These lightweight chairs are really complemented by our lightweight, minimalist design and make propellling wheelchairs with one arm a simple and easy function. Above is the TiLite with Nomad's OAD and below is an image of the OAD on a Helium.
Nomad and 7 other like-minded organisations have created the Kandu Group. It is a new kind of trade association and is set up to promote an ethical, moral and friendly way to do business in the care and mobility sectors. Nomad Director Jon says "Kandu formed out of the belief that the care and mobility industries are in need of a change in focus, from profit to people."
Nomad Wheelchairs is just one of the founder members of Kandu. The others are:
Spokz: http://www.spokz.co.uk/
Spokz People: http://www.spokzpeople.org.uk/
Mountain Trike: http://www.mountaintrike.co.uk/
DisabledGear.com: http://www.disabledgear.com/
Active Hands: http://www.activehands.co.uk/
Standing Start: http://www.standingstart.org/
Trabasack: http://www.trabasack.co.uk/
All of these companies truly are good guys. The Kandu group is peer approved, so you know they can be trusted. Like us, all of the companies have personal experience with disabilities, so they don't just work it, they live it!
Check out the link here@ http://www.kandugroup.com/
The site is at an early stage, but we hope it will be a central point of reference for all things related to disability and mobility.
There are also facebook pages and a presence on Twitter. Check out @kandugroup on Twitter and the facebook signpost is http://www.facebook.com/KanduGroup
At Nomad, we're very proud to be associated with this group. It will help to offer customers a complete range of products and services. The 8 founder companies of the Kandu Goup all share an ethical outlook to business and believe strongly in doing what’s right. Nomad Director Mark Owen, says: “It is a great idea to help people differentiate between genuinely moral businesses and everyone else”.
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These lightweight chairs are really complemented by our lightweight, minimalist design and make propellling wheelchairs with one arm a simple and easy function. Above is the TiLite with Nomad's OAD and below is an image of the OAD on a Helium.
A quick update on the awards front...We went down to the launch of the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year 2011 last week and had a great time. Met some old friends there (hi Steve, David, Ed, Si) and made some new ones...
We wondered around the Design Museum, set on the banks of the Thames in London, celebrated our design and marveled in others - all in all a great event!
Our
one arm drive in amongst the best of international design, from all fields - there were Japanese art installations, architectural projects, household appliances, and all other manner of entries. The only thing the nominations had in common was that they all showed the value of great design. Design can make our lives better - if not by actually making it easier or more efficient, then by simply making the world a prettier, more fun place to be. For Nomad to be included in this kind of company is the greatest compliment.
We would like to thank the Design Museum staff for hosting such a great event, they all made us feel very welcome and special. Also, Brit Insurance for sponsoring the event and a special thanks to David Rowan, Editor of Wired Magazine for nominating Nomad for such a prestigious award.
We will update you on the results, as they are announced in March...watch this space!
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Nomad's latest product, the One Arm Drive (OAD) has been a hit with users, it is now a hit with the design world. Nomad was notified that we had received a nomination for Design of the year some time ago...news even better than this came late last week...we were shortlisted!
As if this wasn't enough, we were then asked if the Design Museum, London could install the OAD as a feature in the museum. What an honour.
Up against the likes of Apple and Dyson in the Brit Insurance Design Awards, we are in esteemed company! Some information on the awards follows:
The Brit In
The showcase show is open to the public from 16th February. Results of the awards are announced on 28th February (wish us luck!). More infomation is available at:
surance Designs Awards, "the Oscars of the design world," showcase th e most innovative and forward thinking designs from around the world. Last year 's winner, was the Folding Plug by Min-Kyu Choi that revolutionises a humbl e, but essential, piece of everyday equipment. The Design Museum’s exhibition and awards are supported by Brit Insurance, an international general insurance and reinsurance group specialising in commercial insurance.
http://www.designmuseum.org and http://www.britinsurance.com Regards, The Nomad Team
Anne Massey, Professor of Design History at Kingston University, London, has published a book on The Chair, as a cultural and design icon. Chairs help seperate us from the animals, raising us off the ground. They have, over time, become more complex and have come to mean different things to different people, at different times (think of thrones, rocking chairs, office chairs).
