STAR Point Transcript - Independence Technology, a division of Johnson and Johnson
>> From the depths of ingenuity, to the heart and soul of the system technology for people with disabilities. STAR is a system of technology to achieve results.
STAR Point does not endorse or recommend any product, individual or agency. Information expressed on STAR Point is informational in nature and does not imply endorsement by STAR's funders, the National Institute of Disability Rehabilitation Research or the State of Minnesota.
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Earl Harrison: Hello, and welcome to another edition of STAR Point. STAR Point is a project of the Minnesota STAR program, a System of Technology to Achieve Results.
My name is Earl Harrison, and in the studio today, otherwise known as my office, we have Mr. Rob Boyce and Michael Krivitch.
Is it Mike or Michael?
Mike Krivitch: It's Mike.
Earl Harrison: And Mike Krivitch of Independence Technology, a division of Johnson and Johnson.
Rob Boyce: Hello. Thanks very much for having us here.
Earl Harrison: Thanks for being here. Why don't we start out by talking a little bit about what your role in the organization is, Mike.
Mike Krivitch: I am the local product consultant. I'm a physical therapist by training. My function is to educate clinicians, consumers on the technologies that we have available, the products that are being introduced by Independence Technology.
Earl Harrison: How about you, Rob, what do you do for the company?
Rob Boyce: I'm responsible for the marketing of the products that we've got bringing to the market and some of our business development activities.
Earl Harrison: I understand you are actually instrumental in the development of some of your flagship products as well?
Rob Boyce: Yes. I was certainly instrumental in bringing them to the marketplace. I can't take a lot of credit for the invention of the products. That goes to Dean Cayman, who invented the iBOT in a small company out of Connecticut next to R&D that developed the Independence iGLIDE technology.
Earl Harrison: Got it. And the iBOT is what?
Rob Boyce: The iBOT is an amazing mobility system that provides a lot greater independence for people with mobility-related disabilities.
Earl Harrison: How so?
Rob Boyce: Well, the iBOT has got some very unique functionality that no other mobility system that's on the marketplace right now has. Because what it does is it brings together the ability for an individual to be able to climb curbs, get across rough terrain, balance the iBOT on two wheels and, in fact, climb stairs all very safely after an individual has been assessed and trained to use the product.
Earl Harrison: Is it essentially a wheelchair, in laymen's terms?
Rob Boyce: We like to think of it as a mobility system. But, yes, it's targeted to wheelchair users. And we think it cuts a new line in what people see as a wheelchair today because of these unique functionalities.
Earl Harrison: When you talk about safely climbing stairs with two wheels, it conjures up all kinds of interesting images in my head. What do you mean by that?
Rob Boyce: I'm sure it does. The iBOT was invented by a gentleman by the name of Dean Cayman, and he brought to us a unique technology that is balancing. And the iBOT is designed to mimic human balance. So it's got a system of gyroscopes that interact with some on-board computers that then talk to the motors that provide the motion and the mobility. And when I talk about safety, the iBOT is unique in that the FDA has classified it as a Class III medical device. And a Class III medical device requires some clinical activity prior to bringing it to the market, and so the iBOT before it was brought to the market did successfully complete clinical trials, and the result of that was a pretty unique protocol in delivery of the product.
Earl Harrison: How does it work?
Rob Boyce: What happens is the gyroscopes sense the balance of the iBOT much like a human's vestibular system senses their balance and it interacts with those computers to basically keep the iBOT underneath the person when they are climbing a curb. It will actually rotate the wheels, front set of four wheels up onto a curb and then climb the curb. So an individual doesn't have to kind of crash into a curb to bump up it. You can actually rotate up and climb a curb.
Earl Harrison: We all know that some of these curb cuts, although they're intended for people who use wheelchairs, can be pretty scary things in a more conventional type of chair because they're kind of steep, aren't they?
Rob Boyce: That's absolutely correct. And we certainly support the Americans with Disabilities Act and what's happening out there and the desire to have the five-degree curb cuts and everything else. And the iBOT certainly performs to that. But what's unique, when outdoors or on rough terrain, the iBOT is designed to keep the wheelchair user's chair level with the ground at all times. So even as the terrain below you, whether it be a curb cut, ramp in and out of a building or a grassy slope, the individual sitting in the iBOT will always stay level to the ground while the wheels will adjust to a slope providing someone the ability to go on that rough terrain but also to do it more safely.
Earl Harrison: What kind of battery life does a person get out of this device, the iBOT?
