A tech drove down from Seattle yesterday to clear the
wrench. The iBOT is now back to the way it's supposed
to be. The tech also installed new software so that
in the future the wrench can be cleared remotedly. He
was here for only about 45 minutes. I'm very
impressed with IT's tech support. : )
One of the tires needs air. I'm going to get a gauge
and pump today so I can get that pumped back up. I'm
going to try to do a video later today regarding the
Balance Function.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Day 3 With(out) the iBOT
So, um, I had a little problem with the iBOT last night.
It's a long story, but I will say that it was 100% user
error.
I didn't get to use the stair function to get to my
daughter's classroom last night. But again, it was
100% user error.
Yes, the chair did tip over. It was in stair function
and it was only doing what it was told it should be doing.
No, I was not in it at the time, no one was injured,
and the chair is going to be perfectly fine (I think)!
A series of events due to stupidity and stubborness
led to the mishap. When something like that happens,
the people at Independence Technology want to know exactly
what happened and so the chair gave me what they call a
wrench. Basically they need to get infomation from the
iBOTs "black box" and then they will clear the wrench.
I just got a call from the tech who is going to clear
the wrench. He said he'd be here tomorrow to fix
things up. I'm completely impressed. I called
them and told them about the incident only a couple
of hours ago. They're sending a rep down tomorrow,
on a Saturday, from Seattle, to fix it. I've heard
the customer support and service Independence
Technology provides is exceptional, and now I know
it's true. They will also install new software so
that if something like this happens again in the
future, they'll be able to clear the wrench remotely,
rather than send a tech out. And guess what? They
won't charge me anything since they needed to come
out to install the new software anyway. Yay!
I'd like to reiterate that Indpendence Techonology
is in no way paying me to keep this blog and say
nice things about them and the iBOT. Everything
I write here is entirely my opinion. So far, their
product as well as their service has far exceeded
my expectations.
Here's what the wrench looks like on the LCD:
And this is from the manual:
It's a long story, but I will say that it was 100% user
error.
I didn't get to use the stair function to get to my
daughter's classroom last night. But again, it was
100% user error.
Yes, the chair did tip over. It was in stair function
and it was only doing what it was told it should be doing.
No, I was not in it at the time, no one was injured,
and the chair is going to be perfectly fine (I think)!
A series of events due to stupidity and stubborness
led to the mishap. When something like that happens,
the people at Independence Technology want to know exactly
what happened and so the chair gave me what they call a
wrench. Basically they need to get infomation from the
iBOTs "black box" and then they will clear the wrench.
I just got a call from the tech who is going to clear
the wrench. He said he'd be here tomorrow to fix
things up. I'm completely impressed. I called
them and told them about the incident only a couple
of hours ago. They're sending a rep down tomorrow,
on a Saturday, from Seattle, to fix it. I've heard
the customer support and service Independence
Technology provides is exceptional, and now I know
it's true. They will also install new software so
that if something like this happens again in the
future, they'll be able to clear the wrench remotely,
rather than send a tech out. And guess what? They
won't charge me anything since they needed to come
out to install the new software anyway. Yay!
I'd like to reiterate that Indpendence Techonology
is in no way paying me to keep this blog and say
nice things about them and the iBOT. Everything
I write here is entirely my opinion. So far, their
product as well as their service has far exceeded
my expectations.
Here's what the wrench looks like on the LCD:
And this is from the manual:
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Day 2 With the Bot
And I'm still loving it!
Botted up the the school again to pick up the kid.
We stopped by the grocery store on the way home and
I was able to reach the top shelf. That's something
I've never done before.
Pretty soon I will be going back to school where I'll
be going up to the 2nd floor. Woo-hoo! I'll post video
tomorrow.
Botted up the the school again to pick up the kid.
We stopped by the grocery store on the way home and
I was able to reach the top shelf. That's something
I've never done before.
Pretty soon I will be going back to school where I'll
be going up to the 2nd floor. Woo-hoo! I'll post video
tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
My very first outing!
