Remap Awards 2019 image

National charity Remap has celebrated seven assistive technology solutions at its 2019 awards event, highlighting bespoke solutions that have transformed the lives of disabled people.

Working through local groups of skilled volunteers, Remap helps disabled people by giving them more independence through the design of equipment to meet their specific, individual needs.

At the Remap Awards 2019, seven ingenious solutions were awarded, including a posture-correcting pressure sensor, portable guide rails and a wheelchair turntable system.

The first award went to an innovative speech amplifier for a 4-year-old boy with vocal cord palsy. Previously, he could only speak with a very quiet voice due to a paralysed vocal cord, but the speech amplifier – which consists of a small speaker and head microphone – now ensures he can be heard with ease by his family, friends and school teachers.

In addition, a posture-correcting pressure sensor won an award for helping alert a woman with cerebral palsy when she was leaning too much on her left arm, reminding her to readjust her posture and reduce pressure on her left shoulder.

Also amongst the award winners was a detachable chariot with independent brakes to attach to a 15-year-old boy’s trike, providing him the opportunity to give a lift to passengers. The concept for the design is that if the boy is travelling too fast, the passenger in the chariot is able to control the speed of his trike through the braking system.

Lightweight, portable guide rails to help visually impaired bowlers find the right lane whilst bowling also won an award at the charity’s annual event.

Helping an avid bird-watcher – who had lost the use of her right hand due to an aneurysm – look through a pair of binoculars, a lightweight device to hold the binoculars steady in front of her eyes also won an award at the Remap Awards 2019.

Amongst the devices was a wheelchair turntable system that enabled wheelchair to user to get around a tight, narrow corner in his home. The difficult corner is situated at the entrance of the man’s home, meaning he previously could not get out and about due to his wheelchair being unable to get around the corner. Now, the wheelchair turntable has given him his quality of life back as he can go outside again.

The final award went to a solution that helped a man with motor neurone disease keep his head upright. The device supports his head through combining a strap, which runs down to a trouser belt, with a baseball cap to help the man maintain a good head position.

AT TODAY UPDATES
Over 7,000 healthcare professionals stay informed about the latest assistive technology with AT Today. Do you?
We respect your privacy