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Hands-free shoes for disabled people

Shared by Ana Duarte on 2015-10-05 15:23

About the solution

To remove, simply strike the rear part of the sole on any hard surface and the momentum of your foot pops them open allowing your foot to come right out.

Each pair of Quikiks™ comes with a set of medium-strength securing magnets. Weaker and stronger magnets are also available upon request and are easily swapped out, so that the holding strength can be customized to your abilities. A spring in the hinge keeps the shoes in the open position so they are ready to receive your foot the next time you want to put them on.

There are no batteries or electronics contained in Quikiks™. The Step-in-Go™ System is a simple, robust mechanism that we hope will improve the quality-of-life for its users for years to come.

Steve was clueless about shoe making. “I didn’t know anything about shoe making. I just had a vision of how it might be possible. Stepping into the shoe rotates the “swing arms” securing the shoe over the bridge of the user’s foot…But this version had many issues, so a new method was contemplated. After fabricating and testing many, many more prototypes, and getting a lot of help from committed professionals who, along with me, truly believe these shoes can improve the quality-of-life of so many people, they were finally ready”.

According to the inventor, these shoes can help a lot of people with different disabilities. “Chronic back-pain sufferers, post-stroke victims, those afflicted with Cerebral Palsy and autism, people struggling with obesity and severe arthritis, hand and arm amputees and even the temporarily needy—say people who have had an accident or those in rehab from hip-replacement surgery”.

In the seven years since he started working on these shoes Steve has garnered as many awards, including one for innovation at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas. Alex sometimes helps his dad at conferences, where response has been phenomenal. “I’ve met so many people along the way–like the woman with vertigo who told me she almost faints every time she bends over to put her shoes on, or the mother of a boy with autism, who broke down crying in my trade-show booth telling me that they fight every morning because her son wants to put his shoes on by himself and gets frustrated when he can’t.”

Beyond making life easier for people via his products, Steve is helping through his business model. As a board member for an agency called Services for the Developmentally Challenged (SDC), in Riverdale, NY, Steve has seen firsthand how difficult it can be to find employment opportunities for people with disabilities. “My goal is to build a Quikiks distribution center in New York City that will provide long-term sustainable employment for people with disabilities.”

More info: http://www.quikiks.com/

Adapted from: http://bit.ly/1Mfcs8C
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=29&v=K1Gst1cVN8I

This solution shall not include mention to the use of drugs, chemicals or biologicals (including food); invasive devices; offensive, commercial or inherently dangerous content. This solution was not medically validated. Proceed with caution! If you have any doubts, please consult with a health professional.

DISCLAIMER: This story was written by someone who is not the author of the solution, therefore please be advised that, although it was written with the utmost respect for the innovation and the innovator, there can be some incorrect statements. If you find any errors please contact the patient Innovation team via info@patient-innovation.com

About the author

Alex Kaufman was diagnosed with scoliosis when he was 13. His father, Steve Kaufman, a robotics engineer, created hands-free shoes to help his son. To prevent the curve from worsening, Alex had to wear a big, tight torso brace — hips to armpits — 22 hours a day. Among the many unintended discomforts and inconveniences of this treatment was that Alex was unable to bend over to put on his shoes. That’s when his father stepped in. These hand-free shoes, called Quikiks™, can be easily put and worn. The patented Step-in-Go™ Hands-Free Shoe System is embedded in every pair of Quikiks™.

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