. My 12 year old daughter is now taller than me when I'm in Balance Function in the iBOT. I've often found myself wishing the iBOT went higher than it does.

8.The EW is very stable. The builder says it's 100% tip proof. Although I feel very safe in the Balance Function of the iBOT, it can suddenly transition out of Balance. This doesn't mean it tips over. It just means that it suddenly goes from 2 wheels to 4 wheels. This transition is not smooth. That is not a good thing for someone who lives with pain or someone with osteoporsis or an unstable spine.

Comparing the EC and the iBOT, this is what I like about the iBOT:

1.The iBOT is "cool". It just is. It's fun (usually) seeing the way people react when they see it balancing on 2 wheels.

2.The iBOT has 4 Wheel Drive Function. The EW does not have off-road capabilities.

3.The iBOT climbs curbs. The EW does not.

At this point, I would not trade my iBOT for the EW. While there are numerous things about the EW that are better than the iBOT (IMO), I do enjoy the 4 Wheel Drive and curb climbing functions quite a bit. I do think the EW might be a good alternative to the iBOT though. If my iBOT were to die tomorrow, and I had the money, I would have a serious look at the EW.

Production is 6 to 8 weeks for the EW. He has been making them for about 10 years now. Some private insurance companies are covering the cost, but like with the iBOT, Medicare is not.

If you have been thinking about purchasing a used iBOT, I think the EW is something you should consider. The cost for the manual EW is about $10,000. The cost for the power EW is $15,933. HOWEVER, there is going to be an significant increase in the cost of the EW most likely within the next couple of weeks. If the EW interests you, find out more about it now. He told me that he will hold the price at $15,933 for only another week or two. You can call him at 805-797-7989.

Buying a used iBOT

2009-11-30T10:20:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start this entry by copying and pasting the paragraph I ended my entry with:

I should say that you shouldn't believe everything I write! I won't intentionally give false information here, but I could possibly misunderstand information that I get from calling IT. Especially now because in one week from today I'm going to be having a major surgery and I'm quite worried about it. Although I just spoke with IT less than an hour ago, I'm really not thinking clearly these days. If you have questions, it is best to call IT. They are very helpful. Their number is 1800-INDE-NOW.

IT will not service any iBOTs that are sold since they stopped production nearly a year ago. That means that you could buy a used iBOT, but IT will not service it, calibrate it, or even sell you parts. The reason for this is because they no longer have anyone to train the iBOT user. I bought my iBOT used, and they will continue to service my iBOT and sell me parts, but that is because I bought my iBOT before production stopped and I went through the training. While I am very sad for the people who have recently purchased a used iBOT, or are thinking about buying one, IT's policy makes sense to me. I know I wouldn't be comfortable using an iBOT without proper training.

I really wish I had something positive to say to those of you who recently purchased a used iBOT or who are thinking of purchasing one. Unfortunately, I believe you are simply out of luck. Unless there is a way for you to get it calibrated to your weight, I definitely would not recommend purchasing one. Also, I think trying to use the stair climbing function without proper training is a very, very bad idea. : (

Replacing the Batteries

2009-11-30T10:00:00.000-08:00

I've had my iBOT for a little over two years now and I have not needed to replace the batteries yet. According to IT, the batteries on most iBOTs need to be replaced yearly.

The cost of the batteries is $550 each and there are two of them. New batteries come with instructions and the iBOT owner can change them on their own. If the user prefers to have an IT tech do it, they would only have to pay the service charge which is $125.00.

The battery needs to be replaced when you start getting frequent alarms. For example, I used to get a low battery alarm when it was down to one or two bars. Now I get the alarm when I'm down to 3 bars. At some point it is going to start giving me alarms when it's at 5+ bars and that is when I need to start thinking about replacing them.

More frequent deep discharges will increase the life of the battery. Also, doing a few deep discharges in a row will help. For example, I told IT that I was getting the alarm when it gets down to 3 bars. She told me that I should do 3 deep discharges in a row and that should take care of the premature alarms.

I should say that you shouldn't believe everything I write! I won't intentionally give false information here, but I could possibly misunderstand information that I got from IT. Especially now because in one week from today I'm going to be having a major surgery and I'm quite worried about it. Although I just spoke with IT less than an hour ago, I'm really not thinking clearly these days. If you have questions, it is best to call IT. They are very helpful. Their number is 1800-INDE-NOW.

Comments and Questions

2009-11-09T15:08:00.000-08:00

I've never been anywhere in Balance Function without at least one person making a comment or asking a question. The following are some of the things I hear: (If I only heard the comment once I put a -once- behind it... No -once- means I've heard it mutliple times)

Whoa, that's so cool!

How do you do that?

Do you feel like you are going to tip over?

If someone accidently bumped you, would you tip over?

That's like the Segway.

Is that the same technology as the Segway?

I've never seen one of those before.

I saw that on TV once, but I've never seen one in real life.

How much did you pay for it?

I bet that cost you 4 to 5 thousand dollars. -once-

Are you balancing that yourself?

Is that an iBOT?

What is that called?

It's nice that it keeps you up high so you stay out of the water. -once-

Does that thing climb stairs?

I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes.

Is that a Dean Kamen invention? -once-

Cool, now architects won't have to worry about ramps and stuff (after I told him that climbs stairs). -once-

I want one! (Coming from a walking teenager) No really, I do! -once-

That'd be great for my dad.

How nice that you can talk to people eye to eye.

Where'd you get that?

Oh look, it even has turn signals on it! (I don't know why, but people get really excited about this. Nevermind that it is balancing on two wheels... it has turn signals!)

Are you doing that on purpose? -once- (I think this one was my all time favorite. He was drunk and he came up running to me from behind and he was very concerned.)

How fast does it go?

Have you ever tipped over?

That's good for being able to reach things up high.

How long does the charge last?

That is sick! (meaning cool)

That is so rad!

If I ever get put in a wheelchair, I want one like that! -once-

You must have incredible balance!

I'm sorry that you need a wheelchair, but since you do, it's great that you have this one!

That looks like fun!

That looks like fun but I wouldn't want to be in one for more than about 2 minutes.

--------------------
I will add more as I hear them.

p.s. The most common question I get when I'm in my manual chair is, "Wanna race?" If I had a nickle for everytime I heard that one...

iBOT air travel tips

2009-09-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

Have you taken your iBOT on an airplane? And if so, how did it go?

A few months after I got my iBOT I went to Disneyland with my daughter, mother, and sister. I wanted to take my iBOT but I was worried about two things.

1. The airlines are notorious for messing up power chairs. I've never traveled with a power chair, but I've read numerous stories about the damage done to other people's chairs. I don't doubt the stories one bit. I know that when I travel with my manual, it often comes back to me not quite the same as it was before I surrendered it to the baggage handlers.

2. Transportation from airport to hotel. The iBOT does not fit in the trunk of taxi cabs.

I debated for a long time about taking my iBOT or my manual. I ended up taking my manual. If I were to do it again, I'd take my iBOT.

-----------

I make almost all of my purchases on one credit card. Over the years I've accumalated enough points for 2 free airline tickets to Europe. I'm thinking about taking my daughter to Barcelona during 2010 spring break. I admit that I'm concerned about the airlines breaking the bot, but traveling with the bot is one of the reasons I bought it in the first place.

If and when my daughter and I go to Europe, I'm taking the iBOT.

Honestly, if I didn't have the iBOT, I doubt I would even plan a trip to Europe.

I've been to Europe in a manual chair, but that was when I was in my early 20s and there was always young strong men to help me with any obstacle I might come across. Now that I'm middle aged, the young 'uns ain't so eager to help. At 20 years old, I would be offered help before I knew I needed it. At 39, I often have to ask for it, and the older I get, the less comfortable I am doing that.

If and when we go, I'll also take my manual in case something did happen to the iBOT. Getting to Barcelona with a broken wheelchair and no back-up wouldn't be much fun.

Copied from Independence Technologies here are some air travel tips:

We are providing you with some air travel tips that can help make your exploration to new locations smoother. Preparation is the key to success, so please review the following tips to guide you in your travel.

Notify airlines that you’ll be taking your iBOT® Mobility System and discuss loading/placement on the plane. If asked about the iBOT® Mobility System’s folded dimensions, please provide the following:
Length: 32 - 36 in. (without legrest)
Width: 25 - 29 in (dependent on armrest position)
Height: 44 in (Non-fold flat seat) 29 in (Fold-flat seat)
Approx. Weight: 289 lbs unoccupied
Recommend removing all removable components to prevent damage i.e. leg rests, cushion (if removable), User Control Panel, and place in a separate bag. (Note: Make sure when you are re-attaching the UCP Cable with the UCP, you line up the keyed features between the UCP Cable and the UCP. Once in position rotate the collar a quarter turn to lock the UCP Cable in place.)
It is recommended that you protect any of the plastic components to prevent damage:
UCP Cable- Wrap the connector with bubble wrap and tuck it into the swingarm to protect it.
Back Shroud containing the reflectors and Assist Button-Wrap some foam padding around it to protect from unwanted damage.
Instruct the airline carrier on how to release and engage the brake lever and move the product. Point out the tie-down points for attachment inside the plane. Remember to bring your travel placard along and tape it to the product in order to educate your arrival airport attendants!
If the airlines recommend battery removal, point out the batteries are bolted onto the device, they are NiCad batteries (not lead acid, they are "dry cell"), and they are not operable unless powered ON, which is prevented by removing the UCP.
Depending on your travel location and the terrains you may encounter, it is recommended that you take a few spare tubes and tires. It is better to be prepared.
*One of our world traveler owners reported using an oversized raincoat to wrap around the iBOT® Mobility System to help protect the seat upholstery when in the cargo area of the plane.

Go Alan!

2009-05-29T16:27:00.001-07:00

Watch video

iBOT article released today

2009-05-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Read it!

About the iBOT test flight incident...

2009-05-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

I'd just like to say that I do not believe the iBOT malfunctioned when it when down my porch steps. I believe it was 100% user error. On top of that, I was very impressed that the iBOT did not tip over, and was in no way damaged.

I'd also like to say that although my wrist still hurts at times, I would take my iBOT and a wrist that hurts for the rest of my life over a painfree wrist and no iBOT.

Getting the iBOT back on the market

2009-05-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

Dean Kamen and others are working to get the iBOT back in production.

From Alan T Brown's blog:

I met with Dean Kamen and we discussed our game plan for getting the iBOT wheelchair made again. We know that we are both totally committed to make sure our goverment understand how the iBOT changes peoples lives who use the chair and the people around them.

For more, see his blog here: http://alantbrown.blogspot.com/

Two weeks after my iBOT flight

2009-05-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

The bruise is mostly gone. I still have some wrist pain though. Strangely, the pain seems to be getting worse. I think I've been using it too much lately.

