WHILL, manufacturer of personal mobility vehicles as well as wheelchairs, has been named to Fast Company’s 2018 Most Innovative Companies list.
WHILL was named to Fast Company’s list of the “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Robotics.” Fast Company is a media company whose editorial content focuses on “innovation in technology, leadership, world-changing ideas, and design.”
In a news announcement, WHILL stated its mission is “to deliver fun and innovation to pedestrian travel with category-defining products that uniquely combine a sleek, fashionable design that has the power to eliminate the feeling of self-consciousness reflected in antiquated scooters and wheelchairs.”
WHILL’s current offerings include the Model A personal mobility vehicle, which is not classified as a wheelchair, and the Model M, which has been approved as a wheelchair by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
At this year’s CES event, WHILL launched Model Ci, a personal mobility device with a lower price point than the Model A. Model Ci includes embedded Bluetooth for remote driving using an iPhone app.
National Seating & Mobility (NSM) is WHILL’s sole complex rehab technology provider of the Model M and Model Ci in the United States. NSM also sells WHILL vehicles through AccessNSM, its home accessibility division.
In its annual “Most Innovative” writeup, Fast Company said it honored WHILL “for designing smart — and stylish — wheelchairs.”
Fast Company also put ReWalk Robotics on its Most Innovative list, “for helping stroke victims regain mobility.” ReWalk offers exoskeletons aimed at people with spinal cord injuries.
