CHAMPAIGN — Champaign-based IntelliWheels Inc. has received a $1.5 million grant to design multispeed geared wheels that will help wheelchair users get around easier. IntelliWheels' proposed "i" series of products would give wheelchair users the option to shift into high and low gears, giving them the ability to independently maneuver themselves over hills, uneven surfaces and longer distances. "Even though it's an ambitious goal, we hope to have something that will hit the market in two years," said company co-founder Marissa Siero. The grant is a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant through the National Institutes of Health. The support will enable IntelliWheels to work with researchers from the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on how the innovation affects the joints of users — specifically, whether it decreases joint stress and pain. Collaborating with them will be TiLite, an ultralight wheelchair manufacturer in Pasco, Wash.
Founded in 2010, IntelliWheels already has one product on the market — the X2, a set of single-gear wheels that wheelchair users can buy from durable medical equipment dealers or through the Intelli-Wheels website. The set of wheels sells for $495. Those wheels "make it twice as easy for them to push themselves forward and backward," Siero said, noting that the lower gear makes use of a 2-to-1 gear ratio. "If someone is struggling to push themselves, this allows them more independence, going uphill, over carpet and over thresholds in a house," she said. The new product to be developed "will transform the functionality of a manual wheelchair by having a lightweight dynamic solution," Siero said. Using the multi-speed geared wheels, "wheelchair users can do more than they ever have before," she said. "They can increase the speed at which they choose to travel, allowing them to go further distances. Plus, they can shift into low gear so they can go over grass and (traverse) different environments."
IntelliWheels President Scott Daigle, also a co-founder of the company, said he hopes to develop a wheel under 5 pounds with multiple speeds and quick release from the frame. If IntelliWheels can do that, the set of wheels would weigh less than 10 pounds. The company plans to use the expertise of the UI's Human Dynamics and Controls Laboratory to develop a force- and moment-sensing hand rim during the first year of the grant. During the second year, the lab would help analyze joint biomechanics to determine whether the device reduces the load on joints. Meanwhile, at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a team in the Rehabilitation Innovation Motion Analysis Lab will work with wheelchair users, in hopes of determining whether a reduction in hand-rim force leads to decreases in joint pain. The lab plans to recruit 15 veterans with spinal cord injuries from the Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee to see whether geared wheels make manual wheelchairs easier for users to push.
TiLite's role in the project will be contributing to engineering and design and to product testing. IntelliWheels, initially a student start-up at the UI, employs five. The staff works from an office in EnterpriseWorks in the UI Research Park in Champaign and from shipping, assembly and development space in the Rantoul business incubator. Siero said the grant will enable the hiring of two more engineers — a mechanical engineer and an electrical engineer. She said the existing X2 product has been well-received by dealers, and awareness of it is just beginning to build. She said the product has been promoted through the durable medical equipment industry, with physical therapists and rehabilitation nurses who work to keep patients active and through regional magazines geared to older adults. "We're proud, happy and excited to take the next step with the company," Daigle said. "What this grant allows us to do is get out and develop the best devices available for those who use wheelchairs — and for the time and expertise required to get to that point."
Federal and state programs help individuals and organizations purchase handicap vans. Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images Only a limited number of government grant programs offer funding for handicap vans. Federal government programs typically only provide this type of funding for organizations serving disabled individuals and for military veterans. Certain states offer financing programs to help the disabled purchase vans or install assistive equipment, such as lifts or hand controls. Other funding options include rebate programs offered by automobile manufacturers to pay for assistive equipment, and grant programs sponsored by nonprofit organizations. Grants for Organizations The Transportation for Elderly Person and Persons with Disabilities program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, helps support organizations that provide services, including transportation, to the disabled and to senior citizens. The program awards funds to states, which make subgrants to nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
Grantees can use funds to pay for capital expenses associated with transporting disabled and elderly people in geographic areas that do not have sufficient transportation services to accommodate their needs. Veterans Grants Disabled U.S. Armed Forces veterans may qualify for grants offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA offers grants to veterans who become disabled due to disease or injury associated with their military service, or who become disabled as a result of therapy, rehabilitation or medical treatments provided by the VA. As of 2011, qualified veterans can receive a maximum of $11,000 to purchase a handicap van. For vehicle purchases, the VA pays funds to the automobile seller and does not grant funds directly to the veteran. Disabled veterans may also qualify for VA grants to fund vehicle modifications, such as special assistive equipment or power seats, windows, brakes or steering. Veterans can receive more than one grant for vehicle modifications, and the VA pays funds either directly to the veteran or to the equipment seller.
State Financing Programs Numerous state programs offer financing for purchasing handicap vans or modifying vehicles for disabled drivers or passengers. For example, the state of Oklahoma offers the Alternative Financing Program through its Assistive Technology Foundation. The program offers loan guarantees and direct loans through BancFirst of Stillwater. As of 2011, borrowers can receive loans at a 6 percent interest rate, with repayment terms of up to five years, to pay for vehicle or home modifications. Candidates who do not qualify for a direct loan from BancFirst may qualify for a guaranteed loan with backing from the foundation. Other Options Other options for the purchase or modification of a handicap van include rebates offered by automobile manufactures and grant programs sponsored by nonprofit organizations. Volkswagen of America sponsors the Mobility Access Program, which offers a maximum of $1,000, as of 2011, to help offset the purchase of assistive equipment, such as hand controls and lift equipment.