The Walking Chair has been a godsend to me and my family. My pain levels are way down, my physical fitness is much improved, my cultural opportunities have expanded to the broadest of my life, and I can be a much better husband. I hope there is a way for others in a similar position to myself to experience similar benefits.

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT OR BETTER?

I needed to invent the “Walking Chair” because the walkers currently on the market are really designed to help someone who needs to walk only a few feet, or who have a balance problem that requires support in a number of directions. These regular walkers, known as “Rollators”, typically have a hard seat, a single metal bar for a backrest, and handholds that require the arm to be straight up and down. Good for balance, but not good for sitting or for walking any distance, especially over parkland or other uneven terrain.

Further, although Rollators are made in my size, chairs at restaurants, theatres, friends houses, airports, and hotels are often not suited to me and can cause great pain. I can never count on a suitable chair being where I need to go. Now I generally have the most comfortable chair in the place.

I had found the sling seats and backs on traditional foldable wheelchairs extremely painful. The Walking Chair sling seat is rigid and the fabric tense enough that the fabric sags only a little, and the tension is adjustable. There is something about the “director chair” type sling on a normal wheelchair that allows the area around the spine to compress to the point where it is very painful for me.

Although some large person wheelchairs have gotten lighter, at the time I started this project I was hard pressed to find a portable wheelchair that weighed less than 100 pounds.

The Walking Chair weighs less than 20 pounds.

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Honoring Our Wounded Heroes

Before we get to my endorsements, allow me to please introduce you to someone who I learned about (but have never met) in this process. Kalev Sepp said in an email telling me about him, “Captain D.J. Skelton is a wounded veteran of the Iraq war, and is -- in my opinion -- the leading advocate in America for all the "wounded warriors" like himself. Here's one of many articles about him, to give you an idea of his wide-ranging and positive influence:”

http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/2008/1108_warriorcare/army_profile1.html

I could not agree more. This a story of quintessential American service, courage and honor. It is inspiring and humbling to learn of people like Captain Skelton. Indeed, the inspiration for “My Walking Chair” was a radio news piece on Special Forces soldiers who lost limbs but had figured out how to climb Half Dome in Yosemite. I remember thinking that if they could design special wheelchairs and climbing equipment to address their unique physical challenges, I should be able to invent something that solved my day-to-day hurdles. I am indebted to all of these heroes personally, and I know you feel the same.

I also want to express my gratitude to all of the people who protect and serve. Police, fire, military, medical, social and other people – me and my family are deeply grateful and thankful. I don’t have the physicality to “take that hill” and they make their sacrifice for people just like me. Wow.

Captain Skelton is a worthy representative of all these heroes.

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Compliments for The Walking Chair

Bob is an engineering and scientific genius on many levels, in many fields. In addition to all his other work, he has designed and built a remarkable walker/chair I believe may be an excellent aid for several categories of wounded warriors. I hope [we] can find a way to take advantage of [The Walking Chair] for the benefit of our troops.

- - Dr. Kalev Sepp, Professor, Naval Post-Graduate School; Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations Capabilities

It looks and sounds like an amazing concept! I myself have always thought someone should tweak walkers to make them more accessible and friendly.

- - Jonathan Kaufman, DisabilityWorks

Additional Information

I invented this walking chair to address problems from my size and a severely injured back.

The "Walking Chair" is equipped with two handles that are set like trekking poles so the chair can be pushed using a correct arm motion. Notice also the leaning bar at the top that allows me to stand and talk to people for much, much longer than I could without support. The chair can also be pushed with the leaning bar, which comes in real handy when my back is in a lot of pain. And the leaning bar also allows manipulation of the chair with one hand - which is very helpful when trying to open and get through a door.

The brakes are positioned to be easily used and adjusted from a standing or sitting position whether the arms are up or down. Pumping the brakes when going downhill gives an extra measure of control. And when standing and leaning, the brakes keep the chair from scooting forward because the leaning bar is positioned over the back wheels making a strong center of gravity.

Indeed one of the secrets of the “Walking Chair” is that it can be pushed from a variety of hand positions. My experience is that no single position is universally and eternally comfortable, and mirrors the reality that people who walk normally also often change the swing of their arms and other positions.

With the “Walking Chair” I can walk farther, safer than any currently available alternative. A really bad back can cause many setbacks, and the Walking Chair allows me to come back from those setbacks socially and physically much sooner and much safer.

The wide, plush armrests are much higher than the arms on ordinary chairs - something people with a bad back really appreciate.

Perhaps most important, the seat is based on a comfortable outdoor chair, and I can sit in it for 2 or 3 hours comfortably. In a regular chair, theatre seat, etc, I'm lucky to get more than a half hour before pain starts accumulating and building causing both me and my wife or other companions severe discomfort.

The width of the walking chair is under the standard width of a door. I am an extremely large person, and it has reliably held me for several years now. The chair can be folded (and reassembled) using quick releases so it fits into the trunk of a compact car.

Made from aluminum and outdoor sling seat mesh material, the Walking Chair is waterproof and easy to clean.

US Patent 7481445 - "Combination walker and wheelchair with improved ergonomic design"

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