I talked to IT today and they said that they came up with nothing conclusive about what happened. Things get recorded in the black box only when in Balance, 4WD, or Stair Climbing. I was in Standard when it happened, therefore there wasn't anything in the black box about the incident.

I guess I'll never know for sure, but I'm 99% sure that when I got stuck on the threshold, I pushed the joystick forward thinking it would give it more power to get over the bump. When it suddenly became unstuck, it had that command stored up and it carried out what I had told it to do. I'll have to look in the manual to see if there is any warning about this. If there isn't, there should be.

The other possibility is that the dog leash got stuck on the joystick and pulled it forward. This is highly unlikely, especially considering the fact that I didn't run into my dog at all during the incident. She was on my left side, I went to the right. Had her leash been caught, it would have gone to the left, not right. I'm certain she was on my left side because had she been on the right side, I most definitely would have run into her.

Live and learn. I do not plan on anymore flights in my current iBOT. Maybe the next generation of the iBOT will have flying capabilities! :D

Wheelchair Kamikaze

2009-04-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

This doesn't have much to do with the iBOT, (although he does talk about being face to ass level quite a bit in his videos), but this guy is so funny.

http://www.wheelchairkamikaze.com/

6 days after the iBOT test flight

2009-04-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

I think I've finally recovered emotionally from last weeks incident. My arm is still hurting. I ended up going to the doctor today. X-rays were taken. No breaks. It still hurts to push myself and do transfers though.

Day 5

Day 6

An IT tech came over to retrieve the data from the bot. I'll probably give them a call tomorrow to find out if they were able to determine what happened. Someone had left a comment here saying that there would be no info to retrieve since it didn't throw a wrench, but the IT tech said it would all be there. No offense to the anonymous person who left that comment, and even though it seems you are quite familiar with the iBOT, I don't know who you are. Therefore, I'm more trusting of the IT tech.

One of the ladies who saw me go down the stairs stopped by to see how I was doing. She said I was going so fast and she thinks my wheels never even touched the steps. Oh how I wish I had that on video! I could put it up on youtube and say, "Look how brave I am!" LOL. But seriously, I still feel extremely lucky that I didn't get seriously hurt or killed.

p.s. IT tech looked over the bot and said he didn't see any damage.

Update on my injuries

2009-04-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

My arm/wrist doesn't hurt quite as much today. Doing transfers is very painful though, so I'm doing that as little as possible. I've had lots of people tell me I should go to the doctor, but that would involve numerous transfers, and I don't want to do that.

So pretty...

It itches like crazy today

As for other injuries, my shoulder is pretty raw today. Also, I originally did not think I bumped my head. Turns out I did. I've got a bump on the back of my head, but it only hurts when I touch it. Also, my neck hurts today.

I was talking to a friend this morning who also has an iBOT and he said that he has noticed that when the casters get stuck on something, it makes the iBOT "whip". I'm pretty sure this is what happened yesterday. It whipped and was out of control for a few seconds. I don't know, but maybe this happens with all powerchairs?

As for why it didn't tip over on me.... that is still a mystery. I think maybe I was going so fast that when I launched off that top step, I kinda flew down the steps. I looked at the landing this morning, and I can see where my footrest hit the landing and skidded for a few feet. I took video of it, but haven't uploaded it yet. I'll hopefully do that tonight.

I'm wanting to know exactly what happened so that a) I'll be able to possibly prevent it from happening again, b) I will know what to do if it does happen again, and c) iBOT engineers can better understand what happened and can maybe fix the problem in their future designs.

I had an iBOT accident today

2009-04-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

I was leaving my house this morning to take my dogs for a walk. I was in my iBOT, in Standard Function, and in Speed 2. There is about a 1 inch threshold to get over to get out my front door. If I hit it straight on, the iBOT casters get stuck on it. If i hit it at a bit of an angle, one caster will pop up onto it and then the other one will go up and over it as well. Today I hit it straight on. My dog was really, really excited to be going for a walk and so instead of wasting time by backing up my iBOT and hitting it at an angle, I decided to give it a little more power and I pushed the joystick forward. I held the joystick completely forward for just a second or two and right before I decided it wasn't going to work and I had to backup and hit it at an angle (or sometimes I transition to 4 Wheel Drive), it popped up over it. It didn't stop though after popping over it. At this point, I knew I was in trouble and so both my hands were trying to grab onto something so that I could pull myself out of the chair. Now normally after I get over the threshold, I turn to the left and go down my ramp. This time, completely out of my control, the iBOT went to the right, which is where the steps are. I saw I was headed for the steps and I couldn't stop the iBOT and also coudn't get myself out of the chair and I screamed, "No, no, no!" as in "No, I'm not ready to die!" because I knew I was about to go down those steps. Down the steps I went (there are five of them). I stayed in the iBOT down all 5 stairs. It was super fast and I think it was at full speed when it launched. I'm thinking it kinda flew down the stairs because it didn't tip over at all. It came to a complete stop about 2 feet from the bottom step. At this point, I fell out of the chair and I landed on my right side in my driveway. The iBot did not tip over and it did not run over me or land on me. Some ladies were walking by at the time and they picked me up and put me back in. The iBOT did not throw a wrench, and I drove it back into the house with no problems. I have a small scrape on my right knee, my right shoulder is scraped up, and my left wrist is swollen and bruised. I don't know what happened to my wrist but I think maybe I injured it when I was trying to grab onto something before I went down the steps. Amazingly I didn't break any bones (despite my osteoporsis) and I didn't even bonk my head. I'm finding it quite strange that I got away with such minor injuries. The iBOT does not seem to be damaged in any way.

I called IT. They are going to send a tech out to read the black box.

I suspect one of the following happened:

1) I don't know if this is possible, because I don't understand how this sort of thing works, but I'm wondering if when I was stuck on the threshold and holding the joystick forward, if it had that forward command "stored up", and so when it finally did get over the threshold it kept going. As for why it turned to the right instead of going straight forward, maybe I had been pushing it a bit to the right.

2) Maybe the joystick got stuck. It doesn't appear to be sticky. I know for sure I did not have my hand on the joystick after clearing the threshold. One time my grandma was backing out of her driveway and she swears she had her foot on the break, but she must have had it on the gas. She ended up crashed into the neighbor's house accross the street. I know I didn't have my hand on the joystick though because I was trying to grab things.

3) It's possible the the dog leash caught the joystick and was pulling it forward. I don't think this is what happened because I'm sure I dropped the leash as soon as I knew I was in trouble. Perhaps it snagged it though after I let go. But also, the dog wouldn't go to the right. Whenever we leave the house, we go to the left, so it makes no sense.

4) A person who uses an iGlide wrote this after she read about what happened to me: "I'm very interested in hearing what the iBot folks have to say. I had some malfunctions with my first iGlide (far more comical than serious -- the chair started going in circles backward at top speed), which all ended up being caused by people nearby using the pager function on their cell phones. Is the iBot also sensitive to cell phone towers, signals and such?"

Out of those 4, I'm thinking #1 caused it. #2 would be my second choice.

It was extremely scary. I was very calm right after it happened and the ladies who picked me up commented on that. But then I got inside and started crying and shaking. I cried for about 2 hours. I think that was partly due to the fact that it was terrifying, and partly due to the fact that I knew I could have been hurt badly but I somehow got away with minor injuries. I don't understand why the iBOT did not land on me, but if it had, it could have been disasterous. The thing weighs nearly 300 pounds. I'm fairly small and I weigh about 90 pounds. It seems to me that when the casters went down that first step, it should have tipped over forward and tumbled on top of me. As much as I hate the footrest system because it sticks out so far, I think it prevented it from tipping over.

Will I stop using the iBOT? Absolutely not! I still love it. I don't know if it malfunctioned or if the dog leash caught it. Even if it did malfunction, continuing to use the iBOT is worth the risk. Driving a car is quite risky, but I won't be giving that up either. I will just try to be extra careful when around stairs. I will also start thinking about how to get out of the chair if I'm ever in that situation again. I should have flipped my armrest up and then thrown myself out of the chair. That is what I will do next time, if there is a next time.

One more thought... the iBOT is really powerful. I'm sure it has to be powerful for the 4-Wheel Drive Funtion, but I'm wondering if it could be made so that it is not so powerful when in Standard Funtion? I know it has Speed 1 and Speed 2, and I suppose I should have been in Speed 1 until I got to the sidewalk. It seems to me that Speed 1 is very powerful, but at the same time, it is too slow. This is the only powerchair I've ever had, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I've always thought that the power was a bit too much.

EDITTED ON MAY 22nd TO ADD:
I'd just like to say that I do not believe the iBOT malfunctioned when it when down my porch steps. I believe it was 100% user error. On top of that, I was very impressed that the iBOT did not tip over, and was in no way damaged.

I'd also like to say that although my wrist still hurts at times, I would take my iBOT and a wrist that hurts for the rest of my life over a painfree wrist and no iBOT.

YES! There is good news for the iBOT!

2009-04-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

A must read article published this month:

http://www.newmobility.com/articleView.cfm?id=11396

GOOD NEWS FOR THE IBOT?

2009-04-17T14:38:00.002-07:00

I'm so very excited! I don't know what exactly is going on, but I've heard from more than once source that a big announcement regarding the iBOT will be released soon. It's going to happen on Tuesday, April 21st (my birthday!) at 10:00am EST.

Go here for more info:

http://alantbrown.blogspot.com/

iBOT users feeling guilty?

2009-04-17T14:38:00.001-07:00

I was just chatting with another iBOT user and we were talking about how we feel guilty when we see other people in chairs who don't have an iBOT. As I've said here before, I really want EVERYONE who could benefit from an iBOT to have an iBOT. It truly is life-changing and it's unfair that only the rich or lucky have them.

Extreme X8

2009-03-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

Looks like a nice 4-Wheel Drive chair:

iBOTs given to vets this weekend?

2009-03-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

As I was cooking dinner tonight, the news was on in the other room and I heard "the inventor of the Segway...". I hurried to see what was being said but only caught the tail end of it. Apparently this weekend a bunch of iBOTs were given to vets. I've done an internet search, but didn't come up with anything. Did anyone else hear about this? I'm betting it's all the demos that they gave away.

Do you know of any iBOTs for sale?

2009-02-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

Hi I want to buy an IBOT, even a "used" IBOT.
PLEASE EMAIL: alfonsomalagon@live.com

Alfonso, have you checked with Independence Technology? I'm sorry I do not know of anyone currently selling their iBOT. I know at least one has been sold on eBay, but that was quite a while ago. If I ever hear about one being sold, I will certainly post about it here. Good luck!

iBOT users might be interested...

