Automated, Low-Shear Personal Transfer System for Wheelchair Users
This invention is a revolutionary, coordinated system of a specialized rollable chair and a compatible bed designed to fully automate patient transfer. Its most significant advantage is its ability to facilitate independent, low-effort transfers while dramatically reducing the risk of injury for both the patient and caregivers.
Description
The system operates through highly synchronized motions between the rollable chair (e.g., a retrofitted powered wheelchair) and a patient-care bed, allowing for seamless transfers on a horizontal plane. The core innovative component is the chair's seat frame, which is powered by a single actuator to follow a track with a curvilinear path (such as a J-shape), producing both the necessary translation and rotation of the seat. This motion is coordinated with the bed, which includes a patient-conveying surface. The system automatically performs the transfer by moving the patient's legs onto the bed while minimizing the forces that cause skin shear. A key feature is the flexible chair-receiving frame on the bed, which is designed to securely dock the rollable chair from virtually any angle of approach, simplifying the alignment process for the user or attendant. The combination of a uniquely moving chair and a synchronously rotating bed platform ensures a safe, efficient, and dignified transfer experience.Applications
- Long-term care and nursing facilities seeking to implement safe patient handling protocols and reduce staff injuries.- Homecare environments for users of electric powered wheelchairs (EPWs) who require daily transfers.
- Acute care hospitals, especially in departments requiring frequent patient repositioning or for handling bariatric patients.
- Rehabilitation centers focusing on maximizing patient functional independence.
- Retrofit market for adapting existing Group 2 Electric Powered Wheelchairs.
Advantages
- Enables independent transfers, significantly boosting user autonomy and maintaining dignity.- Minimizes caregiver effort and involvement, reducing the time required for transfers and preventing acute and cumulative lifting injuries.
- Ensures a safe, low-shear transfer through the coordinated, synchronized motion between the chair and the bed.
- Features a flexible docking system that accommodates the rollable chair from nearly any approach angle, simplifying the setup.
- The bed is designed to be compatible with a wide variety of mattresses, including therapeutic pressure redistribution systems.