Independent wheelchair driving with Ability Drive
Ability Drive, developed by Tolt Technologies and co-founded by Tracy Beavers and her Husband Jay, is an innovative wheelchair driving system that enables individuals with limited mobility to control and drive power wheelchairs using eye gaze commands. This technology offers increased independence and autonomy to its users. Ability Drive connects power wheelchairs and AAC, such as the Grid Pad. This method distinguishes Ability Drive from its competitors, allowing individuals who have no movement or limited control over their movements to gain control over their power chair solely by using their eyes. Truly putting eye gaze users in the driving seat for the first time. We recently learnt more from Tracy about Ability Drive and what she recommends for anyone who may be suitable for wheelchair driving using eye gaze. What is Ability Drive? “Ability Drive is a unique drive control interface that uses the front-facing and rear cameras on an AAC device to allow users to select buttons which directs and points their wheelchair where they want to go. Ability Drive is the bridge between the power wheelchair and a person’s eye gaze enabled AAC like the Grid Pad.” What does wheelchair driving with eye gaze mean for people with disabilities? “For people who are unable to move, Ability Drive can be life changing. Many people who can’t drive their power wheelchair can feel ‘stuck in a corner’. The ability to go for a stroll with a loved one, join a conversation, or take their dog for a walk, are all things users of Ability Drive have told us is important to them. For people with diseases like MND/ALS, being able to adjust their chair for comfort is paramount. With Ability Drive individuals can make those adjustments themselves, leading to increased comfort and reducing the reliance on a caregiver.” Earlier this year we updated Grid to make it easy for people using AAC to switch between communication and access to Ability Drive, to control their wheelchair. The front-facing eye gaze camera switches use between Grid and Ability Drive using the same calibration. Our team were able to test Ability Drive using a power wheelchair and Grid Pad at this year’s ATIA conference. “For families, access to independently move their wheelchair and travel means their loved ones can do things that they would not have been able to do before. Whatever someone’s goals might be, parents and families want to see their loved ones achieve them. Assistive technology can help make those goals reachable and improve someone’s quality of life.” Do you have any examples where Ability Drive has impacted a family? “One of the many examples is a husband-and-wife team, where the husband had ALS/MND. His wife felt she couldn’t leave him, even take a shower because he became so uncomfortable and needed his power wheelchair adjusted every couple of minutes. When he got Ability Drive they both felt a great deal of relief. He could adjust his positioning using eye gaze, to be more comfortable and to go where he wanted, when he wanted to.” Is wheelchair driving with eye gaze safe? “Yes, absolutely! Ability Drive is a combination of an app that runs on a Grid Pad and a hardware device that connects between the Grid Pad and the power wheelchairs alternative drive port. The Ability Drive hardware has a lot of safety features making sure the power wheelchair comes to a stop when it is supposed to. You can stop Ability Drive by closing your eyes for a slightly longer amount of time than a blink, looking away from the AAC device screen, or looking at a ‘stop button’ in the app to stop Ability Drive.” What’s your favourite thing about seeing someone successfully use wheelchair driving for the first time? “The realization that it is easy to use, most people are successfully navigating a chair in under a minute. Second is the realization that they can control where they are going or adjust their power chair for comfort, with greater autonomy.” How did you find the Lumin-i eye gaze camera for wheelchair driving? “Lumin-i is EXCELLENT! One of the main questions we get is ‘how does Ability Drive work outside’. Our response is always ‘as good as the eye gaze camera works outside’! We took a power chair out with Lumin-i for a test drive at 2pm in the Florida sunshine, and it worked flawlessly.” What would you say to someone if they weren’t sure about wheelchair driving with eye gaze? “Just try it! A lot of folks have reservations until they give it a try and see how easy it is to use.” Tolt Technologies work with a variety of distributers who support users to try Ability Drive, with AAC devices and eye gaze. Find out more by visiting www.tolt.tech Join in with the conversation and share how you use assistive technology for communication and independence.
What does wheelchair driving mean for families who care for someone with a disability?
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