Gripability supports the charitable foundation »Brave Art«
Karlsruhe -- at the REHAB exhibition from 7th to 9th of May in Karlsruhe »Brave Art« presents itself to a larger public for the first time. Gripability the young creative German company supports the event with its innovative technical medical aids, automatic gripping systems and accessible easels. At the Brave Art stand visitors can experience a great variety of creative activities -- for example through the participation in workshops with street art artist Stefanie Peichal and photographer Luigi Toscano. The spinal-cord injured (tetraplegic) mouth painter Markus Kostka gives insights into his work, the pop art painter Maren Valenti demonstrates her techniques. Furthermore there are sculpturers, musicians and graphic artists ready to motivate young people with disabilities to »Brave Art«.
With its »accessible« easel and automatic gripping systems Gripability makes sure that people with disabilities can perform creative activities that previously were out of their reach.
The canvas is located on the easel, which can be automatically adjusted in height using a remote control. Wheelchair accessibility is therefore possible as well.
So emerges at the Gripability stand out of the participation of many an enthusiastic visitor a fascinating team artwork sized 1,2m x 1,6m. At an auction held during rehability's and Otto Bock's exhibition party this painting obtains a price of €2000 for the benefit of the Brave Art project.
Gripability sur Rehacare 2007
Le concepteur tétraplégique de Gripability présentait lui-même son produit, une pince de préhension placée sur le poignet. Elle fonctionne grâce à de l'air comprimé et un moteur placé derrière le dossier de fauteuil. L'air comprimé peut se recharger à l'aide d'une pompe ou d'un compresseur. La recharge d'air est nécessaire au bout de 300 à 400 ouvertures. La pince est réglable sur 3 niveaux en fonction des caractéristiques de l'objet à prendre. Ces réglages s'effectuent grâce à un boîtier (comparable à un manipulateur de fauteuil) placé par exemple en bout d'accoudoir du fauteuil. Différentes types de pinces sont disponibles. L'inventeur a développé également un autre produit pour les centres d'aide pour le travail afin d'améliorer et faciliter le travail des personnes qui n'ont l'usage que d'un bras. C'est également une pince mais qui est placée sur un bras devant la personne. L'ouverture et la fermeture de la pince sont commandées par une pédale au pied. Ce système permet par exemple de maintenir un sachet ouvert pour y introduire aisément des objets de la main valide.
Gripability: Get a grip on life - thanks to handling technology
Who until recently believed that pneumatic grippers could only be used for a production oriented material flow, will have to rethink: Patrick Oeffner from Vogelsberg in Germany has developed a gripper system for handicapped people, which will make life much easier for a lot of affected people. He was, and still is, generously supported by the Bavarian firm of FIPA, a recognized specialist in industrial vacuum and gripper systems.
After having being paralysed from the neck down, the 35-year-old artist was looking for a way to cope with every day life. Through the Internet he got into contact with the handling specialists of FIPA in Ismaning near Munich.
Here he not only found a 15 g Mini gripper, but also an open minded sparring partner, who spontaneously helped him with advice and products to enable him to turn his idea for a gripper system for handicapped people into reality quickly. After just a few weeks Patrick Oeffner with the help of FIPA had already finished a prototype of his system with a patent already pending. The control of the pneumatic gripper can be adapted to the individual capabilities of the user - with a manual switch (as in Patrick Oeffner's own case), with the mouth, or voice-controlled.
Writing tools, drinking vessels, cutlery and much more - the FIPA grippers with 15 or 50 g optionally, will grip it securely and sensitively: even the small pliers produces an astonishing 15 N of gripping power while being opened at 10 mm.
"In FIPA I have found an interested sparring partner that can assist me with a whole truckload of ideas, and who have already offered me their support for the ongoing development of the system", the 35 year old tetraplegic (the medical term for someone who is paralysed from the neck down) eagerly anticipates. On his homepage www.gripability.de interested people can get a good impression of the development stage and the possibilities of his system - and order their own gripability solutions, if necessary.
"For us it is very important to look beyond the horizon of industrial standard applications", FIPA general manager Rainer Mehrer describes the innovation philosophy of his company, " and when indeed we have the opportunity to help people, it fills us with a very special kind of pride."