Rob Boyce: The iBOT's battery is rated at 25 kilometers, or 15 miles. That's really going to depend on an individual's daily use. If someone is climbing a lot of stairs or doing a lot of outdoor activities, they're at the beach or something, they're certainly going to use up more battery. But in day-to-day use, what we ultimately find is that people are getting a full day's use out of the battery for the iBOT, which is really what's important.
Earl Harrison: Yeah. And how many hours does it take to charge a battery?
Rob Boyce: We recommend you charge it overnight. You can get a rapid charge in between four and six hours. But we really recommend a six- to eight-hour charge.
Earl Harrison: I'm thinking about in a pinch, you're out and about and your battery dies, what happens then, actually? Is a person able to propel the --
Rob Boyce: No. The iBOT is a strictly power-mobility system. Therefore, it's joystick operated. And if the battery does go down, you will have, someone could release the brakes and give you a push, but we've got a battery indicator on there that gives you plenty of warning as to where you are.
As it gets close, it also starts to give you some audio and visual cues in addition to just having the reading to make sure that if it starts to get low, you get to a place where you can recharge.
In addition to what I've talked about, which is what we call our four-wheel function, sort of the outdoor terrain capabilities of the iBOT, it also has the ability to climb stairs, which is certainly a struggle that anybody who is in a mobility system encounters on probably a daily, if not weekly, basis where maybe your home's adaptable and accessible for you but you get to a restaurant or a friend's home and someplace you'd like to go and it's just really not convenient to find a ramp or an elevator. The iBOT has the ability, through this balancing function, to allow an individual to get into a position and climb those stairs. The wheels, there are a set of four major wheels that cluster. And they actually rotate over themselves much like a slinky would, if you can imagine going down a set of stairs or rotating against gravity, a slinky up the stairs. It's fascinating to watch. And again, our objective is to allow someone to have greater independence and greater accessibility in those places that are not yet accessible.
And in order for an individual to climb stairs in the iBOT, they do have to have some upper body trunk control and they have to have some ability, hand function, to be able to grip. So it's certainly, the independent stair climbing capability is not something for everyone. However, realizing that, we've also got a built-in capability for an assistant that we would train to allow you to be assisted to climb stairs. So if an individual doesn't have the trunk control or hand control but is a wheelchair user and can benefit from all the other functions independently and has a family member, spouse, sibling, an assistant that might be able to help them, we can train an assistant to help the iBOT climb up and downstairs pretty much anywhere that someone may want to go.
Earl Harrison: Wow. And do you have any success stories that you'd like to talk about?
Rob Boyce: I'll tell you what, we've got a number of people out and about in the United States and in the United Kingdom in iBOTs right now. And just one story we had from an individual who went to a conference. He lives in DC. Went out to a conference in San Francisco, flew out there, got in his iBOT, and he said the greatest experience was his ability to be interacting with people who were moving through those exhibits and be able to look at them at eye level, because the other function of the iBOT is its ability to balance. It balances on two wheels and is fully mobile at a walking pace with an ambulatory person, which gives a wheelchair user an opportunity to socialize in a much more comfortable situation. And this individual specifically was talking about his ability to interact with people at a booth. He said what's great is the wheelchair disappeared, and as I walked around this exhibit hall I was able to have eye level conversations with people and they forgot that I was in a wheelchair because we simply were able to have a conversation.
One other great story we've got is one of our early consumers is a lawyer. He said one of his primary objectives was to be able to get into the courtroom and look the judge in the eye when he was challenging something and be able to cross-examine a witness by being able to look into the witness stand and not have to look up over a railing. And it's just real-world opportunities for people to have greater independence and feel more confident in their environment.
Earl Harrison: Mike, why don't you go ahead and tell us a little bit about the other product that Independence Technology is bringing to the market.
Mike Krivitch: Thanks, Earl. The other technology that we are introducing is a unique, and I can state, a revolutionary product as well. It's a product that is called the iGLIDE. The iGLIDE is a technology which we call a manual-assist technology. And one may ask, well, what is manual-assist? Manual-assist is a mobility option that falls in between power mobility and regular manual mobility. What it consists of is it has all the functionality of a manual wheelchair from aesthetic purposes, from an application standpoint, but it has motors, a battery and it has a software that provides the tool to provide assistance, when I a person is propelling a manual wheelchair.
So to be a little more specific, basically what the iGLIDE does is if a person is going over various terrains, if a wheelchair user is propelling over a level surface and they encounter a ramp or grass, they're going to have to provide more force, more effort, et cetera. Well, what the iGLIDE does is it has the ability to sense how much input or effort a user puts into the chair and it senses or it reads the resistance against the tire. So basically as a person goes from various terrains, from a level surface to an incline surface, it provides appropriate assist. And it does automatically. So the end result is a person does not have to apply more force or push harder to go over various terrains.
