We expect mainstream manufacturers to say they
design products to be intuitive, and it’s a nice
buzzword. But realistically, if our new smartphone
or coffee maker doesn’t work exactly as we
anticipated, we adjust and move on with our lives (and
our coffee-making).

It’s far more complicated for complex rehab technology
(CRT) manufacturers, whose users are limited in
their abilities to adapt. To an able-bodied smartphone
user, scrolling through a few extra screens is no big deal.
But needing to do the same to operate a power wheelchair
can literally cost a client his or her independence.

The most successful CRT isn’t just intuitive. It also anticipates
what every stakeholder needs, from consumer to
clinician to ATP.

Introducing Q-Logic 3 with iAccess

With its January launch, Quantum Rehab’s Q-Logic 3
power chair electronics system seeks to do exactly that
— address advanced electronics needs of consumers,
clinicians and ATPs with next-gen functionality.

Asked about its highlights, Jay Doherty, OTR, ATP/SMS,
senior clinical education manager for the Eastern United
States, rolled out a list of features and upgraded functions
engineered to streamline stakeholder experiences
across the board, from the clinician doing an evaluation
in clinic, to the consumer using a power chair for hours
every day, to the ATP or technician adjusting the electronics
as a client’s needs evolve.

At the top of the highlight reel, Doherty describes
iAccess, a new module that enables clinicians and ATPs
to fine-tune preferences and functions on a whole new
level. There are four rocker switches on the unit, and “It
allows up to 19 functions to be accessed through the
module,” Doherty says. “Those functions are programmable.
If you change the function that’s on a button, the
LED picture that’s on the iAccess changes as well. So it
coincides with what the function is.”

He notes that iAccess is “very customizable” to each
consumer’s needs and preferences. For instance, if you
order a Q-Logic 3-equipped power chair with power tilt,
recline and iLevel, Quantum’s power adjustable seat
elevation system, those functions are programmed in at
the factory. “But you can switch where they’re located
[on the electronics system] to make it easier for the individual,”
Doherty says.

And Q-Logic 3 features a “home key” — more on that
later. “If somebody can’t access the home key on the
hand control, we can program one of the [iAccess]
buttons as a home key or a mode key,” Doherty says.
“We have a lot of customization that can be done. They
could have a shortcut key to enter their Bluetooth mouse
screen and have mouse clicks on each button as well.”

iAccess has the ability to operate on multiple levels
or “pages” to maximize the total number of functions
available. “As they change pages, the functions would
change,” Doherty says. “That’s how you can have up to
19 functions on one iAccess. Most people probably won’t
use that, but the fact that they could is pretty significant.”

Programmability in the Real World (& Clinic)

When a system offers that degree of configurability — it
could be hard to find two Q-Logic 3-equipped power
chairs exactly alike — the question of efficiency comes
up. How do all those possibilities work in the timecrunched
world of therapists and ATPs, where client
changes are either a possibility or probability?

For starters, Q-Logic’s basic programming process is
familiar and quick, Doherty says: “On the programming
station, you click on an icon, drag it over to the button
on the screen and drop it. It’s a drag and drop.”

CRT professionals can even choose how to program
the system: “It can be programmed two ways, either
through the hand-held programmer or with our new
programming station.”

A new feature called Clinic Mode was designed to
help clinicians and ATPs make the most of the scant time
they have to perform evaluations.

“For a demo chair, when you’re using it for evaluation,
you just set it to Clinic Mode,” Doherty says. “Hold the on
toggle forward for about six seconds. Once the screen
flashes, you release it, and it automatically takes you into
a screen that says Clinic Mode. Clinic Mode allows you
to program an initial starting point for whatever input
device you’re using, such as a proportional chin control
through the enhanced display, or a head array through
a SCIM module. This allows you to program it with input
commands on the device without a programmer. It’s
a quick, easy way to get a basic setup of a specialty
control on the system.”

The Q-Logic 3 designers were especially sensitive
to the evaluation environment, when therapists are expected to make quick, yet optimal assessments.

“It’s designed to make evaluations more time efficient,”
Doherty says. “If you have two back-to-back appointments
and the first one is with a proportional chin control
and it doesn’t go well, you may need to switch to a head
array. You can shut the chair off, turn it back on using
Clinic Mode [and set up the head array]. As long as you
have the input device, you can set it up quickly.”

Clinic Mode can be quickly enabled during evaluations
and will be disabled on Q-Logic 3 power chairs
provided to consumers.

“Sometimes in evaluations, you think we’re going to
go down a particular path, and that’s not the path you
eventually take,” Doherty says of the challenge of determining
the optimal driving controls for each client. Clinic
Mode “gives you the opportunity to further tweak the
system for the person. You can hook up a programmer
and do the programming.”

Other improvements for clinicians: “As far as Bluetooth
goes, we will have the ability to connect to multiple
devices. With Q-Logic 2, if you have two devices that
need mouse access, in order to access the second
one, you have to unpair the first one, which didn’t work
out well. With Q-Logic 3, we now have the ability to link
multiple devices with the system. When they go to their
Bluetooth screen, the list of devices comes up, and they
can choose which device they want to access. It’s a
simple setup for a user.”

Also, “We can have up to six input devices on a
chair at once. You can have a specialty control with an
enhanced display. You can have a specialty control
with a SCIM module. You can have a sip and puff, a
single-switch scanner, an attendant control and a hand
control all on the chair at once. For evaluation purposes,
that can be really efficient and effective because you
can have things set up ahead of time, program it and
swap a device really quickly. Time is of the essence
during an evaluation.”

Meet Them Where They Are & Where They’ll Go

Other new features include the previously mentioned
home key (think: smartphone/tablet shortcut) on the
hand control to “access their driving parameters, their
seat functions, their auxiliary menu or their settings. Just
a hit of the button and a movement of the input device,”
Doherty says. The idea is to shorten the number of key
clicks or commands needed to get back to the home
screen — a function that saves time and can be critical
for clients needing to conserve effort and energy.

Q-Logic’s single-switch scanner now can be customized:
“People can use preset single-switch scanning
layouts or customize them to the individual’s needs,”
Doherty adds. “So they can control how the scanner
is going to scan.” Q-Logic 3 is also “teachable.” For
instance, a client can “teach” a left double tap to a
head array, and the system will remember that timing
when operating the system.

The Q-Logic 3 was designed to keep clients fully
informed and to let them take the lead. Q-Logic 3’s
power positioning screen includes animated arrows to
show in which direction, for instance, the chair is tilting.
Clients can choose among six colors for their background
screen to maximize visual contrast…or just to
see more of their favorite color.

That level of customizability creates an interesting
result: Q-Logic 3 is so individually configurable that its
reach is virtually universal.

“With the expanse of customization that can be
performed with Q-Logic 3, I can’t think of a group of
consumers that would not benefit from it,” Doherty says.
“For folks with progressive conditions, we have a lot of
options for switching input devices, so I think that will
make it easier to transition from one input device to
another. There are some folks who have to switch input
devices in the middle of the day, and I think the transition
can be made a lot easier with this system. Those who
struggle with a large number of menus can also benefit
from some of the new features.

“Truly, with the expandable electronics that Q-Logic
3 offers, even someone who just uses a standard
joystick will find that the home key or iAccess could
really enhance their life. And for people with progressive
conditions to be able to modify a system, so it can
continue to meet their needs, is huge.”

Meet Q-Logic 3 in person at March’s International
Seating Symposium, booth 224.