Cogy

THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 2 MILLION IMMOBILE PATIENTS IN JAPAN WHO REQUIRE REHABILITATION BUT GIVE UP ON IT. FOR THEM, WHEELCHAIRS ARE MERE “SUPPORT TOOLS” THAT WILL ASSIST THEM IN MOBILITY. THE COGY PROJECT HAS STARTED TO DELIVER THE JOY OF MOBILITY ONCE MORE TO THESE PEOPLE. COGY IS THE FIRST TIME EVER WHERE A WHEELCHAIR ALLOWS USERS TO PEDAL BY HARNESSING AND USING THEIR OWN LEG. COGY ALLOWS THE USERS THEMSELVES TO HARNESS THE REFLEXES IN THEIR OWN LEGS TO PROPEL THEMSELVES FORTH. COGY OFFERS TWO REHABILITATION POSSIBILITIES. FIRST IS PHYSICAL REHABILITATION, WHILE THE SECOND IS PSYCHOLOGICAL REHABILITATION. THE HOPE THAT COGY GIVES ITS USERS MEANS THEY HAVE A RENEWED ZEST FOR LIFE, AND HAPPINESS. UNITS SOLD INCREASED TO MORE THAN TWICE FROM THE YEAR BEFORE. RECOGNITION OF COGY SPREAD OVERSEAS, WHICH INCLUDED A QUERY FROM STANFORD UNIVERSITY’S MEDICAL RESEARCH BODIES. THE BRIEF : HONORARY PROFESSOR HANDA OF THE NATIONAL TOHOKU UNIVERSITY OF JAPAN DISCOVERED THAT BY STIMULATING THE PRIMITIVE MOTOR REFLEX LOCATED IN THE SPINE, EVEN IMMOBILE LEGS ARE SPURRED INTO MOVEMENT BY “REFLEX”. BASED ON THIS AMAZING DISCOVERY, THE JOURNEY OF CREATING AN ENTIRELY NEW KIND OF WHEELCHAIR BEGAN. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE BUDGET FOR THIS RESEARCH INITIATIVE WAS MINIMAL. SO TESS CAME IN AS A PARTNER AND SUPPORTER, AND A JOINT DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP WAS ESTABLISHED. THE STRATEGY : FOR MANY PATIENTS, A LIFE WITH A WHEELCHAIR MEANS A LIFE OF GIVING UP ON THE POSSIBILITY OF EVER WALKING AGAIN. OUR STRATEGY WAS AIMED AT THIS VERY PSYCHOLOGY. 1. AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT POSITIONING TO OTHER WHEELCHAIRS. “THE WHEELCHAIR FOR THOSE WHO STILL BELIEVE” ESTABLISHED AS PRODUCT PROPOSITION. THIS ALSO ACT AS A TAGLINE AND TELLS PATIENTS THAT THEY HAVE A NEW OPTION, RATHER THAN GIVING UP ON THEIR LEGS. 2. ATTAINED RELIABILITY AND TRUSTWORTHINESS BY COLLECTING AND CONVEYING THE REAL VOICES OF COGY USERS. THE EXECUTION/THE EXECUTION & CRAFT : UNIQUENESS OF COGY’S DESIGN: PRONOUNCEDLY LOW SEATING TO STIMULATE THE PRIMITIVE MOTOR REFLEX, AND SUPER LIGHT PEDALS. HOW IT WORKS: 1. ONLY THE SLIGHTEST PUSH FROM ONE LEG MAKES THE PEDALS MOVE FORTH. 2. THIS MOVEMENT STIMULATES THE PRIMITIVE MOTOR REFLEX IN THE SPINAL CORD. 3. THIS MOVEMENT STIMULATES A REFLEX RESPONSE IN THE OTHER LEG AND PEDALING BEGINS. 4. REFLEXES ARE A REACTION LATENT IN ALL HUMANS. FOR EXAMPLE, BABIES WHO HAVE YET TO LEARN TO WALK HAVE AN AUTOMATED REFLEX THAT MAKES THEIR LEGS MOVE IN A WALKING MOTION. THE RESULT : COGY ALLOWS THE USERS THEMSELVES TO HARNESS THE REFLEXES IN THEIR OWN LEGS TO PROPEL THEMSELVES FORTH. THIS PRODUCT IS CHALLENGING THE TRADITIONAL ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR MARKET WITH THEIR ENTIRELY NEW INNOVATION. COGY OFFERS TWO REHABILITATION POSSIBILITIES FOR THE USERS. FIRST IS PHYSICAL REHABILITATION, WHILE THE SECOND IS PSYCHOLOGICAL REHABILITATION. THE HOPE THAT COGY GIVES ITS USERS MEANS THEY HAVE A RENEWED ZEST FOR LIFE, AND HAPPINESS. SOME USERS EVEN EXPRESSED RENEWED AMBITIONS SUCH AS TRAVELING AROUND JAPAN OR GOING BACK TO WORK. UNITS SOLD USERS EVEN EXPRESSED RENEWED AMBITIONS SUCH AS TRAVELING AROUND JAPAN OR GOING BACK TO WORK. UNITS SOLD INCREASED TO MORE THAN TWICE FROM THE YEAR BEFORE, WITH MORE AND MORE PATIENTS SWITCHING TO COGY. RECOGNITION OF COGY SPREAD OVERSEAS, WHICH INCLUDED A QUERY FROM STANFORD UNIVERSITY’S MEDICAL RESEARCH BODIES.