See you in Sydney

Hoping to meet some of you in Sydney, we will be on the Remarkable.org stand (S6) at the ATSA Independent Living Expo at Sydney Olympic Park on the 22nd 23rd. We will have a buggy (the intermediate as its the most commonly requested) laterals, pommel, lifting cushion and even pontoon stabilizers. This will allow you to see, and even try to see if the Getabout Buggy is right for you. We will also have some of the wall guards and maybe some other bits and pieces. so come and see us and the Remarkable people around us!

2 Sizes of Intermediate

We have seen a large number of requests for a second Intermediate buggy, with many small adults being close to the size of large Juniors, this led to a second set of floor and seat panels created, The backrest is 10cm higher (suits to about 170cm) . This seat is reinforced, as is the backrest, along with a stainless steel axle , 16” wheels and our new bearings for the special axle. We find that the intermediate is our best seller, but we have a wide variety of weights and sizes with some people being 40Kg and others 90..

The new intermediate is designed to be close to the standard adult width allowing the use of the lifting cushion, it also has the same reinforced armrests designed to be able to be used if you are doing a wheelchair to buggy transfer to make things far easier and really is due to the fact we have so many requests from adults than we ever anticipated. It all started with just a more flexible junior chair with supports but we have been so surprised by the number of adault chairs we sell along with the request for smaller adult chairs.

The Picture below was taken at a meeting and shows the New Intermediate designed for smaller adults that was the result of further discussions with a focus group and talk to many other people.

Giving you a light Lift!

One of the major issues for beach wheelchairs with a higher centre of gravity is that beaches are not flat, I have seen more than 1 occasion where a ‘beach chair’ has caused the person sitting in it to ‘faceplant’ or tip over. That was one of the major reasons we made the Getabout Buggy seat lower to the ground, its far more stable. This though makes it more difficult to transfer from a wheelchair to the Getabout buggy if you are heavier than a child (or dont have a transfer sling- which I certainly found was invaluable to have all the time). We initially were asked to look at integrating a bath lift into the rear of the buggy, but these can cost thousands of dollars- and more critically weigh 20-30Kg. This means that once you transfer the person into any beach wheelchair its just about impossible to move it!

We were asked to look for a solution, and having worked on it we have a lifting cushion that weighs less than 1Kg and will lift you to level with the armrests- making transfers in and out far easier. It pumps up with a 12/18V car tyre compressor- the one in the video is a Ryobi as it does high pressure and high volume, so one pump to inflate them all (yes corny lord of the rings joke) so it will do the balloon tyres, seat cushion and pontoons. As an advantage dont let it down all the way and you have an inflatable seat cushion to sit on. Ok its not the fastest with the Ryobi pump but it works and does it very well.

The use of the Getabout Buggy Transfer cushion to make getting in and out of the buggy and transferring from and to a wheelchair far easier and safer for everyone.

It can’t really be December already.

Well, its now December, after a crazy year the new buggies are now leaving, items that were on the list for a year or two down the line are now ready, we had guessed they were wanted but just believed that it was too difficult and expensive at this point. Its been a year of thinking differently and then using this to come up with very ‘out of the box’ solutions.

Itt was the fact we were releasing the Generation3 that made is push the requests forward, we hit an idea that would incorporate into it, and once started it just grew.

One photo sent to us stood out, and then a ‘field test’ gave us some further insights and made us revise an idea and bring it forward, that was the pontoon stabilizers and then the floats. Once we had the idea then it just seemed sensible to progress it forward so it was not just for small children.

In the water

Mark is here showing the new Version3 Junior Getabout Buggy, this is fitted with our water stabilizer kit. One of the problems with beach wheelchairs is they need special wheels to allow their use on soft sand, but the balloon wheels needed can allow it to float very easily, especially if hit by a wave side on. To help solve this we have inflatable beach stabilizers that can be fitted at the rear, these outriggers make the whole ‘craft’ much more stable if hit by a wave. They can be fitted front or rear, or even both and still allow you easy access to the person in the buggy. If you fit them front and rear then the whole buggy will float, and yes due to demand they can also be used on an Adult Getabout Buggy just as easily. pricing , with the adapters is $395 Pr. being inflatable the kit size is 10cm x 10cm x 1m and they need as low pressure pump to inflate. The outrigger bar is 3 piece and adjustable for length, and the adapter kits to fit to a buggy are universal for all 3 versions. You just need to tell us whether they are being fitted front or rear.

