“Necessity is the mother of invention” – English proverb
In the case of Gregg Teaby, watching his daughter, who had suffered a stroke about 5 years ago which left her partially paralyzed on her left side and in need of a cane, the need was evident: help his daughter get around more easily. Canes and walkers require the user to lift up the device to displace it, and so for a brief time their balance is compromised. Once the cane is in its new location, the user can put their weight back on it. For those who do not have full control over their muscles, or whose motion is restricted, moving this apparatus might be a daunting task in itself, reducing its usefulness. The motion of someone using a cane is far from fluid.
Greg & Celeste
Gregg, a retired engineer, imagined a device which moved with the user and did not require additional unnecessary physical motion / stress, but was as lightweight and as small as possible. Hence, the “power cane”.
Gregg Teaby
Several prototypes were build and tested. The latest iteration uses the Lynxmotion 2″ tracks. When building the track system he noticed the sprockets did not make for a very smooth motion for the user and he took it upon himself to redesign them, using his 3D printer to create proof of concepts.
Gregg Teaby Power Cane Prototypes
Take a look at the video below. He has not commercialized the product yet, but is not in it for the money; he created the product to simply help his daughter and any others who have the same affliction / need.
Source: Koin 6 News & Gregg Teaby (via RobotShop)
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