Revolutionizing the One-Arm Drive
Finding the right wheelchair is imperative, and for individuals with limited upper-body mobility, a reliable chair can be even more difficult to find. A traditional manual wheelchair could leave someone spinning in circles — metaphorically and literally.
A traditional wheelchair is propelled by the user, who manually turns both wheels in order to push forward. To steer, the driver applies more pressure to one wheel than the other; with more pressure on the right wheel, the chair will steer to the left, and vice versa. Alternatively, an individual could pull the right wheel and push the left, and the chair will turn to the right.
So what does one do if they can’t steer both wheels? Applying pressure to only one wheel will keep the chair turning in place, hardly moving forward, if at all.
Fortunately, plenty of one-arm drive options are available, from manual attachments to powered wheelchairs and more. These options bring great benefits along with them, but they also bring extra baggage.
A popular one-arm drive mechanism is the double hand rim, which attaches to the chair and includes two hand rims on one side. While this helps ease the issues of navigating and turning, the attachment also adds several inches on either side of the chair. This additional width can make hallways, doorways, and sharper turns less certain and more challenging.
One-arm driving can also be accomplished with an added lever function. In these cases, the lever attached to the front of the chair connects to the wheels in the back, and the driver uses the cane to move forward or backward. The cane can also exist in a neutral space for when the wheelchair is being pushed. The mechanical powering at a higher, less natural height, however, can cause tiredness in the driving arm with repeated or extended use.
Troy Technologies is revolutionizing the one-arm drive with our FLUX chairs. The FLUX brand is naturally designed with comfort and convenience in mind, with models that encourage the driver to keep one foot on the ground, easily correcting the directional inconsistencies brought on by one-armed chair management. No attachments, motors, extra rims, or additional parts are required.
The only power your steering needs is one hand and one foot.
With the FLUX chair, a wheelchair user can choose from travel and daily use lines and settle into an unencumbered chair. Narrow doorways and turns of any sharpness or mildness need not be a pain point. Drive your chair with one arm and one foot with no extra weight or bulk. Even our motorized FLUX KZI remains compact, nimble, and ergonomic to help you operate with one arm without requiring any extra accommodation.
Troy Technologies’ chairs are lightweight and compact, and the FLUX models are designed for your comfort and empowerment. The Travel and Daily Living chairs are available in seven models, each customizable for your ideal seat width, wheel size, color, and more.
Troy Technologies is committed to bringing dynamic and contemporary flexibility to your chair. The FLUX wheelchair comes in a variety of models to increase maneuverability for those with one hand and one foot. Contact us today to learn more about our dynamic wheelchairs!