2009-02-23T19:19:00.001-08:00

Comment left recently:

My name is William Lidwell. I am writing a book on design that discusses the iBot, and would like to include commentary from someone who has actually used the product in depth. Would you consider visiting the site, http://deconstructingproductdesign.com, and writing a brief comment (75-100 words) summarizing your experience with the iBot. Or, if you would prefer, you can submit commentary to me directly at xxx.

If comments are moderated, please keep this request private so I can avoid spam to my email, or delete my email address from the post.

Thanks and best,

Will

This is pretty cool...

2009-02-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

Toyota's i-unit

2009-02-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

Toyota's i-Swing

2009-02-06T11:36:00.001-08:00

More iReal

2009-02-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Simon:

Top Gear motoring program did a piece about this on the BBC.

http://www.livevideo.com/video/66CDB9F6B58C4D41807B314CFC85AAD9/toyota-ireal-bbc-top-gear.aspx

Quite a funny piece, but the interesting bit is the estimated price.

In the UK, the BBC said it will cost about £2000.00, yes, two thousand pounds, I didn't miss a zero out!

No way! 2000.00 pounds equals less than $3000, doesn't it? That is awesome.

I know little about the iReal, but from what I've heard, I compare it to the iBot as follows:

iBOT = $26,000 (if they were still for sale)
iReal = Less than $3000.00! That is remarkable. I'm guessing it's so much less expensive because it's not considered a medical device.

iBOT top speed is 8mph
iReal top speed is 20 mph
I like!

iBOT - arms move for easy transfer
iReal - looks like arms don't move.

iBOT - super ugly. Reminds me of my very first clunker 30 years ago.
iReal- looks very cool. Very modern.

iBOT - able to climb stairs, but is pretty much useless IMO.
iReal - does not climb stairs

iBOT - prescription only
iReal - sounds like anyone could buy one.

iBOT - four wheel drive
iReal - don't know if it can handle sand, etc.

The iReal does seeem quite a bit longer than the iBOT (when the wheel in back is out).

I'm excited about this... although I'm not holding my breath.

I-Real

2009-01-30T12:42:00.000-08:00

Good to see big companies working on stuff like this:

A good point I just received via email from an AB:

the toyota thing looked cool even if not directly appropriate for you. with the aging population, obese population, vets, increased survival rates for injury, and lower costs for the electronics, better batteries and better drives there will be ongoing cool things for "you people" ;) lol

And another comment from a reader....

2009-01-30T12:20:00.000-08:00

I've been on my own quest to understand the demise of the iBot, because I'm a customer for a similar technology that costs even more, has even fewer users, and doesn't even exist yet as a product--the advanced prosthetic arm.

I think that the source of the original R&D dollars that created the technology, the terms of the licensing agreement between DEKA and IT, the manufacturing costs, etc. would all be interesting things to know as part of understanding why the effort didn't work, and, more importantly, how it could be different to succeed.

We don't have an example yet of a successful product to point to, but I've started openprosthetics.org in the belief that open source hardware/software or open design are the best ways to solve the problems of underserved markets like yours and mine. Maybe an "open iBot" is the solution.

http://www.netcraft.com.au/geoffrey/meta/

Obviously, most people who need any product aren't interested in spending years helping with the R&D necessary to get it rolling, but that's the way I've come to feel about the problem.

Anyway, I'd love to hear more about what you've found, your final best guess on the number sold, and any more thoughts in general either on your blog, or by email to jon-at-openprosthetics.org.

Best,
Jon Kunhiolm

Jon, is it the Dean Kamen advanced prosthetic arm that you are interested in? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0_mLumx-6Y.

You said this technology costs even more than the iBOT... how much?

Your website is a very interesting idea. I haven't read all of it yet. Do you feel like it has helped? I'm not sure when you put up the site... maybe it was just recently and not much has happened yet?

I haven't found out any more information regarding the iBOT. My final best guess on how many were sold is less than 1,000.

Please keep in touch.

Comment from a reader

2009-01-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

I don't know if this is of help, but CTS formed a company called Next Mobility, who repackaged and upgraded the iGlide, and now sell it under the name of the Tailwind.

There is some info here about it: http://www.apparelyzed.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10513

I wonder if they will take on the iBot as well?

Simon

Thanks Simon. I certainly hope someone will take on the iBOT.

Comment from a reader

2009-01-30T12:07:00.000-08:00

Michelle said...

I was just getting ready to perhaps buy an I-Bot, and when I looked for a site I found you, and found they aren't made anymore!
I am so sad and appalled! As someone with Multiple Sclerosis, I know that most of the MS patients take drugs that cost (their insurer or Medicare) $10,000-$25,000 per year. Why these are covered but equipment is only covered if deemed necessary to move around your home seems absolutely nonsensical to me.

I agree, people have no idea about this. I've had people assume that my Segway (which I use for disability reasons) was paid for by my insurer [which, of course, it wasn't]. People have no idea how messed up the system is - big expensive drugs with not a whole lot of impact are covered. Life changing equipment is not. Aaarghh!
January 27, 2009 9:13 PM

Hi Michelle,

I'm so sorry you can't order an iBOT. : (
Yes, the system is messed up. It's infuriating, isn't it?

Feeling deflated again

2009-01-07T15:18:00.000-08:00

I received a call from IT. The guy who I talked with earlier today at CTS (the manufacturers of the iBOT) called IT and told them I was expressing frustration. So IT called me and asked if they could answer any of my questions.

I told him that I think the only way the iBOT could be sold successfully is if Medicare changed their guidelines. He agreed that that was a large part of the problem. I told him that I was very frustrated and didn't know how to go about trying to get those guidelines changed. He said he knows how I feel as he's been dealing with the same thing. J&J has been trying to get them to change their guidelines for the past few years and have had no success. If they can't do anything about it, how can I do anything?

Maybe I'm wasting my time and energy.

I've spent all day researching, writing, calling about the iBOT and I haven't gotten anywhere.

Anyway, the guy at IT gave me his number if I have any more questions. I am going to call him tomorrow because I do have a question for him. Up until now, it was the sales reps who would come teach assistants the stair climbing function. I'm wondering who will do that now? If anyone? I'm guessing all the sales reps no longer work for IT.

Does anyone have anything else they'd like me to ask him?

This is how many iBOTs have been made

2009-01-07T13:29:00.000-08:00

Or at least approximately.

I won't say who told me this because I don't think the person was supposed to tell me, but when I said that I suspected between 500 and 1000 iBOTs have been made, the person told me that I was just a little shy. The person said not much more than 1000 TOTAL iBOTs have been made. As for how many are being used, I don't know. Obviously many are used as demos.

The VIN number on the iBOT is located on a white sticker on the front on the iBOT. The first few numbers indicate the month and year the bot was made and the last numbers indicate how many were made up to that point. It looks like mine was the 100th one made, although I can't see it very well and will ask my daughter to verify this when she is home. Not that it really matters, but I am curious.

So, if you have a new iBOT, please look at your VIN number for me? There are definitely less than 1000 iBOT users out there.

I keep thinking about the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and I picture 1000 iBOTs collecting dust in a warehouse somewhere.

Who manufactures the iBOT?

2009-01-07T11:07:00.001-08:00

I asked Customer service today the name of the company who manufactured the iBOT. She didn't know, but she said they are located in Canton Michigan. Does anyone know of a way to find out the name of the company?

How many iBOTs have been sold?

2009-01-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

I asked IT once how many iBOTs have been sold. They told me that they couldn't tell me. I called Customer Service today and I asked again. Again, she said that she couldn't tell me. I asked her why and she said she didn't know but it was "company policy".

I've heard about 500 - 1000 were sold. Does anyone know of a way to find out? Oh, I just thought of something... I heard there is a number on every iBOT somewhere, although I don't know where. I was told the number matches it's production number. Someone who has a newer iBOT, could you please look for a number and report back to me? I'll see if I can find the number on mine after lunch... (Even though mine isn't a newer one, at least I can try to find where it is located)

Attention Scott!

2009-01-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

You wrote:

I would like to suggest the following:

1) Make sure we have a very clear understanding as to why J&J made this decision as well as get the names of the individuals involved in the final decision.

2) If Medicare's denial was the ultimate deathblow perhaps that's where we should focus our efforts.

3) Once we understand the factors involved I think we should leverage the power of both the media and the Internet to tell the world exactly how life-changing this device is.

3a) Media-Contact anyone that's ever done a story on the IBOT. I'm talking Dateline, 60 Minutes, CNN etc.

3b) I know some of us have used Youtube to show the IBOT off and I think it would be a great place to share our stories and build public support for the continued production of the IBOT.

As far as getting the names of additional IBOT users... perhaps we should start with the IBOT website and the folks that have provided testimonials. I have contact information for three individuals as well as another discussion forum goIBOT.com

Just some thoughts... let me know what you think.

1) I just called customer service. I asked if the main reason for stopping production of the iBOT was because of Medicare's refusal to pay for it. She said, "I can't say that". She then read a script to me and it was quite lengthy. I couldn't write it all down, but if you want to hear it, call 877-794-3125. She did say that the demand for the iBOT has not proven sufficient to obtain a sustainable market. She also said something about "challenging reimbursement". Which to me means that because people can't afford to buy iBOTs and because insurance companies refuse to pay for them, there isn't enough demand. I did not ask for names of who made the final decision.

2) So yes, based on what I wrote above, it sounds like Medicare's denial was the ultimate deathblow. I agree that we need to focus our attention there.

3) Agreed. Have you contacted anyone?

Regarding getting the names of additional iBOT users, the iBOTnow website no longer exists. Oh how I wish I had written down the names of the iBOT owners listed there... especially the lawyer and the people in politics.

Attention Irv!

2009-01-07T10:35:00.000-08:00

You wrote:

It seems to me more possible that someone might step in to save the iBOT or a version of it. And maybe that French wheelchair we looked at earlier would be better. Maybe Dean Kamen would be interested in rescuing his invention.

I've heard other people say they think someone will take over the marketing of the iBOT, but who? Obviously J&J wasn't making money from it, so why would anyone else take it on? I HOPE someone does take over and make an even better wheelchair, but since the iBOT has proven to be a failure, I don't see that happening. : (

Regrading Dean Kamen... maybe he will rescue his invention. I do know of an iBOT user who is going to be meeting with Mr. Kamen sometime soon, so I'm very anxious to find out what comes out of that.

Attention Nancy!

2009-01-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

You wrote:

I plan on doing the following:

1) Attaching a sign to the back of my iBot that reads something like leaving the home should not be considered a luxury. I will look up the official Medicare wording in order to make the sign and I plan on having handouts with me explaining how Medicare funds wheelchairs. Since home arrest is considered a punishment for a crime, I don't think that having disabled people confined to their homes should be something that our country supports. Our government did not allow negotiations with pharmaceutical companies when they enacted Medicare part D. Why should medical equipment be any different?

