Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Device Designed for Special Forces Commandos allows Quadraplegics to Get Outdoors


The leading Agilite device, knows as the “Human Backpack” origionally designed for evacuating wounded soldiers gives disabled people worldwide new found mobility

A device created by leading Israeli/American tactical and rescue gear company Agilite that allows soldiers to carry an injured comrade on their backs has accidentally found an entirely new market sector. Nicknamed the “Human Backpack", the Injured Personnel Carrier or IPC (see video here) is the brainchild of Israeli/American firm Agilite.

“When our IPC was being bought by individuals across the world we weren’t entirely sure why. We put out an email to our customers asking why they’d bought it and we were astounded by the results. From Quadraplegics to a Danish teenager using it to carry his epileptic friend when he suffers an attack, we realised that in many cases it was civilian care-givers buying it to make disabled people’s lives easier.” Said Elie Isaacson, Director of Strategic Development at Agilite.

The IPC is being used to enable disabled people to reach higher levels of activity in the outdoors. Dieter Marzinger, a quadraplegic C4/5 from South Africa described the experience of being safely underwater in a pool again as a feeling of “zero gravity.”

At the same time the IPC was being bought by the US Marines and British Special Forces, this device was also being used to take disabled children hiking for the first time and allow others the ability to be taken up and down stairs and into swimming pools more easily. “We designed it to save lives in life or death situations but were delighted to find out that it can improve diabled peoples’ quality of life too.” Says Isaacson. The IPC also provides the capability of evacuating senior citizens from a fire in a retirement home or hospital when elevators are not in use.

The firm, which primarly designs and manufactures equipment for military, law enforcement and rescue companies would be honored and delighted to custom-adapt or custom design mobility equipment specifically for disabled people.

http://www.mdtmag.com/news/2012/10/device-designed-special-forces-commandos-allows-quadraplegics-get-outdoors

 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.