Pushin' On: UAB Spinal Cord Injury Model System Digital Newsletter Volume 33 | Number 2 | Page 4

TECHNOLOGY WATCH
BraunAbility Wheelchair Accessible SUV
If you think those wheelchair accessible vans are a bit
too sour for your taste, the BraunAbility MXV™ may taste
a lot sweeter.
For the first time, wheelchair users can have
BraunAbility quality built into a vehicle that’s not a
minivan. Built on the Ford Explorer, the new MXV is a
wheelchair accessible SUV that personifies action and
independence.
The BraunAbility MXV™ holds four patent-pending
features, including a glide-out door operation and a
space-saving sliding shifter. BraunAbility’s dependable
in-floor ramp technology maximizes interior space and
removable driver and passenger seating offers flexibility
for power and manual wheelchairs. Better yet – there is
finally a mobility vehicle equipped with a tow package!

Visit BraunAbility website for more information.

Lillypad Scale for Wheelchair Users

Have you ever tried to find a scale that is wheelchair
accessible? Good luck. Your doctor’s office probably
does not have one. So how are you supposed to keep
track of your weight and know if that diet is working?
The Lilypad Scale is the first home scale for wheelchair
users with practicality in mind.
The Lilypad Scale comes with four weighing pads (AA
Batteries included) that can be arranged to fit any manual
wheelchair’s wheel and caster settings. There is a thin
rubber mat (36”x42”x1”) to hold the pads in place.
The entire wheelchair scale weighs only 7 pounds,
which makes the lightest home wheelchair scale
available. It is easy to fold up (18”x21”x3”) for storage
and light weight enough to take it anywhere on the go.
When you want to use it, you just roll it out and roll your
wheelchair on it.

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So where is the weight
readout?
The scale works via
Bluetooth 4.0 connection
to the free Lilypad app on
a smartphone or tablet,
allowing users to easily read
their weight while using the scale.
The app offers two other key features.
1. Store wheelchair weight: You can store the weight
of your chair the first time you use the Lilypad
scale, or the user can input the known weight of
the wheelchair. Then, the app can automatically
subtract your wheelchair weight to give your body
weight.
2. Graph your weight: Weights measured by the
Lilypad scale can currently be sent automatically
to the Apple Health app, where the weights are
recorded and graphed. Weight recording and
graphing through the Google Fit app in Android is
coming soon.
At about $600, the Lilypad Scale is not necessarily
cheap, but it costs much less than other wheelchair
scales designed for home use. If you also consider it
is much more compact and portable than others, the
Lilypad Scale might be a great investment in your health.
The current weight capacity for the Lilypad scale is 400
pounds. There is another scale for power wheelchair and
scooter users planned for the future.
Go to the Lilypad Scales website