The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized the sale of the iBOT, which uses sensors and gyroscopes to climb up and down stairs. It also shifts into four-wheel drive to navigate grassy hills and can lift its occupant to standing height. Doctors have called the technology potentially revolutionary and the FDA termed it a breakthrough, but one so complex that, unlike other wheelchairs, it will require a doctors prescription and special training before patients can buy an iBOT. The iBOT will cost $29,000, less than some top-of-the-line models for the severely impaired but far more than basic wheelchairs. The maker, Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Independence Technology, is negotiating with Medicare and other insurers to pay for the wheelchair, but could not say Wednesday if that is likely.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 00:35:23 +0000
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