In the spinal cord injured population, inactivity is wide-spread, and most causes of death in those with spinal cord injury can be improved by increasing physical activity.  Current electric wheel-chairs exacerbate inactivity in this population by performing all the work required for transportation. The new openPAW device uses bio and environmental feedback (ie. current arm strength, weight, slope) from the wheelchair to alter how much power is mechanically provided to the wheels on each arm crank.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, while coastal ‘Special Economic Zones’ and ‘Open Cities’ flourished in eastern China, western regions still languished in relative poverty.

Tyze Personal Networks Ltd. (www.tyze.com) is a for-profit, social venture business interested in designing infrastructure that supports its dual goal of achieving social and economic value.