A company launching an automated transfer and mobility system that moves patients from a bed to a wheelchair — and the other way — without any lifting or rolling has raised $325,000 of a potential $1.2 million.
Next Health Inc.’s Agile Life Transfer and Living System comprises a wheelchair with a back that lowers and a bed with both conveyor and folding mechanisms that move the patient to the head or foot of the bed and transition the patient to a sitting or lying position (see the demo video below).
The process of getting a patient into or out of bed using Agile Life takes about 90 seconds and requires minimal assistance from a caregiver. Current transfer methods using harnesses, boards or air-assisted devices pose the risk of falls for patients and the risk of injury for caregivers, the company says.
The technology was developed by Vivax Medical Corp. and licensed to Next Health last year.
Next Health CEO Robert Jacobs didn’t return a call, but he told Mass High Tech last month that the company plans to make the beds available to Connecticut residents who need them through the state’s Department of Social Services starting in August and commercially in October. Early sales will focus on the Northeast and the military, he said.
The cost of the Agile Life bed is $2,100 monthly, according to a Next Health white paper [PDF], and will be sold for clinical and in-home use. It could enable some chronically or temporarily immobile patients to be cared for at home while it reduces the risk of health conditions that result from being sedentary for long periods of time, the company says.
By Deanna Pogorelc MedCity News
Deanna Pogorelc is a Cleveland-based reporter who writes obsessively about life science startups across the country, looking to technology transfer offices, startup incubators and investment funds to see what’s next in healthcare. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ball State University and previously covered business and education for a northeast Indiana newspaper.More posts by Author
The chair part of this system does not look like it would work well for people who could not shift weight, the padding looks way too flimsy to be comfortable for more than an hour at a time. Longer than it takes for transportation to/from an office visit/appointment. It also does not look very comfortable for those who might have spasticity, dragging their legs across those flex points. Some more drawing-room work is required, I think.
Paul, thanks for the heads up on our mistake. The company estimates the cost for using the bed to be $2,100 PER MONTH. This is a mistake on our part, not bad information from the company.
Is this a Joke? Somebody just lit $325 large on fire. As somebody who makes their living in both the lift and transfer and custom wheelchair business I can tell you this won't work in the real world. Even if it was practical there is no way you can produce what I saw in that video for $2100. This looks like a scam that preys on naive investors.