Wowee wow wow! Oh my gosh, it's so great! I'm
really, really happy with the Bot. No buyer's
remorse going on here!
I spent a good 5 hours in it today. About 1:30
I left to pick up my daughter. Her school is
about a 3 minute car drive from my house. Although
I could push myself in my manual chair all the way
there, I've only done that once because it's a killer
on my shoulders. Today I drove the Bot there.
I started out in balance mode, but it was just too
slow. I don't remember what the top speed in
balance mode is, but I think it is about 3mph.
So I went down to standard function. I think
top speed for standard function is 6 or 8 mph.
I didn't go that fast because I didn't want to
run over any small children or anything. I
probably went there at a speed between 4 to 5 mph.
It was a beautiful sunny day and it was so incredibly
nice to not drive in my car to pick her up. I can't
even tell you how fantastic it felt... Okay, so
then I got to the school and I went into Balance
Mode. That's when the crowds gathered. All the
parents and the kids thought it was super cool.
Parent's jaws were hanging open. Kid's eyes were
popping out of their heads. Normally I don't
like attention, but I was really happy to show
it off. A few people had seen it on TV, but
most people had no idea such a thing existed.
People were in awe.
After talking to people about it for quite a
while, I put it into 4 Wheel Drive and I went
through the field. That was great. It was
a bit bumpy, but not too bad.
Then my daughter and her friend and I went
to the Farmer's Market. I was in Balance Mode
and I saw a few people I knew and they were
very excited for me. Most people didn't pay
much attention - to my surprise. I heard
people talking about it and some people said
things like, "That's really cool" to me and
"wow!", but mostly people didn't seem to even
notice. One thing about getting this iBOT that
had me concerned is that I thought I'd be a
freak show everytime I was in Balance Mode,
but I didn't feel weird at all. In fact, I
felt LESS weird than when I'm in my manual
chair because I was as tall as most of the
adults. THAT was major cool. Oh man, I
can't get over how nice it is to not be
at butt level! Another thing that was neat
was being able to see things better. For
example, we stopped and got some goodies
at a bakery booth, and I could easily see
the things displayed on the table. I could
also talk to the vendors without yelling
to them, and that was great. I wish I
could describe better what it was like.
I just don't have the words to explain how
wonderful it was.
Okay... after that we walked my daughter's
friend to her house. At one intersection
there was not a curb cut, so I put it in
4 wheel drive and I went down a curb! That
was neato. I didn't have to go looking
for a driveway or a different corner with
a curb cut.
So then we hung out in the driveway at my
daughter's friends house for a bit and I
went back into balance mode and I rocked
back and forth and I spun in circles. It
spins in a very tight circle when in Balance
Mode and I made myself dizzy. I kind of
felt like a little kid spinning in circles.
We headed for home after that. I showed
it off to some neighbors. One of my
neighbors really wanted to see me go up
and down stairs. I don't have the technique
down quite yet, so it was bumpier than it
should have been, but I did it. Here are a
few photos of me going up the neighbor's
front steps.
Here I am preparing to go up the first
step:
I know video would be nicer here, but I haven't
figured out how to upload a video yet. I will
soon though!
In this photo, you can see the tires in front
going up and over the back tires which then landed
on the first step.
And in this photo you can see the wheels have landed on
the first step.
I'll be going up a flight of stairs this evening and I'll have my
daughter do a video of it so I can post it tomorrow.
The following photos are in Balance Mode.
I do think the Balance Mode is my favorite feature.
really, really happy with the Bot. No buyer's
remorse going on here!
I spent a good 5 hours in it today. About 1:30
I left to pick up my daughter. Her school is
about a 3 minute car drive from my house. Although
I could push myself in my manual chair all the way
there, I've only done that once because it's a killer
on my shoulders. Today I drove the Bot there.
I started out in balance mode, but it was just too
slow. I don't remember what the top speed in
balance mode is, but I think it is about 3mph.
So I went down to standard function. I think
top speed for standard function is 6 or 8 mph.
I didn't go that fast because I didn't want to
run over any small children or anything. I
probably went there at a speed between 4 to 5 mph.
