{"id":36281,"date":"2021-10-06T11:10:28","date_gmt":"2021-10-06T03:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/?p=36281"},"modified":"2023-03-15T12:07:03","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T04:07:03","slug":"karmas-innovation-appearance-is-just-as-important-as-function","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/2021\/10\/karmas-innovation-appearance-is-just-as-important-as-function\/","title":{"rendered":"KARMA\u2019s Innovation; Appearance Is Just As Important as Function"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As part of our series of KARMA blogs, where we chat with Eric van Olst, Chief Innovations Officer at KARMA, to get under the skin of what truly makes a <span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/\">KARMA chair<\/a><\/span>, and the processes and considerations that go into every aspect of producing our wheelchairs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today we discuss the importance and considerations when it comes to the aesthetics of a chair, most notably in our <span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/product_cate-2\/power-wheelchair\/#tab_top-line\">EVO range<\/a><\/span>. Are looks just as important as functionality?<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row align-center\"  id=\"row-2048614375\">\n\n\t<div id=\"col-200365676\" class=\"col medium-7 small-12 large-7\"  >\n\t\t<div class=\"col-inner text-center\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_516922825\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"344\" src=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Eric-Pic-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Eric-Pic-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Eric-Pic-1-300x206.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_516922825 {\n  width: 100%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 95%;\"><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eric van Olst, Chief Innovations Officer at KARMA<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n<h2><b>Aesthetic of Wheelchairs<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #34495e;\"><b>So Eric, how important is the look of a wheelchair? And why?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008f87;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The wheelchair to me is a part of the person you are. You personally pick your clothes, your hair style, and also your wheelchair. <strong>It is part of you.<\/strong> So the design should fit your personal taste. If you wear fancy clothes, you do not want to sit in a wheelchair that looks old fashioned, do you?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #34495e;\"><b>What processes do you go through when designing a chair?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008f87;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We set the boundaries for size, functionality, but also about looks. It\u2019s not just a sum of practical parts, but about designing wheelchairs where all the parts, accessories and options work in harmony with the design.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008f87;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Often you see a wheelchair which looks like a Christmas tree with lots of different materials, parts and colours where the individual is hidden behind the chair. We make sure there is a harmonised design of all the parts and accessories. This in turn creates a wheelchair which is more in the background and the user is the center of attention, as they should be. <\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"row align-center\"  id=\"row-1169406911\">\n\n\t<div id=\"col-1754071065\" class=\"col medium-9 small-12 large-9\"  >\n\t\t<div class=\"col-inner text-center\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_1925035865\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-Posts-12-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-Posts-12-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-Posts-12-1-300x180.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_1925035865 {\n  width: 100%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>An early concept design of the <span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/product_cate-2\/power-wheelchair\/#tab_top-line\">EVO chairs<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #34495e;\"><b>Has the process evolved over the years?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008f87;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oh yes, definitely. I do remember in the early days wheelchairs were made out of chromed tube frames with blue leatherette upholstery. The plastic covers were often made out of glass reinforced fibre. We have come a long way from there. Nowadays we use modern cloth that can breathe, or water repellent cloth that also can still breath. The plastic covers are made out of recyclable materials. Colours have been added to give it an element of personalisation. We have moved away from a \u201chospitalish look\u201d to more automotive look.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #34495e;\"><b>How would you describe the look of KARMA chairs? Do you take inspiration from anything else?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008f87;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I would describe them as modern, automotive-ish, and harmonised. Of course design is a matter of taste. Some markets prefer individual colours to match more with the user&#8217;s own taste. Other markets where chairs are owned by the government or health insurance companies may prefer a more neutral look, so the chairs can be reused for other users as well. We can offer both options and even individual requests are possible.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008f87;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once a user came to me and said, \u201cDo you know what came into my mind when I saw your wheelchair designs?\u201d They look like lamborghinis\u2026 \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b>You can check out the full range of KARMA wheelchairs and find out more about our unique power functions on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\">KARMA website<\/span>.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>Keep Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n  \n    <div class=\"row large-columns-3 medium-columns- small-columns-1 slider row-slider slider-nav-reveal slider-nav-push\"  data-flickity-options='{\"imagesLoaded\": true, \"groupCells\": \"100%\", \"dragThreshold\" : 5, \"cellAlign\": \"left\",\"wrapAround\": true,\"prevNextButtons\": true,\"percentPosition\": true,\"pageDots\": false, \"rightToLeft\": false, \"autoPlay\" : false}'>\n\n  \t\t<div class=\"col post-item\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/2021\/10\/karmas-innovation-batteries-karma-wheelchairs\/\" class=\"plain\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box box-bounce box-text-bottom box-blog-post has-hover\">\n            \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-image\" >\n  \t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-cover\" style=\"padding-top:56%;\">\n  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Blog-Posts-26-300x180.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Blog-Posts-26-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Blog-Posts-26.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n  \t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n          \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-text text-left is-small\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-text-inner blog-post-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"post-title is-large \">KARMA\u2019s Innovation; Batteries and Range in KARMA Wheelchairs<\/h5>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"is-divider\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t                    \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"col post-item\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/2021\/09\/karmas-innovation-testing-and-reliability-of-karma-wheelchairs\/\" class=\"plain\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box box-bounce box-text-bottom box-blog-post has-hover\">\n            \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-image\" >\n  \t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-cover\" style=\"padding-top:56%;\">\n  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Blog-Posts-20-300x180.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Blog-Posts-20-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Blog-Posts-20.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n  \t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n          \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-text text-left is-small\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-text-inner blog-post-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"post-title is-large \">KARMA\u2019s Innovation; Testing and Reliability of KARMA Wheelchairs<\/h5>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"is-divider\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t                    \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"col post-item\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-inner\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/2021\/09\/karmas-innovation-power-functions-in-karma-wheelchairs\/\" class=\"plain\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box box-bounce box-text-bottom box-blog-post has-hover\">\n            \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-image\" >\n  \t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"image-cover\" style=\"padding-top:56%;\">\n  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Blog-Posts-15-300x180.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Blog-Posts-15-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Blog-Posts-15.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n  \t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n          \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-text text-left is-small\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"box-text-inner blog-post-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5 class=\"post-title is-large \">KARMA\u2019s Innovation; Power Functions in KARMA Wheelchairs<\/h5>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"is-divider\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t                    \n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As part of our series of KARMA blogs, where we chat with Eric van Olst, Chief Innovations Officer at KARMA, to get under the skin of what truly makes a KARMA chair, and the processes and considerations that go into every aspect of producing our wheelchairs. Today we discuss the importance and considerations when it [&#8230;]\n","protected":false},"author":52647,"featured_media":46339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538,581],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36281"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52647"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36281"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46382,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36281\/revisions\/46382"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}