2) Writing all of my elected representatives and explaining to them how important the iBot has been to improving my quality of life. I will also point out Medicare/Medicaid's position that wheelchairs should only be funded if a person needs a wheelchair to get around his or her own home. I am not a very good writer. If anyone out there can compose a letter to this effect, I would appreciate it.

3) Sending a letter similar to the one I write to my elected representatives to all of the local media. I don't think that many people are aware of Medicare's stance on funding wheelchairs.

Nancy, have you found out the official Medicare wording on their guidelines for funding wheelchairs? Are you still planning on making a sign for the back of your bot? I think that and handing out info is an excellent idea. You ARE a good writer! Have you composed anything to send to representatives and the media?

Sigh

2009-01-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

Ah, I'm so frustrated. I've been thinking
about what can be done to save the iBOT and
there is a tornado in my head. I can't
get my thoughts in order.

I really appreciate all the comments people
have left. Please keep me updated if there
is anything you are working on. I'm happy
to follow, but very reluctant to lead.

As for a bunch of botters getting together,
I think that idea is out. Many botters aren't
willing to travel on the airlines with their
bot (including myself) out of fear of the
airlines destroying their chair.

Thanks

2008-12-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

to all for the suggestions. I'm still thinking
about things that can be done. I'd love to get
together with a group of others. Maybe we can
arrange to meet up in Las Vegas or something?
Anyone interested?

And another thing...

2008-12-16T18:28:00.000-08:00

I believe someone needs to file a class action
suit against Medicare for classifying the iBOT
as a luxury.

They say going outside of our homes is a luxury.
That's discrimination.

What to do about Independence Technology

2008-12-16T17:57:00.000-08:00

I'm just a quiet little mouse who is very uneducated
in matters like this, but I cannot sit back and watch
the iBOT die. Suggestions on what I and others can
do is greatly appreciated.

When a friend of mine (not an iBOT user, or even
disabled) found out about IT yesterday, he wrote to
Johnson and Johnson boycotting their products. J &
J is a huge company and IT is a division of J & J.
Obviously IT isn't making money from the bot. Without
enough insurance companies paying for them and at a
cost of $26,000, not enough people are able to get
an iBOT. I don't know how many iBOTs have been sold,
but I'm guessing it's less than 500. Of course this
is not a money making project for J & J. I even
spoke with the rep about this numerous times before
and after I got my iBOT. He said that J & J were in
in for the long haul. They knew it wouldn't be a
money maker for many many years, but they were
committed to it. So what happened?

Like my friend, I will be boycotting J & J products.
I will also do my best to spread the word so that
others will do the same.

I will also write to Dean Kamen. The guy the brilliant,
and obviously proud of the iBOT. I can't believe that
he will sit back and watch the iBOT die.

I've never done anything like this before, but I think
we need to organize some kind of rally. Image 100+ iBOT
users positioned all in the highest setting in balance
gathered outside J & J?

Anyone with me?

Nancy, Utah guy, Irv, Scott, others (Pat?).... what can we do?

2008-12-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

I've been sick in bed for over a week now, so I'm not
quite myself these days... I would like to say that I'm
not about to sit back and quietly watch the iBOT die. I
do not know what I can do at this point, but I have a
few ideas in my head.

Are you with me? I'd be devastated to give up my bot.

IT will stop selling the iBOT

2008-12-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

It's true. Independence Technology has announced they
will no longer sell the iBOT as of January 2009. Support
and service will continue until 2013 however.

The reason for this? Medicare says the iBOT is a luxury.
They won't even pay for a wheelchair that has outdoor
capabilities. They only cover a chair that will get
a person from one place in their house to the other.

What next? Is getting out of bed going to be a luxury?

Oh no! Please don't let this be true...

2008-12-13T19:01:00.000-08:00

I just received a message from "anonymous" asking if I've heard that IT is going out of business. I hope this is not true... though I wouldn't be terribly surprised. Crap. I've googled it but didn't come up with anything. Does anyone know anything about this? I'm very worried.

Question from a reader

2008-11-17T09:35:00.000-08:00

Logan wrote...

Hi Shannon, I'm interested in buying a used iBOT. Any tips or things to look out for? (I had a test drive a couple of years ago.) Is there an iBOT owners forum out there?

The only thing I'm afraid of is that I get enough attention with my service dog. Add an iBOT and I'll never be able to get things done!

I say....

I'm sorry I did not respond in a more timely matter. Things have been busy around here. So... you have an opportunity to buy a used iBOT? That's fabulous! I would suggest that you have a rep from IT look it over before buying it. Mine was practically new, but I don't know the circumstances around the one you are interested in. Be aware that the warranty is not transferable. But also be aware that in the year+ that I've had my used iBOT, the lack of warranty has not been a problem for me.

IBOT owners forum... I know there was one but now I cannot find it. I looked through my bookmarks, and I did a google search and I cannot find it. When I have more time, I'll do a bit more digging and hopefully find it. Or, if anyone reading this knows the website, please leave a comment.

About the attention the iBOT draws... A few years back (this was before I got my iBOT) I was training my dog to be a service dog. He did great, but I stopped using him because I couldn't handle all the attention. People are interested in the iBOT, and you definitely will get lots of people asking questions, but I've found that if I'm in a hurry or not in the mood to talk to anyone, I just look straight ahead and keep on going. I have had some people run after me to ask about it, but not often. The other thing you can do is put it in Standard Function. People think it is just a regular power chair when it's in Standard. I think I've only had one person ask me about when I was in Standard, and he knew it by name and was somewhat familiar with them, but had never seen one in real life before.

I had a much harder time getting things done when I had my dog with me than I do with the iBOT. So many people stopped me to ask if they could pet my dog, but no one has asked to pet my iBOT! Dog lovers obviously find it extremely difficult to see a friendly dog and not pet him/her (which is understandable), but people seem satisfied to just look (stare) at the iBOT.

I've also noticed quite a difference in the number of people asking me about it now than a year ago. I think this is for a few reasons. One reason is that more and more people are seeing them. I think IT has been advertising because in the past few months I've had quite a few people say that they saw it on TV. Also, I tend to go to the same grocery store, library, etc, and so I know lots of people have seen me before. If I'm in a checkout line or something where I'm not on the go, I've had lots of people who are in line also tell me that they've seen me around before. And finally, I think I've perfected the art of "Don't talk to me, I'm busy".

The questions really don't bother me. If I am in a hurry, I go in Standard. I can go faster in Standard, plus people think it's just a regular power chair. Not long ago my daughter and I were at the grocery store and we were in a hurry. I was in Balance Function, because that is where I like to be, and we had stopped at the deli. As my daughter was quietly saying to me, "Maybe you should go down so no one asks you about it", a man asked me about it. He literally interrupted her sentence to ask me a question. I found it humorous, but my daughter was a bit irritated. I'm usually a very friendly person, and I'm happy to answer questions, but if you are a person who does not like questions, being in Balance Function would definitely be an issue. Oh, also, before I got my iBOT, I had people ask me why I'm in a wheelchair. Since I've had the iBOT, no one has. It's quite nice! Although I understand people's curiosity, I think it's quite rude for a complete stranger to ask such a personal question. "How come you're all crippled up?" is a bit stabbing, whereas, "That is an awesome chair!", or "How does it balance like that", does not bother me.

I hope what I've written helps. Feel free to ask any other questions. And let me know if you get it and how you like it!

Edited to add: One more thing about the attention a service dog and an iBOT draws. Although I definitely understand people wanting to pet a service dog, I think they should know better. Therefore, I was always somewhat perturbed when someone asked to pet him. I don't feel that way with the iBOT. I guess I would never ask to pet someone's service dog, and I would never ask a person why they were in a wheelchair, but I might ask someone a question or two if they had a super cool wheelchair. : )

Just a bit of new information

2008-11-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

I believe I had written somewhere in this blog that the iBOT can be sold outside of the United States. I just found out that is not true. Someone from a different country could purchase an iBOT, but they would need a prescription from a US doctor, plus they would need to do the evaluation and the training here in the states. So it would be a very costly and time consuming thing. I guess it'd wouldn't be so bad for Canada or Mexico, but if you are from overseas, I think it would be quite an ordeal. I have a friend in Europe who really wanted an iBOT, but it's unfortunately not going to happen for her at this point. : (

The other new thing is the price of service. Service used to be $90/hour. They have changed it to a flat $125 for regular service (4 to 6 business days), and $200 for expedited service (2 to 4 business days). Still quite reasonable IMO. I've had the BOT for a little over a year now (and it's not covered under warranty since I bought mine used). In that year, as far as I can remember, I haven't had to pay for any service calls. A service rep has been to my house twice I believe. Once was to update something and the other time was when I was having lots of flat tires. I wasn't charged either time. I also had a rep come to teach a friend stair climbing. No charge for that either. Overall, I'm still very pleased with their customer service. They're very smart to have excellent customer service. People ask me all the time about service and I have nothing but good things to say. Just yesterday a lady in a powerchair stopped me in the grocery store and asked me about it. I can't remember what kind of chair she had, but she said their customer service is complete crap.

Videos

2008-10-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

A few new ones.

Outdoor School

2008-09-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

Portland public schools have been running
an outdoor school program since 1966. It's
tons of fun, or so I've heard. Mention it
to a person who attended Portland public schools
in 6th grade, and they all say, "Oh! Outdoor
School is so much fun!" The kids spend 5
nights in the woods. Every 6th grader goes.
My daughter goes next month.

Yesterday there was an orientation at the camp-
site. It was basically for the parents to see
where their kids would be for 5 nights. I was
extra thankful for my iBOT because I could
not have toured the place without it. The
paths were gravel and sloped, but the iBOT
handled it with no problems. The dining hall
had a step. Again, no problem for the BOT.

I would not have gotten a look inside the
cabins without the BOT because of the
step.

Check out the view. (Also would have been
inaccessible without the iBOT.)

On clear days, you can see the beautiful Mt.
Hood.

Lucky kids! I didn't grow up in Oregon, so
I never went to Outdoor School. I grew up
in rural WI, and we never did anything like
this.

Biden tells para to stand up

2008-09-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is hilarious.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=42554124

I bet Biden feels like an idiot. He shouldn't
though. That kind of thing happens often. I
thought he handled it pretty well.

McCain stole my bot.

2008-09-11T11:52:00.001-07:00

What a jerk.

Comment from a reader

2008-09-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

The following is a comment left by an iBOT user.
I wanted to put it "out here" because I think
it's valuable information.

I use an iBot in the mountains of Colorado at 10,000 ft where there's no pavement or sidewalks. On the plus side, the 4wd function is outstanding for accessing places off road, off path and when there's snow, mud, sand, obstacles, etc. The standing function is great for taking walks with friends, reaching high and for viewing over objects (I've used it to get an unobstructed camera angle at times), but don't use it in a public place if you want to be left alone - it's a real attention getter. Most stairs are climbable if there are handrails and your PT has certified you to use them, or if you have a trained assistant along. Very fast in standard mode - 7.8 mph.