One size doesn’t fit all

I always found it strange that companies are told by marketing professional to create a personas, that being what their standard customer is to ensure any campaign is correctly targeted. I see the sense in it, but recently when asked I had no choice to but to reply in a rather vague way, “a parent or carer of someone with a disability” or “someone who wishes to be able to go to the beach and has difficulty walking on sand or uses a wheelchair”. I was asked their age, status, income, and a whole lot of other items. there is no simple answer.

When we initially designed the Junior Getabout Buggy it was to be simple and cheap, as usual life gets in the way. We found most people who called us had tried others, and had issues, many the same as we originally found with other equipment of it suited to one condition and not another. So we created a larger unit. Then we has so many requests we added the ability to fit laterals and hip guides as standard, then a pommel, then the adjustable foot plate… Then came the requests for a young adult who is almost 2m tall but weighs 40Kg, and then a smaller person weighing 60Kg. By his time it was more sensible for us to say 2 sizes (Junior and adult) and a couple of different widths (30 & 50cm) that both take all the same parts. It was the requests for smaller children that then became more interesting, ret using a small block cart on an uneven surface and it bucks everywhere and is unstable, so that brought about the capsule to reduce a junior to allow it to be comfortable for smaller people.

So when someone calls the first questions are height and weight, I tend to not ask age as that’s irrelevant, then its what are their special needs after all everyone is different and many of you already know what will work best and its finding out from you!

Can a Getabout Buggy suit smaller kids

One of the most common comments we hear is “ my child has very little strength in their body, so needs lots of support” so the first revision was to build in the ability to fit laterals, a pommel, hip guides, even a foot base, then design them and make them. We made them universal so they fit any of our buggies and are tough and waterproof.

Getabout Buggy with Laterals and hip guides fitted

soon people started asking “I have a young child who is small and has very little strength or control in their body”, so we tried making a smaller size Buggy. During testing we found it to not be as stable as we would have liked, and tended to get caught easily as you were going onto the beach, this was due to its shorter wheelbase and it not being so wide. The solution to this was “ The capsule” a smaller seat , legrest and footplate that simply makes a seating system for a small child, right down to a backrest to knee length of just over 20cm- so it will fit children who are not even a meter tall. As we also saw the smaller children loose strength fast if trying to hold themself in position we designed to take the laterals etc. The other advantage from this is not only are the accessories able to be used, but so is the buggy as they grow!

The capsule fits into position as you put it together, taking seconds to fit, and removes just as easily. it even allows the front to be used as a bag carrier

We know few other Beach Wheelchairs have this ability, and there is nothing to stop you converting it to off road use as well!

Junior Getabout Buggy with ‘The Capsule’ fitted for small children

Whats different:

The Getabout Buggy comes with Balloon Wheels, these are a very low pressure tyre with a 'big footprint' this means they don't sink into the sand like ordinary wheels. This means that you can use the Getabout Buggy without the need for a beach mat to get you down to the water, and once there just take it straight into the water. Its unique construction means it can just be washed over when you come out of the sea or pool.

Balloon wheels are not designed for use in parks or on roads but just for sand, however we have a kit that converts the Junior Getabout Buggy to allow it to be used in parks and trails in a couple of minutes, making it able to go just about anywhere.

For an adult chair the Balloon Wheels are larger 16” at the rear, however its not just the wheels that are different, the seat & backrest are reinforced, and the axles are stainless steel. But we will say that pushing on wet sand or a beach mat is very different to pushing on soft sand, and it may be sensible to push the handle at the rear while having someone pull on the pull cord/reigns. dont be surprised if for someone who is 70-80 kg you need 2 people on soft sand, however this changes as soon as you get to wet sand or a mat.

