Why I love using a SmartDrive MX2 Power Assist…
… and how it has revolutionised my wheelchair.
[ID: A swirl of brightly coloured circles that look electric.]
SmartDrive MX2 power assist by Max mobility. The tech that makes your manual wheelchair the Tesla of wheelchairs! Ok, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch but it’s pretty cool.
The first time I came across this bad boy was back in 2017 watching Chelsie Hill’s vlog on YouTube.
I remember distinctively, she was carrying 3 cups of coffee from Starbucks AND filming at the same time. I remember thinking, I just want to be able to carry one cup of coffee without spilling it!
What is it?
I should probably explain what this piece of technology is and how it works. The SmartDrive MX2 is a power assisting device that attaches to the back of your wheelchair. This device can help you navigate through terrain like grass and rubble, and can assist you going up ramps and steep hills.
It can also be good for just pushing long distances.
How does it work?
A motion sensing wristband or smart watch (depending on what version you get) connects with the SmartDrive via Bluetooth. To operate the device is pretty simple. With the smart watch, which is the one that I own, you download the PushTracker E2 app and turn on your SmartDrive and you’re ready to go! To get it to go you can either push your wheelchair at the desired speed or you can double tap your wrist against your tire or armrest. When the SmartDrive has reached the desired speed then simply tap your wrist once more to keep it at that speed. To stop just double tap once again.
My experience
In 2019 I went to the Abilities expo in Houston Texas. Chelsie was there with her dance team, The Rollettes. I got to meet and hang out with them so that was pretty cool. I saw the Permobil booth where they had the SmartDrive, letting people test it out.
You know I was all over that!
So I maneuver from my wheelchair to the wheelchair that they had already set up with the SmartDrive. They show me step by step how to use it. I’m rolling around the room having a blast and thinking to myself, man this is great! I feel so independent! I’m literally loving every minute of it. I was due for a new wheelchair soon so I couldn’t wait for that appointment to talk to them about getting a SmartDrive.
Getting this device was not simple.
As you can probably imagine, a device like this isn’t cheap. Because it is over $6000, I had to go through my insurance and if you are disabled with mobility issues then you know getting the things you need through your insurance isn’t the easiest thing to do. The process was time consuming to say the least. It took about 4 to 5 months to finally get it approved, and then a month or so to get it, if I’m not mistaken.
I got it a little after the pandemic hit America.
When I finally got it, they delivered it to my house and set it up. The guy stayed for a few hours helping me get used to it, showing me everything I needed to know until I was comfortable using it safely.
Being a mom to a toddler, he keeps me on my toes. One of the scariest things for me is taking him to the park because I’m not quick enough to keep up with him if he runs off; what better place to test this piece of equipment out than the park, right? Right! Well, sort of.
The park we went to was pretty large and I still had anxiety.
There were hills, bumps and dips all over the place. Not to mention, the constant change of terrain from cement to grass, even mulch. I was so scared of flipping or getting stuck that I would keep the speed slow, but fast enough to get me over small bumps on the sidewalk. We get to the area where we are going to be settling down and all is well… for about 5 minutes. My son loves playing with sports balls, football, soccer, basketball, just give him a ball and he’s good. That day he had his soccer ball with him so of course he was throwing it around.
Here it comes, the test of my SmartDrive.
He throws the ball across the field which is totally fine, except for the fact that when he went to go get it he kept running, and running.
My heart began beating out of my chest as I yelled, “Jacob! …JACOB! …COME!!”
This was it, my first real use of my SmartDrive was going to be during a panic attack. I turn on the SmartDrive and tap the watch against my tire and began rolling down the sidewalk onto the grass. The SmartDrive is handling the terrain pretty well but I have yet to reach Jacob. I call out to him once more and he stops in his tracks then turns and begins running towards me. I’m relieved, but I’m still headed towards him. As I’m approaching the sidewalk again, I noticed that it’s a bit higher than the grass.
Can I make it over that?
I asked myself as I remembered that during the initial setup with the wheelchair technician, I couldn’t make it over the threshold to my own house without the ramp he gave me. In a panic, I started banging my wrist on the tire to stop the SmartDrive. I look up again to see that my son is a lot closer, my wheelchair stops and I breathe out a sigh of relief.
My conclusion
The SmartDrive is amazing!
Okay, I have to face facts, being in a wheelchair I may not be able to keep up with my toddler, but it has allowed me to have a little less restrictions and a little more freedom. The SmartDrive is a power assist and it does just that, assists. I’m sure that with more use I can find out what this thing can really do, but as a person who navigates through life with one hand and two children, it has been very helpful
I HIGHLY recommend.
Bre’Donda Freeman is a stay at home mom in a wheelchair, with a story to tell. You can follow Bre’Donda on Medium — Bredonda Freeman, on Twitter and Instagram.