My gripes: No suspension - traveling over rough ground can be jarring. Pneumatic tires - no option, I'm just waiting to catch that nail or large thorn when I'm far from home. Joy stick too sensitive - very hard to move slowly and smoothly, especially on rough ground. Tight spaces are a no-no in balance or 4wd - the computers and gyros will try to compensate for external forces - not good. Stairs are scary - never had a problem, but I avoid them when I can. You need to practice often to keep confident. It is not invincible, I have been stuck in 6 inches of snow. It has got to have grip - in all functions. Last, I wish the footrests could be adjusted closer to 90 degrees. They can't because of the large front casters.

In my opinion, the gripes are minor inconveniences compared to the benefits. The iBot will go places and do things that absolutely no other chair can. That being said, I'll still use my power assisted manual chair most often. It's more comfortable, smaller and keeps me more active. Hope this helps.

Brent

--------

Thank you Brent! I agree with every thing you said.

First day of school

2008-09-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

My daughter started her first day of Middle
School today. I was waiting out front with
her and her friends for the bell to ring when
a few buses pulled up and kids and more kids
piled off the buses, completely surrounding me.
In my manual chair, I would have gotten a bit
panicky.... everyone towering over me....
backpacks in my face. Thank goodness I was
in Balance Function.

One important thing to remember, turn the speed
to 0 in situations like this. My joystick was
bumped numerous times by backpacks and other
typical Middle School age kid actions. Like
OMG, someone could have bumped my joystick and
I could have totally ran over that guy who looks
just like Joe Jonas!

State Fair

2008-08-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not being here in over
a month. Time goes by so fast.

An update about the flat tire problem
I was having - the new rim strips seem
to be doing the job! I have not had
any flats since they were put in.

And now on to other things...

I took my daughter and a friend of hers
to the State Fair yesterday. I knew I was
going to spend a lot of time sitting around
waiting for them while they went on rides,
and I knew that if I spent a lot of time
sitting around while in Balance, a ton of
people would ask me about the bot. I was
right. I didn't get 10 feet through the
entrance before someone asked me about it.
We were there for about 4 hours, and I'm
estimating that 40 people talked to me
about it. I was going to keep track of
it, but I quickly lost count.

What is interesting to me is who was most
interested in it. Actually, not so much
who was most interested in it, but who
was willing to ask me about it and what
they asked. Most of the people who talked
to me were women around my age. Some of
them wanted to know how it balanced, but
most of them just wanted to know how it
affected my life. There were also quite
a few men who wanted to know how it
balanced. None of the men asked me how
it affected my life. No, actually one guy
did say, "How do you like it?", but all
the other guys just wanted to know how it
worked. There were two elderly men who
couldn't believe what they were seeing.
One of them was so worried that I was
going to tip over. He literally asked
me questions, walked away scratching
and shaking his head, turned around and
came back seconds later and asked me more
questions, walked away again scratching
and shaking his head, and then he turned
around again and asked me more questions!
It was amusing. I bet he's still trying
to wrap his brain around it.

There were two young boys who asked me
a bunch of questions about how it worked
and what it did. They were probably about
12 years old. When I was explaining how
it had gyroscopes in it, one of them said,
"Oh, kind of like the Segway!". They were
smart boys. Future engineers/inventors? I
really like it when kids ask me about it and
when they are obviously fascinated by it like
those two boys were.

The other thing I wanted to write about was that
for the first time in my life, I actually really
enjoyed the fair. Growing up, I went to the
Minnesota State Fair all the time because my
parents took me there. I hated it. People
stared at me and I felt like a freak. Back then,
"freaks" were still a part of the fair and whenever
we went to that section of the fair, I was afraid
that people would think I escaped from my cage.
Really, I did. As an adult, I've never enjoyed
things such as state fairs because they are always
dirty and crowded. A person in a manual chair
gets his/her hands and arms filthy because of this,
and having a view of people's butts is, in my
opinion, not fun. Going to the fair yesterday
in the iBOT made it so much more enjoyable. I
was not looking forward to going, but after being
there for a while, I didn't want to leave. And
I'm thinking about going back again tomorrow. The
change the iBOT has made in my life is amazing.

PAWS wheelchair

2008-07-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

Whoa, I'm digging this chair:

Love how you can keep the wheels in the same
position and spin the seat.

TopChair

2008-07-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

I'm really interested in this chair and there
is very little information about it on the
internet. Check this out though:

http://pagesperso-orange.fr/topchair/comment3E.htm

Their webpage says the project started in 2001, but
I'm wondering how long it's been on the market.
Selling price? Can you raise the seat so that
you are eye level with a standing adult? Does
it go through sand and gravel? These are the
things I need to find out.

Another stair climbing wheelchair

2008-07-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

Whoa, I know nothing about this chair other than
what I see in this video and what I've read on
their website, but this looks really great for
stair climbing. Better than the iBOT even.
The stair climbing function is the biggest
disappointment about the iBOT.

The sad thing is, it'll probably never go anywhere
because there's no money in it since Medicare
would classify it as a "luxury" and therefore
not pay for any of it which means most people
wouldn't be able to purchase one, just like the
iBOT. There is amazing technology out there and
there could be a completely knock your socks off
wheelchair, but someone brilliant and well-known
like Dean Kamen has to be behind it, and a
huge company with tons of money, like Johnson
and Johnson, has to market it.

Frustrating.

What to do when you have a flat

2008-07-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

The iBOT manual says to not drive the iBOT
if it has a flat. In my opinion, that's a
ridiculously unrealistic statement. These
tires are not easy to get on and off. The
guy at the bike store yesterday who had
experience and proper tools took at least
15 minutes and a whole lot of swearing to
change just one tire. (He didn't swear
out loud, but I know that it's a lot of
work and I'm pretty sure some bad words
were said in his head!) I know I wouldn't
be able to change a tire myself, and I'm
not about to a) carry the proper tools with
me wherever I go and b) ask an average person
to change it for me. In addition to not
being able to change it myself or ask a
Bob Smith to do it for me, there is no emergency
wheelchair flat tire fixing service such as
AAA. I can't even call a friend to come
pick me up because I can't get the iBOT
into their cars. I could call a cab, but
finding one with a wheelchair lift to come
out right away probably wouldn't be easy.
A reader of this blog suggested public
transportation, which is a great idea...
however, I haven't looked into that yet.
I don't know if they'd be able to take
me to my house, or just the nearest bus
stop which is 2 blocks away. Besides, I
might be in a different town/city where
they do not have accessible public transport
and/or taxi cabs.

Whenever I get a flat, people always say,
"Why not just switch the clusters so that
the flat wheel in the back is in the front?"
That is what I did do when I got my last
flat, but I was really uncomfortable doing
it because you just never know if the iBOT
is going to perform normally with a flat
tire. I've since talked with IT (Independence
Technology) and here is what they recommend:

While in Standard Function, transition to
4-Wheel Drive. Drive the iBOT in 4-Wheel
Drive to a place that can fix it. Rolling
with a flat in 4-Wheel Drive function is much
better than Standard Function because the
other 3 wheels will help keep the weight off
of the flat one.

While rolling in 4-Wheel Drive with a flat
tire could result in wheel damage, the guy at
IT said it's highly unlikely to get damaged
as long as I'm not going over rocks or going
a very far distance. If it did damage the
wheel, I'd have to pay for the cost of a
new wheel, plus a service call because
a tech would have to put the new wheel
on. Putting on the new wheel is NOT something
a bike shop could do. I asked IT how much a
new wheel costs, and he didn't know off the
top of his head, but he's going to find out
and let me know. However much it is though,
I'd rather risk damaging the wheel than
switching the clusters and possibly having
the chair flip over backward or throw me out
forward.

**Some iBOT users do switch the clusters when
they get a flat (and I did it once by using the
stair climbing function), but IT does not
recommend doing this.**

Some random recommendations:
1. Always carry a spare tube with you.
Your local bike shop will not have the right
size tube.
2. If you've got the room, always carry
a spare tire with you.
3. Carry the number of public transport
and taxi services.
4. IT has a 24-hour support line.
1-800-INDE-NOW.
5. If traveling with an iBOT, bring along
a spare manual wheelchair. If you don't have
a spare manual chair, you can purchase a
cheap lightweight foldable travel chair for
about $150.
6. Possible places to fix a flat: bike
shops, Les Schwab, probably gas stations.

Better day

2008-07-15T14:19:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's post title should have read, "Bad
crip day", or maybe just "Bad day". We all
have them, disabled or not. The iBOT is a
great mobility device that has changed my
life and I shouldn't have whined about it. It
was just a bad day and I blamed it mostly on the
iBOT, which I shouldn't have.

Just to clarify, IT is Independence Technology.
They provide iBOT tech support and they have
nothing to do with the design (except for
giving the engineers feedback probably). DEKA
is Dean Kamen's company. They are the people
who designed and who make the iBOT.

I took my BOT to the bike shop today. I decided
to put a new tire on the wheel that keeps popping.
I also decided that instead of changing just one
tire, I'd change them all. I could have called
IT and had them send a tech to change the tires
for me, but that would have cost me $90 for the
service call (as least I thought it would since
I didn't think it was covered under warranty). So
I decided to take it to the bike shop where
they only charged me $5.00 per wheel = $20.00.
They're super nice... it took them well over an
hour to get the new ones on. I know they must
cringe every time they see me coming in! I think
all the guys in the shop try to ignore me as long
as possible and hope that one of their co-workers
will find out what I need. LOL! Getting these
tires on and off is not easy.

At the bike shop they changed all four tires and
they thoroughly inspected the one that keeps popping
for anything that might be causing the flats. They
found nothing. I've been home for a few hours now
and no flat so far. Oh, also, when I ordered my
last set of tubes from IT, they also sent me these
rubber things. I don't know what they're called,
but basically it puts a layer of rubber between
the tube and the wheel. That should help prevent
flats.

When I got home from the bike shop, there was a
message from IT. They said they wanted to send
a tech here to inspect the wheels and try to
determine what the problem is. They said they
were also going to give me 4 new tubes since I've
been going through so many lately. They said it
will be covered under warranty, so I'm cool with
that. As I've said before, IT tech support is
excellent.

Still no call back from DEKA. I called them again
this afternoon and left another message. I still
want to ask them about switching the clusters when
there is a flat. Will post again when I do hear
from them.

Bad iBOT day

2008-07-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

Today has not been a good iBOT day. I still
love my bot, but today I'm frustrated with
the tires. This will probably be a long post,
but I'm doing it mainly for my own personal
documentation. If you don't have an iBOT
yourself or you don't know much about it, the
following will probably be of no interest to
you.

