The wheelchair is meant to keep people struggling with sickness or injury from being completely immobile. Yet for all the good the wheelchair does, its design has remained unchanged for decades, and it is certainly not the picture of comfort.
Movi Medical has developed two new kinds of wheelchairs designed to be a comfortable sitting surface as well as a mobility solution for those that need it. With a host of ergonomic improvements, the Movi Transport Chairs are easier on the patient and anyone responsible for helping the patient move, from hospital staff to friends and family. The curving shape of the Movi seat is easier on the spine, and the improvements made to the footrests make standing up out of the chair not only easier, but less hazardous. The chair leans up and forward, putting the footrests flat onto the floor, making it easy to step off and out of the Movi.
The Movi M2, a slightly more deluxe chair, features padded armrests, storage compartments on the sides of the wheelchair, and an adjustable headrest designed to create an experience that is just as much about comfort as it is mobility. Movi Medical has partnerships lined up with hospitals and medical companies already, but is looking for $50,000 in orders to show an interest in home buyers for their products. The base M1 Movi chair costs $2,395 and will be delivered by the end of the year.
When one first looks at a Movi Transport Chair, it’s actually a little insulting that the base design of wheelchairs has gone unchanged for so long. Movi chairs emphasize patient comfort as much as their ability to get around, and anyone who has had to sit in a wheelchair for even a couple of hours can appreciate that. It’s a niche buyer’s market, but it’s a product worth supporting.