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Technology November 2015

SmartDrive MX2 – Power Assist for Regular Wheelchairs

By Bill Siuru

The SmartDrive is much like a cruise control on a car, but you set the speed by the speed of your push. You turn using the push rims, just like you would turn an unpowered wheelchair while going downhill.

The typical wheelchair user pushes on the rim wheels 2000-3000 times daily. This can result in shoulder and wrist pain. Indeed, more than half of manual wheelchair users develop repetitive-use shoulder pain. Pushing a wheelchair over thick carpet or up ramps and hills can be especially tiring and even impossible for some. Other people don't have the stamina to use a manual wheelchair. The usual solution is a heavy and bulky battery-powered wheelchair.

Now, there is an alternative, the SmartDrive MX2 from Max Mobility. The lightweight SmartDrive MX2 (only 12.5 pounds) easily attaches to a hitch on back of a conventional wheelchair. The SmartDrive fits on almost any wheelchair, including folding wheelchairs.

The SmartDrive uses a 250 Watt brushless DC motor and a 36 Volt, 3.4 ampere-hour LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) battery that provides an average range of 12 miles. Top speed is 5.5 mph.

You control the SmartDrive like a manual wheelchair, not like a power wheelchair. Using the SmartDrive is easily learned since control is via the rim wheel. You push to go and tap brake to stop. A single push will begin moving the wheelchair forward. Once the wheelchair is moving at the desired speed, the SmartDrive will keep it moving at that speed without additional pushes. To go slow, push slow. To go fast, push fast. The SmartDrive is much like a cruise control on a car, but you set the speed by the speed of your push. You turn using the push rims, just like you would turn an unpowered wheelchair while going downhill.

Alternatively, there is a power boost function. When you press and hold down the on/off button, the SmartDrive will begin to accelerate without the need for the user to provide a “push” using the hand rims. This power assist allows the user to propel up a ramp or other inclined surface.

The SmartDrive is surprisingly powerful. You can cruise up the steepest ramps and sidewalks. Even a thick padded hotel carpet is no problem. The SmartDrive has an anti-rollback feature that lets you stop on a hill and then easily get going again. You can even spin on the spot, pop a wheelie, or launch off curbs.

Since a regular wheelchair is used, you can still carry it inside your vehicle or in the trunk of a car. While the SmartDrive is rather expensive –  estimated $6000 –  it is quite competitive to the cost of a power wheelchair and modification of a vehicle to carry it, or even cost of a special mobility van.

Max Mobility has received FDA approval for the SmartDrive and it is likely covered by your insurance, including Medicare, the VA, Workers Comp, and most private insurance. You will need to get a prescription for the SmartDrive from your doctor or therapist. The company has sample Letters of Medical Necessity (LMN) to help with funding on their website. (www.max-mobility.com). There are also videos that show the SmartDrive in action and a flyer you can print out to show your doctor.

Your insurance will not cover preventative medicine, so you need to qualify based on a condition that limits your independent mobility. There are many ways to qualify, including: pain in your shoulders or wrists, easily fatigued by pushing, difficulty pushing over carpet, or difficulty pushing up ramps or hills.

The SmartDrive essentially makes a manual wheelchair behave like a power wheelchair. For this reason, individuals with cognitive limitations and/or visual impairments may not be able to use the device safely. With this in mind, an individual using this device must be able to demonstrate the ability to steer, slow and stop the device as needed during normal use.

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