It was a beautiful sunny day and it was so incredibly
nice to not drive in my car to pick her up. I can't
even tell you how fantastic it felt... Okay, so
then I got to the school and I went into Balance
Mode. That's when the crowds gathered. All the
parents and the kids thought it was super cool.
Parent's jaws were hanging open. Kid's eyes were
popping out of their heads. Normally I don't
like attention, but I was really happy to show
it off. A few people had seen it on TV, but
most people had no idea such a thing existed.
People were in awe.
After talking to people about it for quite a
while, I put it into 4 Wheel Drive and I went
through the field. That was great. It was
a bit bumpy, but not too bad.
Then my daughter and her friend and I went
to the Farmer's Market. I was in Balance Mode
and I saw a few people I knew and they were
very excited for me. Most people didn't pay
much attention - to my surprise. I heard
people talking about it and some people said
things like, "That's really cool" to me and
"wow!", but mostly people didn't seem to even
notice. One thing about getting this iBOT that
had me concerned is that I thought I'd be a
freak show everytime I was in Balance Mode,
but I didn't feel weird at all. In fact, I
felt LESS weird than when I'm in my manual
chair because I was as tall as most of the
adults. THAT was major cool. Oh man, I
can't get over how nice it is to not be
at butt level! Another thing that was neat
was being able to see things better. For
example, we stopped and got some goodies
at a bakery booth, and I could easily see
the things displayed on the table. I could
also talk to the vendors without yelling
to them, and that was great. I wish I
could describe better what it was like.
I just don't have the words to explain how
wonderful it was.
Okay... after that we walked my daughter's
friend to her house. At one intersection
there was not a curb cut, so I put it in
4 wheel drive and I went down a curb! That
was neato. I didn't have to go looking
for a driveway or a different corner with
a curb cut.
So then we hung out in the driveway at my
daughter's friends house for a bit and I
went back into balance mode and I rocked
back and forth and I spun in circles. It
spins in a very tight circle when in Balance
Mode and I made myself dizzy. I kind of
felt like a little kid spinning in circles.
We headed for home after that. I showed
it off to some neighbors. One of my
neighbors really wanted to see me go up
and down stairs. I don't have the technique
down quite yet, so it was bumpier than it
should have been, but I did it. Here are a
few photos of me going up the neighbor's
front steps.
Here I am preparing to go up the first
step:
I know video would be nicer here, but I haven't
figured out how to upload a video yet. I will
soon though!
In this photo, you can see the tires in front
going up and over the back tires which then landed
on the first step.
And in this photo you can see the wheels have landed on
the first step.
I'll be going up a flight of stairs this evening and I'll have my
daughter do a video of it so I can post it tomorrow.
The following photos are in Balance Mode.
I do think the Balance Mode is my favorite feature.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
The need for the iBOT on Thursday
Hopefully things will go as planned and I will get my iBOT tomorrow. This is just in time for an "open house" in my daughter's classroom on Thursday. My daughter attends an old elementary school that does not have an elevator. Her classrooms have been on the main level up until this year, and so up until now, getting to her classroom hasn't been an issue. This year she is upstairs. Parents are invited to see the classroom, meet the teacher, hear about the curriculum, etc. sometime near the beginning of the school year... this year it will be on Thursday of this week. I'm so happy that I'll be able to go! Without the iBOT, I wouldn't. My daughter is really happy about it too. I just hope I get the stair climbing technique down by then because right now it still takes quite a bit of effort for me to do it. There is a technique and once I figure that out, it will require little effort on my part. I was
hoping my daughter's dad would be able to come and he could assist me if needed, but he has the flu! Isn't September early for the flu?
BTW, in case anyone who is reading this is thinking, "Why not just ask to have an elevator installed in the building?" The answer is, I tried that years ago. There's simply no money for that. Period. "Reasonable accomodation" does need to be made though. I could have asked that they move my daughter's classroom to the main level, but both the 5th grade teachers have been in their classrooms for years and I wasn't about to ask them to do that for me.