Professor Massey then goes on to consider how the chair has been adapted by the medical industry to help people with disabilities. After a look at the history of wheelchairs, Nomad is used as an example of modern, innovative wheelchair design. What a compliment!
Professor Massey's excellent book 'Chair' is available from Reaktion Books from February: http://www.reaktionbooks.co.uk/book.html?id=435
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We are investigating the possibility of improving the pre-flight, in-flight and post-flight experience for wheelchair users and would like to hear what is currently good / bad about flying with any airline.
If you are a wheelchair user, or you know one with experience in air travel, please let us know. Any opinions, experiences, anecdotes or suggestions are gratefully received.
Information will be gathered via a short questionnaire and sent via email. Annonymity and confidentiality are guaranteed.
If you are interested in trying to improve an industry, please contact Jon Owen (jon@nomadwheelchairs.com) for further information.
Thanks all!
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Our One Arm Drive (OAD) is already proving very popular. With all major manufacturers now wanting to fit the Nomad OAD to their one arm driven wheelchairs, things are looking good. Talking of looking good, here's a photo of the OAD, as fitted to our Mrk1 wheelhair...you would hardly notice it's there at all! 
Early reports from demonstrations confirm what our tests found. This is the most efficient One Arm drive on the market. The minimal amount of play in the drive mean that the user saves a massive amout of energy when propelling themselves with the Nomad OAD.
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Mark and Sir Stirling Analysing Nomad's productsSir Stirling was very nice and took a great interest in our new products, as we had made use of motor racing tachnologies in the One Arm Drive (thanks to a racing fanatic Director at Nomad...).
Here's an extract of a recent press release on the subject:
Nomad was selected out of some 100 exhibitors to meet Sir Stirling, due to Nomad Director Mark Owen’s activities in motor racing, as well as the innovative new products we launched at the show.
“Sir Stirling was on fine form”, says Jon Owen, Mark’s brother and co-Director of Nomad, “you can still see that fire in the eyes”.
Mark and Sir Stirling swapped race track stories, as well as some technical thoughts on the one arm drive, which Sir Stirling thought was great.
Mark deomonstrating the One Arm Drive to Sir Stirling
Mark adds “Getting positive technical feedback from a legend like Sir Stirling was amazing. He immediately saw the benefits of applying the technology we have and thought we should do very well with it.”
The one arm drive is proving very popular all round, with most major manufacturers wishing to use the Nomad product on their chairs.
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ONE ARM DRIVE
The first product will be a new one arm drive (hemiplegic) unit. This allows the wheelchair user to propel and manouevre a wheelchair with one arm. As you ould expect, many features are unique to Nomad's design: It uses Spinergy Wheels, making it the coolest OAD around. It also allows up to 9 degrees of camber, making it ideal for sports. Both wheels are also quick release.
The clever design makes for much les play between the two pushrims, making it far easier and more effcient to push. Plus, because it's an original Nomad design, it looks great to....why compromise?
Portable Transfer Aid / Monkey Pole
Our second product should help to revolutionise travel for people with limited mobility. We have designed a portable transfer aid, or 'monkey pole'. For the first time, there is a transfer aid that is truly mobile - Nomad's design lets it dissasemble and fit into a regular holdall bag! This makes it perfect for travel, as well as for home use. Mark Owen, Nmad Director says:
“Thi product has quite simply changed my life. I travel a lot with work, and I also like to holiday whenever possible. Transfers were always an uncertainty before – you never knew what you would get at your destination. That got me thinking about something I could take with me. This now gives me perfect peace of mind…No matter where I go, I take the Nomad transfer aid with me.”
More information (names, images, prices) will be available from Nomad after the official launch at Mobility Roadshow. Both products will be available direct from Nomad and from all good retailers.
Thanks as always.
The Nomad Team.
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Able Magazine have given Nomad's Mrk1 Wheelchair 4 Stars in it's product rating feature.
Mark Owen, Nomad Director said "This is a huge compliment to all involved in the design, manufacture and sale of this award winning wheelcair."
The award is given following an extended trial by a wheelchair user, so this really is the ultimate statement of success. The wheelchair is already an award winner in design circles, having won a 2009 Design Management Europe Award, but winning high praise in the field is where it really counts. Nomad are ready to launch two new products at the Mobility Roadshow, which takes placeat Peterborough's East of England Showground on 1st - 3rd July.
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