Sunrise Will Offer VA Patients Installs of LUCI’s Safety System

The wheelchair manufacturer will offer VA patients the option for a factory installation of LUCI’s safety technology system on QUICKIE power wheelchairs.

• By David Kopf
• Nov 10, 2022

Mobility device maker Sunrise Medical and wheelchair safety technology company LUCI have agreed to an arrangement in which Sunrise will give Veterans Health Administration (VA) patients the option to install LUCI’s safety system on QUICKIE power wheelchairs as they are built at the Sunrise Medical factory.

LUCI’s safety system mounts onto a power wheelchair between the power base and seat and uses sensor-fusion technology that combines data from cameras, ultrasonics and radar into a single, 360-degree view to help drivers avoid collisions and dangerous drop-offs while maintaining personalized driving control. LUCI can also monitor and alert drivers and caregivers to low battery, possible tipping scenarios, and other important updates regarding the chair and the driver.

LUCI, which launched in 2020, announced its compatibility with the QUICKIE line of chairs in July 2021. Now powerchair users within the VA system will have the option to pre-install LUCI onto the three most popular QUICKIE models: the Q300 M Mini, Q500 M, and Q700 M chair models.

“We’re excited and grateful that Sunrise Medical is so attuned to the needs of their drivers, and particularly to the needs of America’s veterans, to form this innovative partnership and help QUICKIE drivers access LUCI’s life-changing technology,” LUCI co-founder and CEO Barry Dean said. “We’ve been fortunate to call them our partners for more than a year, and as our teams have continued to collaborate, we’ve continued to find great ways to fulfill our joint mission of improving people’s lives. This is an important step forward in what continues to be a strong and successful partnership.”

Sunrise Medical will install LUCI products on VA patients’ QUICKIE chairs at a production facility in Nashville it opened in late 2021. VA patients can now request LUCI on their chairs, with clinicians within the VA able to request the technology-equipped chair via one order form.

“With features like drop-off prevention, collision avoidance, and care team alerts, LUCI has made power wheelchairs a safer option for thousands of people, and it was important to us to put America’s veterans first by giving them convenient and timely access to this technology straight from our factory,” said Larry Jackson, president of Sunrise Medical North America. “This announcement reflects our commitment to ensuring QUICKIE power chair drivers have access to the technology they need, delivered as soon as possible. We’re excited to make LUCI an easy and convenient option for veterans to choose.”