Our seniors often have difficulties climbing up and down stairs. Traditional walkers are made for flat surfaces, but can be cumbersome and useless on stairs. That’s why design student Daniel Molloy set out to solve this problem. His solution was a concept walker called the Boomer, which can help seniors climb stairs. Molloy’s idea was so innovative, in fact, that it was deemed Highly Commended at this year’s Australian International Design Awards, which were announced on May 29.
Molloy goes on to explain the Boomer’s unique design features:
With a strong emphasis on safety, Boomer aims to reduce the risk of falls and stair-related falls, which has been identified as a major public health issue among the elderly. The design aims to move away from the utilitarian forms and hospital aesthetic of much of today’s elderly products. The key innovation of the design is the stair-ready function, which allows the mobility aid to transform from a walker into a device that enables the user to maneuver up and down stairs safely. Boomer is capable of so many things. It can turn into a shopping cart, a comfortable seat to rest upon. It can even be used as a walking frame should the situation demands. You can move around comfortably with Boomer without having to deal with difficult movements despite not featuring any integrated processor or motion sensor.
There is no news about Boomer’s price or its release date.
You can read about other gadgets that help prevent falls here.
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