So if weight should not be the priority in choosing the right chair, what should the priority be?

Jeff Adams, president/CEO of Icon Wheelchairs and a wheelchair user himself, says, “The weight of the chair can be very important, but we strongly believe that it should be prioritized behind fit and configuration/geometry. The only time a pound or two makes a difference is in transport weight — when the chair is being lift ed/loaded.”

Ludovici listed several factors that should be examined: “Propulsion efficiency: How much effort will it take to push the chair around for 12 hours? Ride quality: Is the shock and vibration from riding the chair going to cause discomfort and fatigue? Ease of use: Do the armrests and wheel locks work for the user? Can they get close to things? Can they transfer from the chair? How easily can they get it in and out of their car?”

“To me the most important aspect is fit,” Anderson says. “A person’s wheelchair must be fitted correctly, like a wheeled prosthetic. Proper wheelchair selection and fitting must be focused on the individual and his or her specific characteristics. This should include the person’s clinical needs, lifestyle requirements and physical capabilities. So weight becomes a single aspect that should be considered among other important aspects leading to a well-selected wheelchair. Other important aspects are frame type (rigid/folding), frame style (monotube/dual tube), level of adjustability, frame material, and wheelchair options that optimize the wheelchair experience.”

Brent Hatch, director of product management, Sunrise Medical, says overall performance in multiple environments has been a key goal.

“We talked about weight being important, and it certainly is to someone who propels 2,000 to 4,000 times a day,” he says. “We’re also looking at how the chair and the seating system interact, how the user interacts with propulsion, the efficiency of the whole motion and how the chair rolls and performs in turning and in close environments — not just over a long haul of a thousand meters, but how does it work inside an office or a home? Performance goes to speed and light weight, but you also start to think of how people use the chair, and the most highly used function within a small environment. The stroke distance is oft en short: 10, 15, 20 feet. So how is the usability of the chair moving in and out of different areas?”

So if seating & mobility teams take frame weight out of the equation — assuming that the chairs being considered are of comparable weights — what criteria should they be using to make their decisions?

In addition to factors mentioned earlier, Anderson says, “The lifestyle part of selecting a chair is truly important. Chair selection starts with the person. Where do they live? What is the weather like — and I don’t mean making the chair 2″ wider to accommodate a winter coat! Do they commute to work or work from home? Do they have a car or a van? Are they active users that travel quite a bit, or are they more homebodies? The bottom line is how you select, sit and fit in the chair is the greatest predictor of performance, comfort and independence over the long term, and these processes must be centered around the needs of the person and his or her lifestyle, and then matching those needs with the chair selection process.”

“We believe other elements like adjustability and suspension are game changers,” Adams says. “Incorporating adjustable suspension in a way that doesn’t compromise efficiency, performance or weight makes the experience of using a wheelchair entirely different and takes ‘vibration management’ to the next level. It’s not about dropping into skate parks or going off foot-high curbs; it’s about cracks in the sidewalk and crossing over thresholds from one room to another.

“In average use, wheelchairs don’t achieve speeds high enough to create ‘vibration’ — that effect usually only happens in bicycles at speeds well in excess of any that could be safely achieved in an everyday wheelchair. Wheelchairs typically see one-time concussive forces — sometimes in rapid succession, but still not ‘vibration’ — which we believe are better managed with suspension rather than a frame material that amplifies vibrations less than others.”

Whelan points out that ongoing research on ultralights and the propulsion process (see sidebar) will ultimately enable engineers to continue to fine-tune and improve their creations.

“Weights will continue to drop, though not at the same rate,” he says. “A wheelchair is a mechanical system, and its performance refl ects the sum of the design, not just the choice of frame material. More research, new test methods, new manufacturing techniques and new materials will allow us to improve a wheelchair’s propulsion efficiency, ride quality and ease of use.”

Greig says that ultralight conversations at Sunrise Medical have been focused on “How do we ensure that someone using our products can continue to use our products for as long as possible? It’s a function of the chair, but it’s also a function of the seating system and how the seating system interacts with the chair. I’m not sure that’s what [consumers] are thinking.”

And in the engineering discussions of design and performance, manufacturers should also pay attention to the importance of social factors, two of our experts said.

“Color is very important to the pediatric consumers and the clinicians who provide care to them,” Adams says. “We haven’t offered color options to date because of the difficulty it presents in the manufacturing process, but we’ve recently reached an agreement with a custom powder-coating shop that will paint our chassis and front end in up to 16 colors, with more that can be added. We’ll officially launch our custom paint program in the late spring.”

“It’s not often mentioned,” Anderson says, “but I feel another very important lifestyle factor is self-image, and the chair you use can impact your self-image. If you look in the mirror and you look active and mobile, then you will feel active and mobile. No one is defined by their chair, but the chair — just like clothing — can infl uence the way you feel about yourself.

“Without us fully realizing it, our chairs can sometimes put up barriers. I believe that if you are using an older-style ultralightweight chair that closely resembles a hospital chair, then you will naturally feel more disabled. But if you’re using a chair that more closely resembles a bike or modern sculpture, then you will feel more empowered.”