I called IT this morning to ask about switching
the clusters when there is a flat tire involved.
I asked them if there have been tests done to
see if, while switching the clusters, the bot
performs the same way with a flat as it does
when there isn't a flat. I've tested switching
the clusters with no flats, and it worked well.
I don't want to test it with a flat though
because I don't feel like being a crash test
dummy.

IT didn't know if it has been tested. They also
didn't know how I could go about finding an
answer to my question. He looked up flat tire
information in the manual and it said that if you
get a flat, don't move the iBOT. It could "result
in serious injury or death". So, uh, what am I
supposed to do? Call AAA? Obviously you have to
move the bot when it has a flat. IT said the
only thing they could recommend I do is check the
tire pressure every day.

Since I didn't get my question answered (btw, IT
is always very nice and helpful, but they are
tech support only and they have nothing to do with
any sort of testing), I called a friend of mine
who also has an iBOT. He suggested I called
DEKA and talk to one of the engineers there. I
called. The person she transferred me to wasn't
at his desk so I left him a message to call me
back. I waited around for about an hour hoping
he'd call, but he didn't. I had to go to the
grocery store and so I left the house, in balance,
and went to the store which is approximately 15
blocks away. As I'm in the check-out line, the
lady behind me says, "It looks like you have
a flat." ARGGG! Not another flat. This is
getting old. I didn't know what to do because
my house and van were about 15 blocks from the
store. That's too far to roll on a flat. I
thought about switching the clusters, but I was
worried the bot might tip over or throw me out
if I attempted to do that. So I decided to go
down to 4-Wheel Function the normal way. Strangely,
it didn't shoot me forward like it did last time
I did that. It went to 4-Wheel and then Standard
with no issues. But there I was in the store
with a rear flat. My choices were, limp all
the way home which would definitely ruin the wheel,
go back into balance and force it to go into 4-wheel
by tipping it forward so that the clusters would
switch, or doing the stair climbing thing to switch
the clusters. I was nervous about trying either
one of the cluster switching ways because as I said
before, I don't know if the BOT would behave the
same way.

Lucky for me, my bf works in my neighborhood. I
called him and he met me at the store. He's been
trained on stair climbing and he's a mechanical
engineer, so I trusted he would know what would
be the best thing to do. We decided to use the
Stair-Climbing Function to switch the clusters.
I didn't do the stair climbing myself, he did
it. It worked. The clusters switched and I
rolled home in Standard Function with the flat
tire in the front and slightly raised.

My concerns:

1) Why do I keep getting flats? Someone just recently
asked me about the frequency of flats and I said that
I didn't think it was too bad. I've changed my mind.
Something needs to be done to prevent these flats.

2) Someone needs to answer my question about switching
the clusters when there is a flat.

3) Why is it that last time I had a flat tire when I
was in Balance Function, it shot me forward about
5 feet when I made the transition to 4-Wheel Function,
but today it didn't do that?

Ugh. I'm having van issues as well. The ramp broke,
the service engine soon light is on, the speedometer
and the other things on the dash aren't working. T'is
a sucky crip day.

Also, I have to get new caster wheels for the bot. I'll
post more about that tomorrow probably. $120 for two
new pieces of rubber. I can think of a least a gagillion
other things I'd rather spend $120 on.

Stress headache about to make my head explode. Sorry to
complain so much. I just need to vent every once in awhile.
To end on a happy note, I just saw my hair in the mirror and
it's shiny. :D

The correct way to climb stairs

2008-07-08T21:24:00.001-07:00

In the post below (the one titled "New
Video"), I climb one step in order to
switch the clusters. I didn't do a good
job climbing the step. You can hear the
iBOT beep at me, telling me that was too
rough. Luckily I didn't throw a wrench.
Throwing a wrench means something didn't
perform the way it was supposed to. IT
wants to know about these things. So a
wrench shows up on the UCP, and you get
locked out of every function except for
standard. Clearing the wrench is most
likely just a call to IT and they clear
it remotely.

Anyway, there is a technique to make stair
climbing smoother than what you see in my
video. Since I almost never use the Stair
Climbing Function, I don't have this technique
down. In the following video, you can see how
smooth stair climbing is supposed to be.

And one more way to switch the clusters

2008-07-08T21:20:00.001-07:00

But like I said in my last post, I'm not sure
how it will perform if it has a flat.

New video

2008-07-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

One way to switch the clusters:

My only concern is that the chair will not behave
the same way with a flat. I'll give IT and call
to find out if it's been tested.

Creature Discomforts

2008-07-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

The following post has nothing to do with the iBOT,
but it is about disability.

To watch their fabulous ads, go to CreatureDiscomforts.org.

How to switch the clusters

2008-07-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

I spoke with IT this morning and they told
me a couple of ways to switch the clusters
so that if I get a flat, I can easily switch
them so that I'm not rolling on the flat.

Note: I've most likely been given this info
in the past. My brain didn't retain it. Now
that I've been in a situation where it would
have been really helpful to know how to do
it, and also now that I'm writing this, I will
hopefully remember it, lol!

Okay, so I'm botting around and suddenly I
have a flat. What I've always done in the
past was stop whatever I was doing and go
straight to the bike shop to have them fix
it. As of today, I know a better way.

All I have to do is put it in stair climbing
function, go up one step, switch to 4-wheel
drive function while the first set of the
clusters are resting on the first step. Then
drive forward, go back into standard function,
and I'll be wheeling on the un-flat wheel
which has traded places with the flat wheel.
Easy!

Another way to do it is if I am in balance,
I can force the chair to "fall" from balance
to 4-wheel by making the chair tilt forward
(see my last post). This will cause an
abrupt and uncomfortable "crash", but it will
switch the clusters. The person at IT tried
it today while I was speaking with her. I
don't think I'll give it a try myself
because it sorta hurts, but it's good
to know.

I think tomorrow I will try the stair-climbing
way to switch the clusters. If I do, I'll
have my daughter film it and I'll post it here.

I kind of wonder about climbing a step with
a flat... sounds a little risky to me, but IT
said it was okay to do. They should know!
Then again, maybe they've never done it with a
flat. If anyone reading this knows this is
not a safe thing to do, please leave me a
comment!

And now, my daughter wants to go for a walk.
Because of the iBOT, I am happy to go on a
walk with her on this beautiful evening. : )

Traveling with the iBOT

2008-07-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

I had my first traveling experience with
the iBOT this past weekend. I didn't take
it on an airplane, but it was the first
time I took it somewhere and had to bring
the charger along. I stayed in the Puget
Sound area in WA for two nights. The iBOT
was wonderful to have on vacation. We did
much "walking" which would have been a major
pain had I been using my manual. We walked
(er, I botted) from our hotel to the main
part of town. Doing that in my manual would
have been impossible, especially in the heat.
There was a nice long boardwalk that we went
on which ended at a park with trails. Although
the boardwalk would have been okay with my
manual, the park would have been very difficult.
The iBOT had no trouble going on the trails.
The iBOT made the trip much, much easier for me.

I did have one problem. We were over a mile
away from our hotel and I was in Balance. I
turned a corner and it caused the tire to come
off. Although I'm not positive why this
happened, we noticed there was a nut missing.
Apparently the guy at the bike shop who fixed
the flat two days earlier failed to put the
nut on. So I had a flat. Again. It was
completely flat and I didn't want to roll
on it anymore than I had to. So I sat in
the shade and my sister looked in the town's
phone book for a bike shop. No bike shop.
My traveling companion walked back to the
hotel and drove my van over. I limped the
bot to the van and we drove it to a Les
Schwab to see if they would fix it for me.
The lady behind the counter was very reluctant
to help. She was worried about liability.
But then a young guy came to the desk and
he said he'd be happy to do it for me. I
gave him a new tube and the bot and he took
it into the shop and fixed it for me... no
charge. Very nice guy, unlike the selfish,
nail-biting twit I first spoke with. He did
an excellent job and I went about the rest of
my vacation with no problems.

LESSONS LEARNED:

-Always carry a spare tube with you. There
ought to be a little pouch somewhere on the
iBOT specifically for a spare tube.

-If possible, travel with a manual chair as
a backup.

-If a person isn't willing to help, don't give
up, ask someone else. Not everyone in America
is scared of getting sued.

This morning when I talked to IT, they told me
how I could have switched the clusters so that
the good tire infront of the flat tire could
be used to roll on instead of rolling on the
rim of the flat tire. And writing that just
now made me realize that I should have just
called IT when it happened. D'oh! They have
a 24-hour tech support line. I knew that, but
didn't remember it when I was in the situation.
Anyway, I don't feel like writing about it right
now. I will write about it later.

Flats

2008-07-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I got out of my van to go into the
library and when I made the transition to Balance,
it started dithering quite a bit. The dithering
and the sound of squishing rubber on the sidewalk
and I knew I had a flat. The extra dithering didn't
make it feel unstable, but I knew I should transition
back to Standard Function. I went back to Standard
with no issues. I then took the bot and a new tube
to my local bike shop. They took the tire off for me
and put the new tube in (charged me $5). Apparently
the guy didn't put the tire on correctly because
after leaving the store, I went up into Balance
and the dithering was quite a bit. Enough to scare
me. My first thought was to transition to 4-Wheel
and then Standard, but it was dithering so much and
I felt like it was really unstable. In order to
make the Balance to 4-Wheel transition, the seat
needs to lean way back. I was nervous that tipping
it back like that would be enough to make it tip
over. So then I thought about getting the bike
shop guys to pick me up out of the chair and let
it fall. I decided against that because without my
weight in it when it's in Balance, I don't know
what it would have done. So I went back to my
original thought and made the transition to 4-
Wheel Drive. It didn't tip over, but it did
suddenly shoot forward about 5 feet, which was
a little scary. It wasn't enough to throw me out
of the chair, and I didn't run into anything or
anyone, but I'm thankful that there wasn't a curb
or a building or a person to crash into. LESSON
LEARNED: When in Balance with a flat, make sure
there is plenty of room in front and behind you before
you make the transition to 4-Wheel. Common sense?
Yes. But sometimes common sense isn't there when
in a scary situation. (I spoke with IT this morning
about it, and they weren't sure why it shot forward
like it did.)

While on the phone with IT, I asked if there was
a way to force it to "fall" from Balance to 4-Wheel.
There is, and the IT person I was speaking to got
in an iBOT while we spoke and made it do it.
Instead of making the seat lean back, you
make it lean forward. You move the left toggle
to the right corner. It'll start beeping as a
warning, but push the button again and hold it
there and it will fall down to 4-Wheel. I've
unintentionally experienced this "fall" a couple
of times. Although it's abrupt and a bit
unpleasant, it isn't an issue for me, and I
have bad osteoporsis. I would think this might
be a problem for people who live with a lot of
pain though.