Earl Harrison: Rob, maybe you can talk a little bit about some of the ways that this might be beneficial for people who use wheelchairs.
Rob Boyce: I'd love to do that. There's been a significant body of clinical research over the last several decades that talks about secondary complications of long-term wheelchair use. The simplest of those is pain. And we know that 35 to 70% of wheelchair users experience pain after 12 months of use.
In addition, there are rotator cuff injuries, early on-set of arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, all of these secondary complications of long-term manual wheelchair use.
What the iGLIDE does is it brings an alternative to a manual wheelchair use that doesn't require someone to go to a joystick-operated power system. And we think there's a great opportunity for wheelchair users to experience the benefits of manual wheelchair use and potentially avoid some of the secondary complications.
Earl Harrison: So is this device for everyone, or are there some manual wheelchair users who may not feel that they can benefit from this type of technology?
Rob Boyce: Well, Earl, there's certainly a lot of manual wheelchair users out there today who say it's not for me yet. And that's really systematic among wheelchair users in that there's always been a philosophy of use it or lose it. I need to keep pushing until I can't push anymore and that's what's best for me. But there really has been a change in thinking among a lot of wheelchair users as well as among a lot of clinicians that says, you know, we need to start to think about conserving it to preserve it. And we believe that because of what I talked about earlier, all manual wheelchair users could benefit from using a manual-assist. You still have the opportunity to push. You're still pushing. You haven't given up a lot of what people perceive they have to give up with a joystick, whether it be transportation or how I look and how I see myself in a system. You can still have all of that. You just don't have to work as hard. And maybe over time you could eliminate the need to ultimately move to a different mobility system because you haven't had to work as hard for all those years.
There was a recent clinical study published in the Archives of Physical Medicine in January led by Dr. Charles Levy out of the University of Florida that talked about wheelchair users using the iGLIDE technology and a reduction of exertion in five of eight major muscle groups as well as a reduction in cardiovascular output, which are great benefits. In addition, the participants in that study, the majority of them said that they would prefer this technology over their current system.
Earl Harrison: You're listening to STAR Point, a project of the Minnesota STAR program. STAR stands for a System of Technology to Achieve Results.
We're speaking with Rob Boyce and Mike Krivitch from Independence Technology, a division of Johnson and Johnson. We're going to take a short break. And when we return, we'll continue our discussion with Rob and Mike.
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Earl Harrison: Welcome back to STAR Point. We're speaking with Rob Boyce and Mike Krivitch of Independence Technology, a division of Johnson and Johnson. What else can you tell us about the iGLIDE or the iBOT?
Rob Boyce: One question that I bet a lot of your listeners are wondering right now is: Who is going to pay for this? Is it getting paid for? Is it going to be reimbursed, for either of these technologies?
And what I can say is that right now both products are getting paid for by third-party payors. Certainly not at the level or frequency we like, and we're certainly working very hard at Independence Technology with both private payors and governmental agencies to talk to them about the benefits of the technology and our desire to see assistive technology brought more into the lives of people with disabilities, because of the many benefits that exist therein.
So it is getting paid for, and we're working very hard to get it paid for more broadly.
Earl Harrison: We spoke a little bit about some iBOT successes earlier. How about talking a little bit about the iGLIDE successes that you've witnessed or observed or have heard about.
Mike Krivitch: Thanks, Earl. There has been a number of iGLIDE successes in Minnesota. And the iGLIDE is a product that definitely has a wall effect. The iBOT does as well. But from a user standpoint, when a person, for example, one individual that comes to mind was an individual that had quadriplegia and currently propels in a manual wheelchair. Since the time of her injury, her comment was, "I've never been able to push myself around the house." It was just too difficult to go over grass, go up the driveway, go over gravel, et cetera.
After about three or four minutes in the iGLIDE, this person was moving through all those types of surfaces, over the lawn, in the garage, up the gravel driveway, et cetera. And the look of excitement was just unbelievable in the fact that this person was able to experience something that they haven't been able to do since the time of their injury.
One other story I'd like to tell you about, Earl, is of a gentleman, and we'll call him John, not his real name. But John was an individual that was a manual wheelchair user. And, unfortunately, due to some of the pathology that he was experiencing in his shoulders, reluctantly had to go to a power wheelchair system. After trying the iGLIDE, it was remarkable enough that John was able to go back to a manual system, or using the iGLIDE, using manual-assist technology, and experience the freedoms, the abilities that he had as a manual wheelchair user. He was not a user that had to rely solely on power.
