Stair-Climbing Wheelchair Gets FDA's OK
From: Yahoo News - 08/13/2003
By: Lauran Neergaard

Stairs are about to become less of an obstacle for some of the nation's 2
million wheelchair users. 

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a wheelchair that
literally can go up and down steps - as well as shift into four-wheel drive
for grassy hills and elevate its occupant to standing height.  

Called the iBOT Mobility System, the wheelchair uses sensors and gyroscopes
to navigate stairs while balancing on two wheels. Doctors have said the
technology is potentially revolutionary. But it is so complex that the FDA
decided the wheelchair will require a doctor's prescription and special
training to drive.  

The iBOT costs $29,000, less than some top-of-the-line models for the
severely impaired but far more than basic wheelchairs. The maker, Johnson &
Johnson subsidiary Independence Technology, is negotiating with Medicare and
other insurers but could not say Wednesday if payment to users was likely.  

Sales will begin by year's end, a J&J spokesman said.  

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=8&u=/ap/20030814/ap_on_he_me/stair_climbing_wheelchair_4