UPnRIDE Robotics recently announced today that the FDA has cleared its robotic standing wheelchair for marketing and use in the U.S.
Yokneam, Israel-based UPnRIDE characterizes its eponymous device as the first smart and robotic mobility device to provide full functionality, both in standing and sitting positions.
“The approval of our UPnRIDE standing wheelchair is another very important milestone in our mission to offer health benefits and improved quality of life to millions of people suffering from walking impairments,” said Dr. Amit Goffer, founder and president of UPnRIDE Robotics, in a news release. “I have had a long-standing vision that all people confined to a wheelchair should have access to enhanced mobility and enjoy the many health benefits associated with the ability to perform everyday tasks in a standing position. With the introduction of UPnRIDE, this dream is becoming a reality.”
The company’s standing wheelchair is suitable for most wheelchair users, including paraplegics, quadriplegics, the elderly and people suffering from multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury and other conditions that limit physical movement, according to the company. Goffer, also the founder of ReWalk Robotics, is also a quadriplegic.
UPnRIDE Robotics will now develop a distribution and service center network in the U.S., according to company CEO Oren Tamari.
“By enabling upright mobility, UPnRIDE delivers numerous health, economic and societal benefits,” Tamari added. “It reduces the visibility of the disability, providing wheelchair users with a fresh, new perspective on the world, on themselves, and on life.”
A video of Goffer using UPnRide is available on the company’s website.