So anyway, IT told me I did the right thing
by making the Balance to 4-Wheel transition
the "right" way. But now I know another way
to do it if I need to. I think forcing it
to make the fall would have been less scary,
however, I'm impressed once again at how safe
it is in Balance Function. People ask me
all the time if Balance is scary. It isn't.
They always ask if I'm afraid I'll tip
over. I always say no. Outside the bike
shop when it was dithering a lot because
of the blowout, I was a bit afraid, but
that was the first time. And it ended up
not tipping me over... so I've no doubt how
amazing the balancing function is.

Fixed!

2008-06-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

The bot is working again. Turns out it was
only the charger. Woo-hoo! The new charger
arrived yesterday morning and by the afternoon
I was botting again.

Jinxed by my last post!

2008-06-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

The charger for the iBOT has 2 yellow lights
and 2 red lights. The yellow lights mean that
it is charging or is charged, the red lights
mean that something is wrong. When I plugged
it in yesterday, I got one yellow light and
one red light. I called tech support and he
said to leave it plugged in for a while to
see if it charged at all. About 6 hours later
I checked, and it hadn't charged at all. I
talked to tech support again this morning
and he said there must be a problem with
the charger or the batteries. Because I
bought my iBOT used, it is not covered under
warranty. So we're starting with the less
expensive possible fix which is the charger.
$275 for a refurbished one, $500-something
for a new one. It will be sent to me over-
night, and I should receive it tomorrow. If
the problem isn't resolved, I'll send the
charger back to them and they will send
me new batteries. $550 for each battery
and they are only sold in pairs, so $1,100.
I don't need a tech to come here though, so
that's good. Although if I did need one, it
is only $90 an hour and that is only from
when the tech gets here until he leaves.
Which means most service calls only cost
$90. Quite resonable, IMO.

I am iBOTless until at least tomorrow. I
have a feeling it is the batteries, simply
because it's the more expensive fix. LOL!
Also though, I asked the guy how long batteries
last and he said usually 1 to 2 years.

I.T. is very good about getting things fixed
in a timely manner.

Another question:

2008-06-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

crmantigua wrote:

Your Blog is great. I live in Antigua and would be concerned about maintenance. What things have you had to fix or replace since having your Bot?

Hi there Antiqua person! Interested in doing a house
swap for a week in February?!

I haven't had to fix or replace anything at all except
when I first got it they had to come out once to update
the software so that it could be fixed remotely. (No
charge to me!)

The chair is very well made. I've put many miles on
it, and I've really USED it, and it's been fantastic.
Another good thing is that if you do throw a wrench,
they can most likely fix it remotely. In case you
don't know what throwing a wrench is, it is something
that happens if something happens to the chair that
isn't supposed to happen. IT wants to know about
anything weird that happens, and so they have a built-in
"black box". A wrench will appear on the UPC and it
will lock you out of all functions other than standard.
You have to call IT to get it fixed. They read the
black box remotely, and often they can fix it remotely.
That's my understanding of it anyway... give IT a call
or send them an email. They are excellent about
answering questions.

I've said this before, but I'll say it again. IT
is a really great company. I've had NO negative
experiences with them at all. As for the iBOT, it
amazes me how well made it is. If there was a car
company that was like IT, everyone would be driving
one of their cars.

BTW, the iBOT would be great for the beaches
in Antiqua! I went to Bonaire many years ago
and having the iBOT then would have been so
great. I hope you get one and love it as much
as I love mine!

Question left by anonymous:

2008-06-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Anonymous said...

Hey,

Do you have any reactions to the new seat designs?

http://www.ibotnow.com/specs/new2008.html

Indeed, I do have reactions! My friend Bill who
also has an iBOT called me to tell me about the
new seat design. I was very excited about it
because I dislike the current footrest assembly
very much. I looked at the website and was
thrilled to see the new footrest. This was in
the evening, so I had to wait until the next
day to call IT about it. When I called the next
day, I found out that it would cost me $4,500
for the new seating design. : ( I was hoping
to purchase just the new footrest, but they aren't
sold seperately. Although the new design would
be great to have, I don't have the money for
it. So I won't be getting it. They did say
they were working on getting a new footrest
that could be purchased without buying the
entire new seating design, but he had no idea
when that would happen. I'm disappointed. I
need to find a bike builder or someone who can
build me a new footrest system.

As for the other new stuff....

The armrests look slightly better. Not something
worth spending the money on though, IMO.

The headrest is of no interest to me because
I took mine off as I have no need/desire to
have one.

The lateral supports do not interest me.

The calf panel... I thought it came with
one of these already? To me, it is only
something that gets in the way.

Now folding the backrest forward... I really
like that. It'd be great for air travel and
for transporting it in other people's trucks,
vans, suburbans. I have a portable ramp
I could use, and with the remote function
and the seat folding forward like that, I'd
be able to get it into (some)vehicles other than
my own.

For me, the footrest assembly would be
fantastic. The seat folding forward would
come in handy. The rest of the new features
do not interest me though.

Comment left by Anonymous:

2008-06-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

Anonymous said...

I'm not Mooney but I sure miss the regular reports on the iBOT and how it expands your horizons. I hope to get one someday. Keep the faith, baby!

Anonymous, thank you so much! It makes me happy
to know that someone is interested! My best wishes
to you in getting yourself an iBOT - they are
wonderful!

Update

2008-06-17T14:22:00.001-07:00

Whoa, I see I haven't posted any iBOT stuff here in
quite a while. I've been terribly busy with the
end of the school year and my daughter's birthday
and trying to get my website launched... Things are
going well with the BOT. I'm not sure how it happened,
but just a few days ago I was in balance and someone
must have bumped the joystick and pushed a button
at the same time or something. It crashed me down
to four-wheel drive. Not a big deal.... no one was
hurt. It was quite a jolt though and I could see
where this might be a problem for some people,
especially if they have pain issues.

A couple of people have left me questions which I
will work on answering next...

Phmooney...

2008-06-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

I can't find your email address. Send me an
email please!

Thanks!

A guy in the checkout line tried to heal me today

2008-05-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

Yep. Thank goodness stuff like this doesn't happen
very often... I'm in the checkout line at the store
and the guy behind me slaps his hand down on top
of my head and yells, "HEAL!". He waited a
moment and then shrugged and said, "Never know,
might work sometime." Dead silence. The mouths
of the checkout lady and the other people in line
fell to the floor.

Gosh darnit. For a minute there I thought I'd have
no use for my iBOT anymore.

When my daughter and I got in the car, she asked
me what that was all about. I told her and she
said, "Oh, I thought he was talking to you like
you were a dog and he wanted you to slow down and
'heel'".

I remember the first time I was exposed to this
sort of thing. I must have been about her age
and I was watching TV. An evangelist touched
the forehead of a woman sitting in a wheelchair
and said, "Heal". She stood up, walked around,
and started crying tears of joy. I was
flabbergasted. 'Twas one of the first times
I witnessed craziness.

It's a funny world we live in.

iBOT - helps me get where I need to go

2008-05-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

I have a passion for macro photography. I can be
incredibly sad, angry, stressed, and/or frustrated
and then go out to my garden and do some macro
photography and it never fails to put me in a better
mood.

Before I had my bot, there were often times I couldn't
get to something I wanted to photograph. For
example, yesterday my daughter and I were out for a
walk and I saw a cool viney, twisty thingy. It was
growing over a tall fence. I never would have been
able to photograph it in my manual chair because I
couldn't get close enough to it. I was in my iBOT so
I first attempted to photograph it while in balance.
The dithering kept me from being able to hold the
camera still enough. No problem though. I went into
4 wheel drive and put it in the highest setting. The
highest setting in 4 wheel is almost as high as the
lowest setting in Balance.

I got these shots, which totally thrilled me because,
second to puppies, twisty botanical stuff is my most
favorite subject to photograph.

If you are interested in seeing more of my photography,
click here.

Interesting

2008-05-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

The first couple months I had my iBOT, when
in Balance, the #1 question people asked
was "How does that balance?" The second
question was (almost always), "Do you feel
like you're going to fall over?" I realized
last night that although the first question
has not changed, the second one has. Now
the second question is, "How much does that
thing cost?"

This sort of thing fascinates me. Why the
change? I must have been putting out a
"I'm afraid I'm going to fall over" vibe
and now I'm putting out a "This thing is
expensive" vibe.

BTW, I've never felt afraid that I would
tip over. Never. Not even the first time
I went into balance. Every once in a while
though, if I hold perfectly still, it will
stop dithering for a few seconds, and that
feels really weird.

Also, I'm uncomfortable when people ask me
how much it cost. I tell them $24,000,
which is the cost of a new one. I didn't
pay that much, but as far as I know,
mine is only one of two that have been
sold used.

Weird

2008-04-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Since I've had my iBOT, I've had two able-
bodied people tell me that they want their
own iBOT.

WTH?

The first one was at a jr. high. A 7th or
8th grade girl said to her friends, "That's
so cool! I want one!" I didn't say anything
to her. What could I say? The person I was
with though said, "Get yourself paralyzed and
then maybe you can get one."

The second one was last night. I was at the
mall (even though I hate the mall) and I rode
in an elevator with a girl who must have been
in her early 20s. She asked me questions
about it while in the elevator and then when
we got out, she said, "I'm so jealous! I
really want one of those!" She wasn't joking.
My daughter and I just looked at each other,
completely dumbfounded. I'd give that girl
every cent I have if she would trade her
unparalyzed body for my iBOT.

Ugh. I must be going through
a stage of having no patience for AB idiot comments.
There sure have been a lot lately. "I'm jealous,
I want one!" "Now builders won't have to worry
about ramps and stuff". "The iBOT scares young
children." Pffft!

This may seem like an unimportant thing...

2008-04-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

I was at my parent's house on Sunday. They live
in the country next to a large river. There is a
tree on their property that is frequently visited
by a couple of eagles. My parents have their telescope
fixed on that spot and I got to look through it.
Without the iBOT, I wouldn't have been high enough
to look through it.

I used a point and shoot camera and took these photos:

What are you looking at?

It's A Bird ... It's A Plane ... It's Superman!

Like I said in the title, it may seem like an unimportant
thing, but our world isn't built for short people. Those
of us who are short and not children who can be picked up
or not AB so that we can step onto a step stool, miss out
on a lot of things that most people don't even think about.
In my manual chair I can't look through the telescope, at
museums I don't have the same view as a standing person,
at scenic outlooks there is usually a railing directly
infront of my face, at the deli and salad bars I can't
see what is available, at counters I'm often not seen and
then when I talk to the person behind the counter I have
to strain to hear what they are saying and I have to yell
back to them, in a crowd I mostly only see lots of lots of
butts.... I could go on and on. My point is, the balance
function of the iBOT is so important. All those little
things add up to a lot. When I saw my parent's telescope,
my first thought was "Oh, that would be fun to look
through... I wish I could." And then I remembered I was
in my iBOT and I could look through it! : )

--Editted to add: the middle picture isn't showing up. I
don't have time to figure out the problem right now, but
I'll come back to it later.