Earl Harrison: Let's talk a little bit about transition. We talked about going from a manual chair to an iGLIDE, to an iBOT. Is there a logical progression from one device to the another?
Rob Boyce: In general, within disability, mobility-related disability, historically it's always been, as I alluded to earlier, this use it or lose it mentality. So the mindset has always been go with the manual system for as long as you can then, if you can no longer propel a manual system, go to a joystick-operated power system.
There are some individuals, who, due to a traumatic injury or something else that, end up with a disability such that they can't push a manual wheelchair and they end up using a power mobility system. And what's interesting is, Earl, again, as we've said, there's a lot of folks who actually limit their independence by being reluctant to move to the next level of mobility and people who have limited function, because they're in a manual system, that would benefit from moving to power.
And what we think we're providing with both the iBOT and the iGLIDE are opportunities for people to have options that provide them significant independence without sacrifice. We think that the iBOT, as a power system, provides many or more of the freedoms that a manual wheelchair offers in a power system.
Earl Harrison: And you've kind of got to choose your battles, too. I mean, there are some situations, for example, on a farm, I mean these guys are out there going and going and going. And you know if you use all your energy up trying to get to the combine versus actually doing the work that needs to be done, then it's going to make your day a pretty long day.
Rob Boyce: You're absolutely right. That's a great example. And being able to get the job done when you get there versus expending your energy on the way is a big challenge.
Earl Harrison: That would be a huge consideration, I would think.
Well, why don't we talk a little bit about how people can get in touch with you to find out more. Do you actually do demonstrations?
Rob Boyce: Earl, there are a number of ways to find out more about the products. One, an individual can go to our website, www.independence tehcnology -- now, that's all one word -- .com and find out information on Independence Technology, also find information on the iBOT, the iGLIDE and a cushion we have available called the Max Pro.
The other option, folks can contact our 1-800 number and obtain information at well. That number is 1-877-794-3125. I'll repeat that. 1-877-794-3125. And they can contact a customer zone rep and they will send information to that individual.
The other way, if an individual is working with their particular clinician, they can contact that clinician, which in turn can contact myself, and we can arrange to do demos in the clinical facility or in the home environment, whatever is the most appropriate action for that particular individual.
Earl Harrison: It does require a medical physicians' prescription for an iBOT; is that correct?
Mike Krivitch: For an iBOT, that is correct.
Earl Harrison: For an iGLIDE, for that matter, is that also correct?
Mike Krivitch: The iGLIDE doesn't actually require a prescription, but in order to get it funded through a private insurance provider or government agency, you will need letters of justification, certificates of medical necessity written by a therapist or a physician to support medical necessity to get the product reimbursed, which we strongly encourage people to do. We'll work with you to get those letters set up, and we also have clinicians in the local area that we've talked to and understand the product and its benefits to help you write those letters to get the products paid for.
Earl Harrison: Okay. Well, it's looking like we're just about out of time. I'm speaking with Rob Boyce and Mike Krivitch from Independence Technology, a division of Johnson and Johnson. We're talking about two exciting new pieces of technology that have just recently come to the market; is that right, in the last year or so?
Rob Boyce: That's correct. We launched the iGLIDE last fall and the iBOT in December. The two technologies, you've got the iGLIDE Manual Assist, which basically provides a person in a manual chair with a boost of power when they push, and the iBOT Mobility System, which allows a wheelchair user to have the ability to climb stairs, climb curbs, get across rough terrain and actually balance on two wheels to be able to look someone in the eye to have an eye-level conversation, as well as reach shelves and areas they might not have otherwise had access to.
Earl Harrison: Pretty exciting stuff. As if that weren't enough, are there any other developments in the foreseeable future that you can share with our listeners?
Rob Boyce: There's certainly nothing we're going to talk about right now, but trust us to say that Independence Technology and Johnson and Johnson are always looking at new technologies, and specifically within this arena we're looking at new assistive technologies that will help improve and create greater independence for people with disabilities.
Earl Harrison: Once again, you're listening to STAR Point, and our guests have been Rob Boyce and Mike Krivitch of Independence Technology, a division of Johnson and Johnson. Gentlemen, I want to thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be with us today.
Rob Boyce: Thank you.
>> From the depths of ingenuity, to the heart and soul of the system technology for people with disabilities. STAR is a system of technology to achieve results.
STAR Point does not endorse or recommend any product, individual or agency. Information expressed on STAR Point is informational in nature and does not imply endorsement by STAR's funders, the National Institute of Disability Rehabilitation Research or the State of Minnesota.
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