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Most of us take the ability to run or ride a bike for granted. Sadly, for some folks, running and cycling are just dreams. However, the GlideCycle might make those dreams a reality.
Developed in Oregon, the GlideCycle can be powered with just one leg, or two disabled legs. Perfect for overweight individuals, disabled folks, amputees, or even injured able-bodied people, the no-impact GlideCycle lets folks exercise outdoors with ease. One user has said that unlike wheelchairs or handcycles, the GlideCycle keeps him higher off the ground, up with the regular runners and cyclists, exercising his good leg. He almost forgets he's an amputee when using the GlideCycle. That's a pretty powerful endorsement.
The PT Pro model is priced at $1,649. A consumer version of the product will be available over the summer, price unknown at this time.
At first glance, I had to wonder how stable it would be to operate with one leg. But, I realized that I cycle with my feet clipped into the pedals of my bicycle, and typically only unclip one foot when stopping and starting. The GlideCycle is similar to that, although starting up with only one leg and turning takes some practice.
Beth Haller, Ph.D., is Co-Director of the Global Alliance for Disability in Media and Entertainment (www.gadim.org). A former print journalist, she is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Center on Disability and Journalism (https://ncdj.org/). Haller is Professor Emerita in the Department of Mass Communication at Towson University in Maryland, USA. Haller is co-editor of the 2020 "Routledge Companion to Disability and Media" (with Gerard Goggin of University of Sydney & Katie Ellis of Curtin University, Australia). She is author of "Representing Disability in an Ableist World: Essays on Mass Media" (Advocado Press, 2010) and the author/editor of Byline of Hope: Collected Newspaper and Magazine Writing of Helen Keller (Advocado Press, 2015). She has been researching disability representation in mass media for 30+ years. She is adjunct faculty in the Disability Studies programs at the City University of New York (CUNY) and the University of Texas-Arlington.
From DVICE.com:
