motorcylces for wheelchairs

i just realized i never posted this back from the abilities expo.  a motorcycle for the disabled?!?! it's like the batmobile. i'm absolutely terrified of motorcycles, and i actually despise them.  and although this is obviously very different than typical motorcycle you see, it is so amazingly awesome that this was made.  i just imagine maybe a person who was disabled because of a motorcycle accident, thinking they'd never be able to ride one again, and then they see this for the first time and all their hopes and dreams seem possible again! that is, if they have thousands and thousands of dollars at their disposal..

 technically i have no idea what kind of other devices are out there, or if there are other possibilities for the disabled riding motorcycles, but i don't care because this is just fantastic looking.  a ramp comes down the back and you roll right in (you can even see the backrest and handlebars of a wheelchair inside the bike above)

i wish i was badass (and rich) enough for these crazy contraptions

flexiciser

last sci painting of the week, from 2008. still pretty obsessed with it..

one last contraption we found at the expo was the flexiciser.  it's pretty awesome. i can stay in my wheelchair and exercise.  huge part of the reason i hate exercising is getting in and out of stupid machines.  i despise all the set up.  this would be perfect.  you just strap your feet in and go. once strapped in, you start the motor and it moves your legs for you. although you can apparently also get an upper body work out with it as well.  but here is the benefits from it:

"•Improve recovery time.

•Maintain muscles in paralyzed limbs

•Protect skin from pressure sores

•Gain greater control over bladder and bowel function.

•Promote muscle balance & coordination.

•Increase stamina and strength.

•Prevent atrophy

•Improve circulation: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary.

•Improve range of motion & joint flexibility.

•Promote digestion & colon health.

•Feel better and accomplish your daily activities."

http://flexiciser.com/

i think it's a pretty good one. like everything else i want, it's also very expensive.  why aren't i rich yet? check out this video to get a better look of what the marchine looks like and how it works.  i'm too lazy to look for a better video, but this one's short and gives you the idea.

blogger won't let me post this video for some reason, but if you're interested: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDXFp77juKQ

i still have more exciting stories and inventions to show from the expo.. just a few more.. next week (or whenever i feel like..)

3E Love

like my other posts this week, here's a random sci-related (mostly regarding pain) painting from 2006. 

more of the abilities expo! tim and i came across the 3E Love booth. we bought some apparel because we liked the symbol, and slapped on some sweet temporary tattoos. but we didn't even know what it was really all about or how it got started. of course i looked it up online when i got home.  here are our fake tattoos. we're romantic.

"3E Love is a disability awareness clothing line and marketing company founded in 2007 by siblings Annie and Stevie Hopkins and their family & friends. The mission of the company is simple; to create and market products and services that embrace living life no matter the obstacles, and by doing so, educate society and empower those with disabilities to love life."

"3E Love, LLC. and it's properties are the creation of the late Anne Hopkins (1984-2009), who as an advocate, entrepreneur, artist, and student, demonstrated what is possible when you love life. Anne's accomplishments in her academic, social, and family life were vast and will be remembered dearly, but her spirit and message can live on forever through the work she left for others to finish."

you can learn more about 3elove on their website http://www.3elove.com/, and i encourage you to read more about annie and the company, and also to buy lots of crap.  it's fantastic. when we got the fake tattoos, i kind of fell in love with the look of its simplicity on my skin and i am considering getting it permanently somewhere on my body.. i've been wanting to design a cooler "handicap" logo as a personal project but this is too perfect, and cuter than anything i would've come up with. although we didn't spend too much time at their booth, everyone, including founder stevie, seemed extremely nice and friendly. very cool company

handcycle

a 2007 sci-related drawing. to go with my sci-related post. close enough. i want a bike!

i really don't know much about these things, i don't know if there are different types or brands or anything at all....and seeing as there's little to no chance of me getting one any time soon, i don't really care.  what i do know is that i would kill for one right now.  last year's abilities expo was the first time i actually took a minute to check out a handcycle. although i was unwillingly forced to test one out, i ended up in love with it, and i've been wanting one ever since.  they are flat out fun to ride and a good source of some exercise. i've done the "arm bike" exercise crap that you put on a table top and just works your arms, but never a full bike that you ride and steer. i just keep picturing myself riding around the parks in hamilton on sunny breezy days. mmmm. and getting lots of obvious stares from moronic strangers, followed by me ramming them in the ankles and splitting their shins in two.... anyway! i didn't test drive one this year at the expo, but i did admire them from afar and long for them to be in my arms. the thing that bugs me the most is that if i were to get one, i would never be able to use it on my own terms.  i don't think i could physically take it out by myself, and i don't think i would even want to alone.. which means i'd have to rely on someone else to use it.. which means if they don't want to.. i'm screwed, and there goes a couple grand out the window, and a sad, sad kc. but that's besides the point. since my wheelchair is purple, i'd like my handcycle to be hot pink. i will be anxiously waiting for some sweet generous stranger to buy me one for my birthday in july. 

NuDrive

here is an old SCI related painting from 2006...just for the sake of showing art on an art blog.  but onto the more important part:

first and foremost.  both tim and i thought that this was the by far the coolest invention we saw at the abilities expo this weekend.  i will wait for one of my millions of generous readers to buy it for me now.  NuDrive. i tried it out at the expo show, holy crap. what a fun time. not only is it fun to use, it also "reduces the force needed to self-propell by up to 40%," "reduces the risk of shoulder degradation and injury by shifting shoulder loading," and what i didn't even realize till i checked it out online, it protects hands/wrists and improves hygiene.  i don't even want to know how dirty my hands are from pushing around all day and touching my wheels that touch the nastiest grounds (gross). it also is incredibly easy to attach and detach, to use, and seems easy to pick up on with enough practice. i want it. oh what a glorious day it would be to have a chair that's easier to push on stupid, annoying surfaces.  so check out the cheesetastic video below and see how this fantastic contraption works.

http://www.nu-drive.com/