"I mean they literally scare small chidlren"!

2008-04-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

The following was posted tonight under an entry
that I posted back in January. I've copied and
pasted it here:

Hamish said...

I'd rather ride around in a Sherman tank than in one of those overpriced, over-engineered, impractical ibots. I mean they literally scare small children. To each their own though.
April 22, 2008 7:39 PM

Hamish, what do you mean they "literally scare small
children"? You obviously do not have an iBOT yourself,
and so I'm wondering what sort of experience you've
had with the iBOT and small children? Also, care to
elaborate on your comment about it being over-engineered?

I've had quite the opposite experience regarding children.
Small children, medium children, big children... they all
love the iBOT, especially boys. Just today I was at the
store and a boy who must have been only about 3 years old
looked at the iBOT when I was in balance and his face
lit up and his eyes got big and he smiled and asked me
about it. I answered his questions and then when I left
and went around the corner, I heard him with a very excited
tone in his voice say, "Mom, how does she do that?!!!"

I don't think I've ever seen fear in a child's face when
they see the bot. Okay, maybe that one time there was a
bit of fear in that child that I plowed down, but that little
brat totally had it coming. Kidding! Honestly, I've seen
lots of looks of curiousity and fascination, but never looks
of fear.

Birfday

2008-04-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 21st is my birthday. Yep. Just
thought you'd like to know so that you can wish
me a happy birthday! nudge nudge wink wink :D

BigDog Robot

2008-04-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Watch the BigDog video. Very impressive.

click here

And the dumbest iBOT comment award goes to...

2008-04-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

The check-out guy at the grocery store last night.

Our conversation went like this:

Him: Does that go up and down stairs?

Me: Yes it does!

Him: Yeah, I remember seeing it on a show. That's
really great for designers because now they won't
have to worry about wheelchair access... like making
sure they have ramps and stuff.

"Sick" must be the new "Cool"

2008-03-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

I was at the mall today. I was in Balance and
a group of teenage boys passed me and I heard
one of them say, "Those chairs are sick!"

Then a little later a guy stopped me to ask
me about it. He was in his late teens or early
20s I'd guess. He said, "That is sick!"

Go Dean, Go Dean

2008-03-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

I'm one out of the small group of people whose
life has changed because of this guy.

Kamen and Colbert

2008-03-30T16:59:00.000-07:00

Yay, two of my favorite people got together again!

The last time (and I think the only other time)
Kamen was on The Colbert Report was when he
talked about the iBOT. He doesn't talk about
the iBOT this time, but it's still worth watching.

iBOT: Taking me places I've never gone before

2008-03-30T16:19:00.001-07:00

Like birthday parties for goats.

Here are two of the four goats who turned
2 yesterday:

Note the hats and one of the two birthday cakes. Jean-Luc
is sporting the red hat, while Chloe is stylin' in blue.

I had to go up a long and somewhat steep gravel path to
get to the par-tay. Here I am coming down the long and
somewhat steep gravel path. (I'm attempting to hide in
my coat and behind my hair as it was freakin' freezing.)

There is no way I could have gotten up there in my manual
chair. And I doubt any powerchair other than the bot
in 4-Wheel Drive would have been able to handle it.

Once I got to the top, the bot got me in the barn. Had
I been in my manual, people would have had to carry me
into the barn due to a step up and step down. Any other
powerchair other than the bot could not have done it.

And it's a good thing I got in because that is where
the cake was. The humans ate cake and sang "Happy Birthday"
to the goats, and the goats ate organic raisins. Instead
of playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey, the kids played
Put the Party Hat on the Goat. A good time was had
by all.

Editted to add: The bot also allowed me to NOT get
mud and goat poop all over my hands.

Hollywood

2008-03-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

I went to CA over a month ago without my iBOT.
I haven't written about it yet because I've been
lazy, busy, and/or sick.

Overall, I'm glad I didn't take the bot. It would
have been a major pain in the ass transporting it
from the airport to Disneyland to Hollywood and
back to the airport. I also didn't have to worry
about the baggage handlers breaking it. And, if I had
gone into Innovations at Disneyland in the bot,
people would have thought I was there to demonstrate
it.

My daughter really wanted to see Hollywood. We
gawked at star's names for a few blocks and then
headed back for the car. Near the end I had my
sister take a picture of my dirty hands.

One thing I don't miss about the manual chair
at all is the dirty hands.

Question from a reader

2008-03-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

Anonymous said...

It is great that you had the nerve to teach the class. Congratulations. Do you find that most of the day you use the iBOT or do you use some other chair most of the time?

My response:

Thank you! I hope I never have to do it again!!!

I use my manual chair all of the time when I'm home.
I use my iBOT almost everytime I leave the house. I
tend to be in and out all day, so I switch between the
iBOT and my manual frequently. I could use the iBOT
in my house, but I find the manual chair easier to
manuever in tight spaces... of which there are many
in my house. Also, I have to be much more careful
in the iBOT because it's so powerful. If I used the
iBOT in the house, I'd probably have some holes in
the walls!

An interesting comment from a reader

2008-03-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

Sands_PhD said...

Well, I have to speak up as a power chair user for 35 years: the iBot is a gimmick. I tested one in '07: they are overpriced, extremely large and heavy, ungainly, unsuited to most urban environment (think of the Segway). Most staircases are too problematic for them to traverse safely unaided. Any netizen is entitled to their opinion and I welcome efforts to advance the technology, but this is a step backwards.

My response:
Thank you for your interesting comment. I disagree with
everything you wrote except for the part about most
staircases being too problematic. The stair climbing
function is the only thing that has disappointed me.

Overpriced - I don't think it is overpriced compared to other
power chairs. In general it is overpriced, but that is no
different from any other durable medical equipment.

Extremely large - I'm surprised you think it's extremely
large. Compared to my manual, it is very large, but
compared to other power chairs, it seems quite reasonable.
In fact, I think it is even narrower than most power chairs.

Heavy - It's close to 300 pounds. I thought it would be
heavier.

Ungainly - Okay that one I might agree with.

Unsuited to most urban environments - I think the iBOT
is way better suited to urban environments than the average
power chair. We live in a world that is built for
average adult height comfort. Think of all the high
counters, displays that are difficult or impossible
to see when in a seated postion, having conversations
with standing adults, and reaching things on high shelves.

A gimmick? I hear, respect, and can appreciate that you've
expressed this opinion, but I completely disagree.

A step backwards? Really? I hope you elaborate on this.

Teaching a Class

2008-02-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

I "taught" a 5th grade art class today. My daughter's
school doesn't have enough money to hire an art teacher,
so the art program there is run entirely by volunteers.
I've been an assistant to the art teacher for the past
5 years. Today the teacher was home puking like
50% of the students, and so I had to teach the class.
I was very nervous and had never done anything like that
before. It actually went quite well. I'm so glad I had
my iBOT though so that I could be in Balance Function and
be taller than the students. Imagine trying to teach a
class at 4 feet high.

I finally get my van back tomorrow. I've been without
it for a week. I don't know what I would have done
without my BOT to get me around.

Use Speed 1 when indoors...

2008-02-16T18:01:00.000-08:00

especially if you are in a restaurant.

I learned that very important lesson last
night.

I also learned that the iBOT can easily
plow through tables and chairs.

And I learned that I could have a more
embarassing experience than the time when
I was in the 5th grade and I hiccuped in
the middle of a yawn which is quite loud
and instantly gets the attention of the
teacher and all of the classmates.

Extra extra thankful for the BOT

2008-02-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

My car is going to be in the shop until
at least mid next week. : (

The good news is, I have my iBOT to get
me around. Surely I'd die without it.
And there's always -gasp- public transportation
if I absolutely need to go somewhere outside
of my neighborhood.

The other good news is that good weather is
predicted for the next few days. They're
talking 60 and sunny. I'm hoping the
weather forecasters aren't wrong like
they usually are.

Crosswalk signals

2008-02-15T08:47:00.001-08:00

are so not PC. "Walk" and "Don't Walk" needs
to be changed to something like "Cross" and
"Don't Cross".

I get so confused when I'm trying to cross a
street at a crosswalk. When it says "Don't Walk"
I feel like that is when I should be crossing but
there's all these cars in my way. Then it turns
to "Walk" and the cars clear a path, but I can't
walk, so what am I supposed to do?

I think I'm going to start some sort of campaign
to change the wording of crosswalks. The way
it is now is just plain wrong. It's yet another
example of the discrimination us wheelers face.

Some alternative word possibilites include:

Stay/Go

Halt/Proceed

Pause/Boogie

Stay right there/Hurry Up

Suspend Movement/Move Freely

I think I like "Stay" and "Go" best because then
dogs will easily understand what to do as well.
I'm open to suggestions though, so let me know
if you can think of any good ones.

Happy V-Day!

2008-02-14T21:24:00.000-08:00

My car gave me the sweetest Valentine present
ever. The brakes went out.

I'm thanking Dog for my iBOT. Without it I
would be burdening my friends for rides, or
calling a cab, both of which I prefer not to
do. I botted from the mechanic shop to
home... would have been next to impossible
in my manual - too many hills, too far,
curbs not cut.

Please please please, no rain tomorrow.

What not to do while in 4-Wheel Drive

2008-02-12T21:13:00.000-08:00

Before I got my BOT, I was told by the rep to not
use the iBOT in 4-Wheel Drive when on carpet or
a rug. I've found out on my own that it's also a
good idea to not use 4-Wheel Drive when on painted
wood.

FlatBOT

2008-02-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

I had said in an earlier entry that I would post
pictures of the iBOT with the seat reclined as
far as it would go. Here are the photos:

This is NOT a feature, meaning it is not intended to
be used in this position. It may be necessary when
transporting the iBOT, especially when putting it in
an airplane. I know an iBOT owner who did it this
way. The IT recommended way to get it in the plane
is to lay the BOT on it's side.

The iBOT is "cool"

2008-02-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

The things kids say about my iBOT makes me smile.
Some examples:

From 5th grade boys at my daughter's school:
"You have a cool wheelchair!"
"That is so rad!"

From a teenage boy at the swimming pool:
"If I ever get put in a wheelchair, I want one
like that!"

From a teenage boy at the mall:
"That is the coolest looking wheelchair I've
ever seen!"

From a teenage girl at a middle school open house:
"Whoa! I want to get one of those!"

I'm not kidding about that last one. And no, she
had no obvious mobility issues.