Pearson Lloyd launches Flow X, an innovative stairlift for an increasingly independent older population. To do away with the cliché that fashionable design is primarily for the young and able-bodied, Pearson Lloyd developed Flow X with mobility specialist Access BDD, a division of the global tech company TK Elevator, to show that function-first and traditionally unstylish equipment can be innovative and appealing.
Flow X is the result of ten years of research, design and development. It is intuitive and user-friendly, as well as ergonomic. It uses patented ASL (Advanced Swivel Levelling) technology to ensure the seat and footrest rotate together, and to maintain optimal distances between the chair and the staircase. ASL technology also enables the user to get on and off the seat without having to twist their bodies. Thanks to a folding mechanism with manual and automatic options, the seat takes up a minimal amount of space on the stairs when not in use. This unique system also allows the user to easily park the stairlift without having to bend their back or knees.
Innovative folding arms that support sitting and standing and can fully unfold to allow side access from a wheelchair, also hold all user-operated controls. The arms rotate from an elevated yoke which is attached to the chair’s central spine and supportive curved backrest, leaving enough space beneath them to allow freedom of movement of the hips and legs.
The easy-to-use joystick was designed to be controlled by any part of the hand or wrist, and buttons and indicators are placed so they are visible and operable from any position. Three phone numbers can be programmed into the built-in call function so that users can contact family, friends or medical workers.
The comfort, ease and stylish design of Flow X is meant to enable users to remain in their homes and maintain their independence. According to the Pearson Lloyd website, these outcomes “are statistically proven to produce better longevity and quality of life than going into care.”
Flow X is one of the first stairlift products that is designed to satisfy the mobility and emotional needs of a generation of design-aware and tech-literate seniors. In addition to being an example of user-centered design and how it can be applied, the cutting-edge stairlift serves as a call to the greater design community to shift their focus from high-profile, marketing-led designs towards products that can have a life-enhancing impact in the real-world. Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd of Pearson Lloyd said in a press release that Flow X is about “designing for our future selves.”
