iDrive and Loonz

A head support is mainly used to support the occipital or sub occipital part of the head and is a positioning device. It helps promote feeding, digestion, swallowing, breathing, and eye contact, by holding and positioning the head in midline. Some head supports act as head rests for the occipital area, while supporting the sub occipital area of the head.

The i-Drive drive control system can convert most head supports into controls to drive a power wheelchair.

Tri-Array (I-Drive within the Combo Head Support)

Designed within the Combo head positioning system, the Tri-Array provides great comfort and support, and comes with two or three proximity sensors and an optional egg switch for mode change/reset. The Tri-Array is a good choice for drive control combined with head support. The Tri-Array has a sleek and clean design, with very few exposed wires, making it unobtrusive and simple to use.

Comfort Plus and Adjustable Comfort Plus Head Support

Comfort Plus is essential for those clients who have some degree of head control, but need a cushioned support to catch their head when their chair is tilted, or reclined. The Comfort Plus is made up of double layered foam, which provides excellent comfort and cushioning and support to the area of the head. The i-Drive when used with the Comfort Plus can turn the occipital pad into a proximity or mechanical switch, depending on the client’s choice and ability. A swing away system with facial pads can be used as other proximity or mechanical switches to drive the wheelchair. The Adjustable Comfort Plus is a new modification to the original Comfort Plus with the added feature of angle-adjustable intuitive hinges at the back of the head support. These hinges lock in place in the precise chosen position. The Adjustable Comfort Plus has a seamless double layered pad, keeping the angle adjustments discreet. The i-Drive can also be configured within the Adjustable Comfort Plus.

Ultra Pro I-Drive

The Ultra Pro I-Drive Head Control System is the most adjustable head array options. It comes standard with two swing-aways, three proximity sensor pads and an egg switch for mode change/reset. Stealth’s i-Drive is styled to be sleek and unobtrusive, designed so you can see the client, not the hardware. The Ultra Pro is customisable and can be optimised to the client’s needs. The standard setup is expandable to up to four proximity pads and up to four switches, making the Ultra Pro I-Drive the most adaptive head array on the market.

The beauty of the i-Drive is that it is compatible with most secondary postural support devices. Some clients have the control and ability to use their heads to drive a wheelchair, while others have more strength in the fingers, arms, or even face muscles. Depending on where the strengths lie and the most consistent movement areas, the i-Drive can be used to turn clients’ postural support devices into a drive control system.

Trays

The i-Drive can convert a tray into a drive control system. With fibre optic switches, the i-Drive can be positioned anywhere inside a tray to allow the driver to operate the power wheelchair. Simply by covering or touching the corresponding switch the driver can move forward, reverse, left or right.

Sip and Puff

Using sip and puff with the i-Drive as a drive control solution are meant for those users who aren’t able to use any part of their body to operate a control device on their power wheelchair. The user can either puff air into a tube or sip on the tube. Not only do the wheelchair electronics distinguish between a sip and a puff, it can also recognise the strength of the sip and puff. A hard sip or puff will mean one thing to the wheelchair and a soft sip or puff will mean something else.

Knees/Feet

Proximity and mechanical switches mounted elsewhere on the chair can be used to drive the wheelchair where there are problems in using other parts of the body - for example switches can be mounted in adductor or abductor pads around the knees, or on the foot support.

R-Net and Q Logic displays are used within most powered wheelchairs which help the occupier in selecting different modes and functions for day to day use. The i-Drive’s mechanical switches can be configured with these displays, promoting ease of use and a smooth drive.

Why are these displays used?

Professional Kit: For those who require various drive controls to assess for a whole range of conditions. The Professional Kit enables healthcare professionals to make complex decisions, and comes with a comprehensive selection of switches to cover all switch access points (head, hands, etc.).

Head Array Kit: For those assessing people with a degree of head control and cognitive ability. The Head Array Kit is the perfect assessment kit for assessing those where movement is more prominent in the head than any other part of the body.

Switch Kit: For those assessing first-time powerchair drivers. The Egg Switch components can be placed at various switch access points (head, hands, etc.) to assess the most appropriate placement for the individual.