Which reminds me of something else I wanted to mention. Most people assume that every public place is wheelchair accessible. NOT TRUE at all! If I had a nickle for everytime someone has said to me when I question accessibilty, "Of course they're accessible! They have to be, it's the law!", I'd have enough money to buy two iBOTs. Or, at least dinner. For one. At Taco Bell.
hoping my daughter's dad would be able to come and he could assist me if needed, but he has the flu! Isn't September early for the flu?
BTW, in case anyone who is reading this is thinking, "Why not just ask to have an elevator installed in the building?" The answer is, I tried that years ago. There's simply no money for that. Period. "Reasonable accomodation" does need to be made though. I could have asked that they move my daughter's classroom to the main level, but both the 5th grade teachers have been in their classrooms for years and I wasn't about to ask them to do that for me.
Which reminds me of something else I wanted to mention. Most people assume that every public place is wheelchair accessible. NOT TRUE at all! If I had a nickle for everytime someone has said to me when I question accessibilty, "Of course they're accessible! They have to be, it's the law!", I'd have enough money to buy two iBOTs. Or, at least dinner. For one. At Taco Bell.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Is this really happening?
A person who I cannot thank enough has sold me his used
iBOT. I take delivery of it on Tuesday.
I am extremely lucky to be getting this iBOT. $24,000
(the cost of a new iBOT) is something I could not
swing. Due to not having the opportunity to use his iBOT
much at this point in his life, and wanting to see someone
getting a lot of use of it, he has sold me his iBOT...
at a price I can afford!
As far as I know, there are only about 400 people in the
world with an iBOT. The #1 reason for this is that
not a whole lot of people can afford to buy one.
Most insurance companies will not pay for one. Medicare
says it's a "luxury", and other insurance companies
follow what Medicare does. The iBOT is an amazing,
life changing chair. It sickens me that the only thing
standing between the chair and people who would benefit
greatly from using it is money.
The opportunity to purchase one used is very rare.
The one I am getting is only the second used one
to be sold. The other one was sold a few months
ago. It was sold on eBay. The reason that one was
sold was because the iBOT user died. (The iBOT was
not the cause of death!)
So like I said, I am feeling extremely lucky to be
getting this iBOT. It kind of feels like I'm about
to give birth! My gestation period has lasted
about 8 years. : D
I'm feeling rather anxious. I've wanted this
chair for such a long time and now I am only
days away from getting it. I'm trying to not
get too excited because I don't actually have
it. I haven't even seen it yet. I totally
trust the man who sold it to me sent it in
working condition, but I hope that it didn't
get broken in shipment. Please send good
vibes my way!
iBOT. I take delivery of it on Tuesday.
I am extremely lucky to be getting this iBOT. $24,000
(the cost of a new iBOT) is something I could not
swing. Due to not having the opportunity to use his iBOT
much at this point in his life, and wanting to see someone
getting a lot of use of it, he has sold me his iBOT...
at a price I can afford!
As far as I know, there are only about 400 people in the
world with an iBOT. The #1 reason for this is that
not a whole lot of people can afford to buy one.
Most insurance companies will not pay for one. Medicare
says it's a "luxury", and other insurance companies
follow what Medicare does. The iBOT is an amazing,
life changing chair. It sickens me that the only thing
standing between the chair and people who would benefit
greatly from using it is money.
The opportunity to purchase one used is very rare.
The one I am getting is only the second used one
to be sold. The other one was sold a few months
ago. It was sold on eBay. The reason that one was
sold was because the iBOT user died. (The iBOT was
not the cause of death!)
So like I said, I am feeling extremely lucky to be
getting this iBOT. It kind of feels like I'm about
to give birth! My gestation period has lasted
about 8 years. : D
I'm feeling rather anxious. I've wanted this
chair for such a long time and now I am only
days away from getting it. I'm trying to not
get too excited because I don't actually have
it. I haven't even seen it yet. I totally
trust the man who sold it to me sent it in
working condition, but I hope that it didn't
get broken in shipment. Please send good
vibes my way!
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