Kat, being reminded the sea is not so warm after a few years!

Considerations

We originally designed the Getabout Buggy due to wanting something for our daughter. To us it was normal to take her for a ‘walk’ down the seafront at Surfers, but we could not go on the beach as the chair just would bog immediately.

choosing a wheelchair is very personal, many people think its just a case of picking one up from the supplier and using it, but you soon become aware that in many cases you cant use it in its standard form. You may find that as the person gets tired they find it hard to sit up comfortably, or they slip to one side of the seat, it may be the feet start to cross over. All these conditions are taken into account when the chair is configured.

In our case we saw all of these, and then had the added issue of the frame from a spinal fusion, which meant that it was very easy for the skin to become damaged by pressure.

We thought ours to be an extreme case and made the Getabout initially without the options, as after all no one would need those things. After we launched it became more and more obvious that what we thought no-one would be interested in or need was in fact far more common than we thought. We then decided that as these items were commonly used with wheelchairs, why should they not be possible to fit on a Beach Chair. That was a major change in our thinking, first it was inclusion, allowing the whole family to go to the beach, rather than one person staying with the wheelchair user by the beach and the rest being on the beach which was our original aim.

So then came the change, to make simple to fit parts that fulfilled those needs and allowed far better seating capability and comfort. Its common that when you are on an uneven surface and being moved around that the muscles have to compensate more, and that means more energy is used, causing tiredness which just compounds the problem.

So when considering a beach chair, consider your wheelchair and what you need so you can ensure it is really suited to your needs.

A Change in the weather

Its nice to see the change in the weather, today a very respectable 25+ degrees, and hopefully those whose junior buggy arrived yesterday have just as good weather, and the new adaption kits mean that they really are suitable all year round. Our aim was to start with the Beach Getabout, then create adaption kits to allow them to be used in other areas. We also realised that what suits one person may not suit another, but one thing remains the same- the seating. To our mind this was critical, so many people have special seating needs that we wanted to ensure once seated comfortably in the ‘tub’ then things like wheels etc. can be altered to suit the conditions.

Getabout buggy with the reducer capsule fitted

Years ago we tried taking our daughter down to the beach and found that it was difficult, the pram bogging and catching, it soon became apparent that a smaller unit did not work well, it being prone to catching in uneven sand at the edges and tipping. But we also knew that the base needed to follow the childs smaller size, the capsule fixed that, fitting in in seconds and creating a smaller seat and base whilst still allowing the fitting of all the options like pommel and laterals, and when its outgrown, simply take it out and switch everything to your Junior Getabout Buggy.

The difference is now its not just a Beach wheelchair with this adaptability, but also can be used in the park or on a day out using the conversion kit, however that wont be where it stops, our aim is to make it possible for families to do things together, both safely and in a way that affordable.

How it all started

Why?

We had previously used a beach wheelchair with our daughter, but we found a number of issues even through it had been expensive. We soon realised that it really did not meet all our needs, it may be fine for some people but just like wheelchairs many children need special additions to make it easier for them to sit comfortably and reduce the strain- The Getabout Buggy was to solve those for us.

Background, how did we end up here?

I had worked in IT engineering design and service for many years, and over the last 15 years that had morphed into medical design and manufacture, even being an finalist in an international competition with a previous invention of mine. What had started as for our daughter suddenly made more sense, it seen by some OT’s who asked could it be productionised, and that was also part of my background, so we made a simpler version and released it.

After we launched the initial basic version that it hit me how many people had exactly the same issues we had, so we set around revising it to meet the needs of more complex care cases as we already knew that the whole family being able to safely go out together makes a huge difference for everyone, just making things easier and changing the way you feel. Its far easier to see this when you come from the end of designing for something you know and understand, as a father and full time carer then things are far clearer.

