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Anyone here use a power wheelchair and have looked into robotics?
I’m working on a project to help power chair users with limited upper limb mobility do more things on their own — like picking up dropped items or grabbing things around the house — without needing to rely on a caregiver.
I know tools like robotic arms already exist, but they don’t seem to be very popular, and I want to understand why?
I don’t want to assume people actually want something like this — or that they’d use it if it’s too slow or annoying.
If you use a power wheelchair (or help someone who does), you’ll know way more about this than I do — and I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts.
Totally fine to reply here — but if you’re open to a 10-minute chat, I’d be super grateful.
– How do you complete tasks like drinking, opening doors or fetching items?– Have you tried any tools or devices to help? What worked or didn’t?
– What would make something like that actually worth using?
– Have you tried or looked into something like Jaco or iArm, and if not, why not?
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10 Replies
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In an ideal world, I’d love a Jaco. But my insurance won’t cover it.
It’s as simple as that. The problem is not the existing tech, but the systems for accessing it.
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Thanks for the response Micaela! Why won’t insurance cover it? Is there a certain price point where you find it gets a lot more difficult to get coverage or does it more depend on the type of device it is?
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I’m not sure anyone here can account for the nonsensical logic of insurance companies. Mine, for example, covered a $30k wheelchair, but not a $12k Obi (<font face=”inherit”>https://meetobi.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopvvO541_prDxcUobbp1LOzzOrr8pAc9LS0WvwVnICCqH6JZgJp</font>). I can speculate that the Obi was not considered a basic need, or that it is too new/not mainstream, or that insurance only covers tech that can’t be replaced by a caregiver, but really I have no idea.
meetobi.com
Meet Obi: the Adaptive Eating Device - Eat Independently!
Obi is a revolutionary adaptive eating device for individuals with upper extremity strength and mobility limitations. Independent eating is possible!
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So, I use a power wheelchair but have not pursued any form of robotics up to this point. But, as far as insurance, they are in the usual business of denying first, especially for unique or expensive DME, thus forcing you to justify it via an appeal. And it’s not so much that they approved the $30k wheelchair and then denied the $12K OBI, but many of them follow the approved devices or features established by Medicare and Medicaid. So, features on a power wheelchair such as elevator seat or standing options are very often denied because they are not “approved” by the government. Some of these options are now at least being considered, but don’t expect much, if anything, and not quickly. The reforms being considered will reduce funding further for these programs and if that happens, you can almost certainly anticipate further decreases in funding support for Medicare and Medicaid, which means many if not most private insurance companies will not be expanding DME coverage. It’s a mess and unfortunate as it directly affects quality of life and independence for us and so many within our community.
Additional annoyances for me are knowing that military folks with federal insurance through DoD, whether or not they were ever active duty, can get a new power wheelchair – no questions asked – every year. A far cry from those of us whose experience is more along the lines of every 5 or 6 years, chair falling apart, and then needing a justification based on how much it would cost to repair vs. replace with new. And that is in no way a knock or attack on the military and the many sacrifices they’ve made.
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Thanks, Mike, that’s really helpful! What’s weird to me is that my wheelchair did have an elevator and a standing function, which were both approved from the start. I’m not complaining, it just seems random that I could get those, but not any kind of robotic arm.
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Completely understand the apparent disconnect or lack of reasoning by insurance companies. I’m a type 3 and started using a power wheelchair for the first time in 2015. It took 9 months to get approved, with initial denials stating, “not medically necessary”. Seriously. I did get an elevator seat on that first chair, but no standing option. When I needed to replace that chair, the elevator had stopped working and my insurance refused to pay to repair it. My new chair took another 6 or 7 months to acquire in 2022 even though my insurance allowed for DME to be replaced after 5 years. It was still a Sisyphean task. I was able to get an elevator seat, but had to pay for anterior tilt (nowhere near complete standing, more like maybe 30%). But the elevator seat required multiple rounds of denial/appeal/denial/appeal with my neurologist at Hopkins.
So, a lot of this depends on your insurance company or how your diagnosis is documented on the submission. So, they look at a robotic arm and think, “no way we’re going to agree to paying for that”. Once they start doing that, it’s harder for them to subsequently deny additional requests for coverage.
This whole insurance denial as the guiding principle is frustrating and one of my real concerns of the new treatment of myostatin inhibitors currently under FDA review with an expected approval this fall. This treatment is most beneficial in conjunction with either Spinraza or Evrysdi per Scholar Rock’s studies. This treatment will augment those other treatments, but I have no doubt that it will be a huge battle with insurance. The challenge is further complicated in that Spinraza is considered a medical treatment and thus covered under medical insurance. Evrysdi is covered under prescription plans. Depending on whether the myostatin inhibitor, which requires a monthly infusion, is considered medical or prescription will potentially prove even more challenging based on your current treatment plan.
And further on the horizon will be the whole gene editing or CRISPR treatments. A lot to be thankful for in the potential treatment options already available and those coming down the pipeline, but the whole affordability and insurance coverage is a huge unknown.
We’ll get there, but the hoops will be there to hop through.
Sorry, I got into a bit of a rant there, but there are many good things, and most of those will be fought with outright resistance from the insurance companies, whether at the private, state, or federal levels.
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Makes complete sense, thanks for the detailed response! What stopped you from looking into robotics, was it a lack of need or something else?
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Yes…I have been looking into an exoskeleton robotic arm braces for years. Until recently, insurance would not cover any of them , so in frustration, I bought myself a 3D printer, am teaching myself some basic electronics and already know how to program …so am trying to build one myself. Sadly, I was expecting a lot more enthusiastic support and help from others and instead I just got a lot of negativity…so I haven’t been posting my progress. Now that I am finally making some positive leaps, everyone seems to be trying to convince me to give up my work and simply go for the MyPro which insurance covers. My design plans will be free to download. I sure could use some help and support …especially from any novice electrical or mechanical engineers or any programmers familiar with arduino.
My project : https://darkrubymoon.blogspot.com/search?q=Amped
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Out of my element on this, but that is absolutely fantastic!
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That’s awesome! Really cool to see that more people are getting into building robotics! What made you decide on an arm brace rather than something like a Jaco or iArm?
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