Where does it all start? When you see a car, a phone, a piece of furniture, or even a mobility device, do you ever wonder how the idea came about? We sat down with Matthew, Manager, Design Engineer, and Vinnie, Design Engineer II, to learn more about the product design journey.
Matt started his career at Pride Mobility about twelve years ago in the Quantum R&D department and Vinnie joined the Pride R&D department over 4 years ago. While the design process is similar, the application is very different and needs to be considered. Matt explained that Quantum products require more specific configurations that are tailor-made to each consumer.
When we think of research and development, we think of a department that is shrouded in mystery. That’s not the case here at Pride Mobility! Matt and Vinnie are two members of a robust team that have been doing field research to gain valuable feedback directly from our consumers, particularly at trade shows like the Abilities Expo. While attending the shows, they have opportunities to speak to providers as well! Gaining feedback from both groups gives Matt and Vinnie a well-rounded view of exactly what the end user is looking for in a mobility device. It also happens to be their favorite part about the expos! Once feedback is received, Matt and Vinnie bring it to the rest of the team to discuss and see how they can work the information into future product designs. Many accessories and features are a direct result of feedback obtained from our customer base. The saying, “it takes a village” really applies to product development. Matt and Vinnie work hand in hand with many other internal departments to communicate product innovations.
They both agree that their favorite part of the job is watching ideas come to life. They love to develop more advanced products to fit the ever-changing landscape of the mobility industry, while making sure that quality and comfort are at the forefront of every product that is created.
“The person responsible for our design, innovation, and technology goals is really YOU.”
We live in a world dominated by technology and automation. When we asked Matt and Vinnie where they feel the mobility world is heading, they unanimously agreed that travel mobility products are the future. Pushing the limits of mobility devices is always on their minds. When a product is designed, one of the many goals is to ensure that people can truly live their best life and go off the beaten path.
Now it’s time to dive into their personalities! Everyone has a favorite, whether you admit it or not. We asked Matt and Vinnie what their favorite products are. Matt loves the Zero Turn 10 scooter. He really enjoys the innovative design and seeing style meet functionality. For Vinnie, his favorite is the Jazzy Air® 2. He loves receiving consumer feedback at the expos regarding this life-elevating power chair!
The next time you see a Pride Mobility product, know that the person responsible for our design, innovation, and technology goals is really YOU.
We love hearing from you! Stop by one of our booths at an expo near you, send us an email, chat with one of our friendly and knowledgeable customer service reps, or give us a call!
Hi, I am Edward Grant, Professor of ECE and BME at NorthCarolina State University. I inherited one of your Jazzy Select wheelchairs a while back. However, the hardware control system is now much altered. We redesigned it with off-the-shelf microcontrollers etc. Our research is concerned with autonomous wheelchairs for patients with rare diseases, e.g., ALS, muscular dystrophy, etc. We work on controlling the wheelchair with body attached sensors, interactive user interfaces, and machine-learning. I also have a group of graduate students working on a class project where they are modeling the wheelchair. Do you have specifications for the wheelchair, i.e., inertia of the wheelchair, wheels, dc motor, wheelchair mass, etc., all that good stuff? Regards, Eddie.
Hello Dr. Grant! Thank you so much for reaching out to us! I will be happy to provide you with some specifications. If you would like you can email me at amoy@pridemobility.com and I will send you one of our specification sheets.
Hope you are having a wonderful day!
Best Regards,
Amanda
I have a model L6027 4080 59 F30, is there a way of removing the back to get it up a narrow staircase? rrosch@gmail.com
Thank you for your reply! A member of our customer support team has been made aware of your request and will be in contact with you soon.
Sincerely,
Amanda
I had made a pull behind scooter for my Mom with Dementia, My Dad has a pride Maxima which I made a hitch for him to pull my Mom , My Mom was Driving a pride Gogo, but kept on running into things when she would forget how to stop . I was able to take a broken gogo and fabricated a trailer scooter for my Mom , Worked great , gave them some freedom to move around town , would you like to see it ? There is not many mobility scooters capable of taking 2 people, Thanks
This is so wonderful! I’m so glad that your mom is enjoying her Maxima! We love to see stories like hers 🙂
I would like someone to contact me in regards to a default on my gogo elite traveler
Hi Sharon!
Thank you for visiting our blog, we will be happy to get you in touch with one of our friendly consumer support representatives. You can either send me an email at info@pridemobility.com or call in directly to our department at 800-800-4258
I hope you have a wonderful day!
Where do I find /Search apex epic add ons / accessories like canopies (spare parts e.g wheels Seats possible Trailer? Email me please Danny.baker1981@gmail.com
Hi Danny! Thank you for visiting our blog! A member of our support team will be emailing soon 🙂
Is anyone going to get back to me like soon would be great thanks for the time Danny
I need to know how much the batteries are for the GOGO Elite Traveler Plus . I bought this from an individual, and was working before winter. I plugged it in and charged it, shows fully charged, but won’t move. the number on it is SC719408125JDO. Could you help me please? Thanks in advance. I am 73 and really can’t afford to buy new batteries.
Hi Sue! I hope you are doing well, the best way to price out batteries is to speak with a dealer. You can speak with the original dealer of your scooter or find a local or online one here: https://www.pridemobility.com/find-a-dealer.asp
I would suggest also getting your current batteries load tested. If the scooter hasn’t been charged in a while the cells may have depleted.
I own a Jazzy Air2. I have muscular dystrophy and the chair is my mobility. However, the chair is not always close by. If something happened to my husband and I needed to get help I would need my chair. The thought occurred to me that if there were some kind of a remote control to start the Jazzy and get to where I could get in it. This would be a hugh help to me in an emergency. Has any thought been given to some type of a remote control for the Jazzy air 2.
Just a thought. I absolutely love my chair and could not be without it.
Thank you so much for passing along this feedback Winona! We’ve sent it to our research and development teams. We’re always trying to improve our products based on feedback like yours.
We hope you have a great day!
Hi looking for the manual for the GoGo Ultra 4 wheel thanks.
Hi Rhonda! Sure thing, you’ll be able to find a manual here: https://www.pridemobility.com/resources-and-support/pride-mobility-resource-files.asp#owners-manuals
Our daughter has a Jazzy Basic J-6. Could you send a specification sheet for the serial number JB211314240020
Hi Dave! Please see the specification sheet for that J6 here: https://www.quantumrehab.com/pdf/brochures/j6.pdf