The goal: Mobility - Plain bearings from igus in the electric wheelchairs of Motion Solutions
 

drylin linear plain bearings work reliably in electric wheelchairs under high loads

The products of Motion Solutions GmbH – electric wheelchairs and rehabilitation therapy systems – are all about the mobility of the people who use them. The products themselves are also extremely mobile – for example, the active seating system for wheelchairs, which can be adjusted in various directions, or the heavy-duty wheelchair for people weighing up to 350kg. In the construction of these devices, the designers use our construction kit of maintenance-free plain bearings.
Profile:
  • What was needed: A maintenance-free and lubrication-free profile guide.
  • Requirements: Resistance in outdoor use and high loads
  • Industry: Medical equipment
  • Success for the customer: A mechanism optimally adapted to the body's own joint functions.

Go to Motion Solutions GmbH
The name says it all: Motion Solutions GmbH in Remscheid has set itself the task of ensuring and maintaining the movement and mobility of its disabled customers. The company develops and manufactures a wide range of tools that are characterised by innovative functions, for example, by the special mobility of the seat systems. They are a niche provider that offers special solutions and starts where the industry stops with its mass-produced products.
 
The products themselves are also extremely mobile – for example the active seating system for wheelchairs, which can be adjusted in various directions, or the heavy-duty wheelchair for people weighing up to 350 kg.
Delordosing System from Motion Solutions

Problem

For people who cannot stand independently, the Motion Solutions customises and provides the standing exerciser, "EasyStand Evolv". They bring the user into the standing position at the push of a button and without any further intervention. This strengthens the active and passive musculature, stabilises the cardiovascular system, and treats contractures.
The construction of such a device is anything but simple. The mechanics must be adapted to the body's joint function. During the entire standing up process, shearing motion should not occur on the backrest or on the seat surface, and all system components that touch and guide the body must be in the same positional relationship throughout the entire standing up and sitting down phases.

Solution

This is, of course, ensured for the EasyStand Evolv standing exerciser. Moreover, the devices have the so-called "delordosing", which moves the pelvis into the orthopaedically correct position by moving the seat surface according to the needs of the user in an additional movement. The slide-out was implemented with a drylin W profile guide from the igus range, which exerts a leverage effect on the delordosing system. This is a drylin WJ200QM square-shaped pillow block. It runs on a profile rail guide and is equipped with a clamping device, which synchronises the radius of movement in relation to the standing. This is just one of many examples of the use of igus plain bearings in Motion Solutions' rehabilitation equipment and wheelchairs. The designers of the company have been using igus plain bearings for more than ten years. The bearings are compact, they do not require any lubrication and are perfectly suited for outdoor use.
 
A healthy person, who sits, always shifts his position. This is often not possible for an electric chair user. The possible consequences are circulatory disorders or even open pressure points. With the seat module, the user can shift his or her position and selectively promote the circulation or simply transfer it via the stand. All the angles of the seat system can be programmed in such a way that one side and then the other, is pressure-relieved automatically and alternately. Here, too, the mobility of the user is supported again - with highly mobile drive systems. The shears of the cardan system, which are protected by a pair of bellows, are equipped with igus plain bearings. And the designers of Motion Solutions not only use the plain bearing modular system but also the system components of the second business division of igus: plastic energy chains are also used for the energy supply to the movable and adjustable components of the electric chairs.
 

Innovation: Active seat module with cardanic mobility

A new development of Motion Solutions is an active seat module, which is installed in existing wheelchairs and provides an astonishingly high degree of mobility: the user can bring the backrest and seat into the overhead position. However, the seat can also be tilted forward in the other direction by up to 33 degrees as a standing-up aid. In addition, the entire seat can be inclined to either side by 20 degrees. Since the movements can be superimposed, the user ultimately sits as if on a large ball, which keeps the body secure in every position.
This is by no means just a gimmick, but supports the health of the physically handicapped. A healthy person, who sits, always shifts his position. This is often not possible for an electric chair user . The possible consequences are circulatory disorders or even open pressure points. With the seat module, the user can shift position and specifically promote blood circulation or simply transfer by standing. All the angles of the seat system can be programmed in such a way that one side and then the other, is pressure-relieved automatically and alternately.
Here, too, the mobility of the user is supported - with extremely movable drive systems. The shears of the cardan system, which are protected by a pair of bellows, are equipped with our plain bearings. And the designers of Motion Solutions not only use the plain bearing modular system but also the system components of the second business division of igus: our plastic energy chains are also used for the energy supply to the movable and adjustable components of the electric chairs.

More pictures of the application example