Our daughters condition changed over time, due to its degenerative nature we found ourselves modifying things so we could go out as a family, its far too easy to say its too complex and isolate yourself, or break the family into 2 separate groups, one staying at home the other going out. Our decision to try and include our daughter led us on a path that we as a company follow today.

Why should families not be able to include everyone, you may well be surprised at how much you can do and how often a smile from someone special can really change the way you see things.

Covid or Not Covid

After a few days enforced ‘locked in a room’ due to being thought to have come down with Covid, I found out that if you think you may have it- ensure you know between 9-5 between Monday & Thursday, dont make it 7pm on a Friday night as there is little testing you can get done without seeing a doctor first. Very few places that can do testing over a weekend. So Wednesday, after a few rough days - the results come back as a test and its….. Not Covid, not Flu but a Rhinovirus, or put simply a cold! I cant help feeling very stupid, but atleast I now know. Anyhow its allowed me more time talking and working on the final designs for the Adult Off-Road conversion, and some of the parts waited for are in (and a couple I have had for a while I have to re-find as they were not where I thought they were).

I wont go back to the workshop straight away, I don’t want to give anyone else there a cold, but should be back on Monday, however its not like there is nothing to do, so its getting things sorted and changing sketches to CAD drawings to allow them to be cut, and I must admit that its not uncommon to think you have it all sorted and then decide to start from scratch as there is something you don’t like. The Adult has been very much like that as we ended up making far greater changes than were required for the child, and some of the test parts we ended up trying half a dozen manufacturers before we found what we liked and knew would work well. However its going to be far easier to convert, to use, and has some features we were really unsure that could be done but now are definitely part of it.

Tangible Thoughts

It all started due to our daughter not being able to use her existing beach wheelchair due to her scoliosis, I decided to create one she could use, The original Getabout Buggy was seen by some of her therapists who asked if they could be made available… and we did, then we realised how many people wanted what we thought was only needed by Tara, laterals and a pommel, so in the end we just created what we needed and asked people who bought one what their needs were so added common items people wanted.

I also realised how much of the garage was taken up with with different versions of the same thing and thought should things should convert, saving both space and money.

This week we have released the first of the adaption kits for the Junior Getabout Buggy, making things easy for use in parks, paths and even the backyard. No more tipping wheelchairs because you have hit a rut or pothole.

We make them here in SEQ ourselves and are determined to keep things simple and affordable.

July 2022

Part 2.

Really much of what we do has been driven by the fact we could not find what we needed, I had been in IT and design for many (too many) years and found that I was frequently disappointed by products recommended to us, a sleep system to help positioning costing many thousands of dollars was left unused after the first month, quite simply we found a flannel sheet and many (yes they were already in the bedroom) soft teddybears actually worked better.

The problem was this was not infrequent, things purchased through the NDIS frequently were approved too late, and the item was no-longer able to do what it originally needed to do. We also spent a lot of time in and out of hospital, and could not fault the doctors and nurses, but the system is not designed for children and young adults with a disability who may be unable to tell people about their needs. It was a case of someone needed to be with her all the time. Too little notice is frequently taken of what parents know , specialists are frequently seen on atypical days and not all listen to what the parents are saying.

Likewise we learnt that things that we were told she should not do were the things she loved,being around animals, going on a slide or swing, a drive with all the car windows open. So we just worked on ways for her to be able to do things with the family, or that may make life more sensible and easier for everyone

Corner and door protectors

We used to frequently catch the wheelchair footplate on the walls and door, leaving unsightly marks in the wall. I got so fed up with it that I made some clear corner protectors, only a couple of millimeters thick and shaped to go around the edge. For the doors its a long strip designed to prtect and allow the door to slide over the footplate without marking.

Just like the corners they are cut and drilled on the laser, then have clear self adhesive fitted, you can choose which method to use to fit.

The laser is a wonderful tool, due to its computer control we can cut plastics and that very accurately, its also the main tool we use for prototyping allowing us to mock things up precisely before they actually reach the shop floor, it makes things far simpler to actually have things in your hands.