Dusseldorf - Folding electronic carts and text-reading mobile phones are just some of the latest gadgets exhibited at the recent Rehacare Fair in Dusseldorf for the handicapped. Around 758 exhibitors from 30 countries attended the show.
First there's Luggie, a folding electronic cart intended as a travel aid. Folded, it's about as big as a suitcase and weighs 21.5 kilograms including batteries. Its patented mechanics allows the suitcase to unfold in seconds and turning into a cart with a maximum speed of 6.5 kilometres an hour and the capacity to climb grades of up to eight degrees.
Swiss producer FreeRider Corp hopes to start production in January and sell the Luggie for about 2,000 euros (2,663 dollars) each.
Meanwhile, Handy Tech presented its dictating mobile. Its knfb Reader software is a breakthrough in mobile text recognition for the blind and visually impaired. At the press of a button, printed text can be processed, recognized and read aloud.
There was also a "senior mouse" for visitors to try out. Unlike a standard mouse, a user's hand does not have to cover the mouse entirely and it does not have to be steady either. As the mouse is shaped like a bowl, it fits into the user's hand. It can compensate for shaking, keeping unintended movements from registering on the computer.
There was also the Martin Conquest 1150 from Funwheelz, a high performance tricycle for wheelchair users and winner of the Rehacare Design Award.
To use it, a person wheels his chair onto a ramp. At the press of a button, a locking device clicks in and the wheelchair disappears behind a shield. The tricycle has six gears, plus reverse. It has hydraulic, lever-operated disc brakes in the front and back.
