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Amputation is a major complication of diabetes with the number of amputations caused by diabetes rising 24% from 1988 to 2009.  The most common amputations in people with diabetes are the toes, feet, and lower legs.

Since Jazz legend, Ella Fitzgerald was a double-amputee who didn’t let her condition stop her from performing, we decided to take a ‘jazzy’ look at some of the  newest trends in wheelchairs.

First up, a wheelchair that drives itself!

MIT researchers have managed to pack the same hardware of self-driving vehicles into a wheelchair according to  Wired Magazine.

Equipped with three LiDAR sensors, the wheelchair works much like a self-driving car. Before going into service, someone manually drives it through a given area, and the sensors build a map details how wide the hallways are, where the pillars are, and so on. Once that’s set, the user selects where he or she wants to go by click on the map, and the chair gets going, using the sensors to look for “dynamic obstacles”—like people walking around, or that chair that wasn’t there earlier.

Unfortunately the MIT chair’s not quite ready for primetime.  MIT researcher Daniela Rus and her team would like the wheelchair to work both indoors and outdoors, and to teach the system to make predictions, like where that person pushing the food cart is heading, and how best to avoid them.

The Lawrence Kwok Nimbl concept wheelchair design is easy on the eyes and is constructed with carbon-fiber. It is specially made for home use. It is user-friendly, highly adjustable and allows for a smooth ride.

Need help reaching the top shelf?

Researchers at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna have created an advanced prototype of a wheelchair that raises the user up to a standing position so they can have access to out-of-reach items. Plus it adapts allowing the wheelchair user to climb stairs and slopes easily.allows  It also allows the user to have easy access to the toilet via a trap door.

Looking for something sleek and stylish?

02GEN futuristic concept wheelchair is designed to enrich the lifestyles of wheelchair users. The design concept merges the functionality of an electric wheelchair with a sleek modern design that encourages good sitting posture. The wheelchair user will be able to control the wheelchair easily as it adapts to the needs of the user.

Let’s not forget that back in 2013, Lady Gaga to turn a wheelchair into an accessory! Left with limited mobility after undergoing surgery on her hip, Golden Globe winning actress was never going to be limping around on scruffy old crutches. Instead she is using a 24k gold plated vehicle specially created for her by Ken Borochov of luxury brand Mordekai.

Her one of a kind chair comes with a black tufted calf leather seat, a removable leather canopy, vintage wheels,  a padded leg rest and even gold-plated brakes.

Designer Borochov said in a statement that he created the ‘chariot’ in a week and took inspiration from a throne.

‘I certainly wasn’t expecting that phone call and have never done a wheelchair but am always up for a challenge and was thrilled to create it.

LISTEN NOW: Diabetes Late Nite inspired by Ella Fitzgerald. Guests include the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach (Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDE, CDN) Poet Lorraine Brooks, Ansley Dalbo, Best-Selling Author Anna J. Stewart, Leola and Cornelia,and Mama Rose Marie. Throughout the podcast we will be playing songs from Columbia Jazz: Ella Fitzgerald’s Live album courtesy of SONY Music.

Diabetes Late Nite is a fast-paced, full-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice that encourages listeners to “laugh a little, learn a lot.”