VICAIR technology - The smartcell
Vicair technology - What’s in there?
The unique Vicair technology is based on what we call ‘SmartCells’. When people see our SmartCells they often ask “What’s inside the triangles?”. The answer to that is really quite simple and short: “air”.
To be precise however, the SmartCells aren’t ‘triangles’: the shape is officially called a tetrahedron – not quite a triangle, also not really a pyramid but a combination of those two. So Vicair is all about packaging air in a unique way, in each of our cushions you will find hundreds of these small packages of air, hundreds of SmartCells.
Tetrahedron shaped SmartCells: the beginning
It all started with an invention by Huibert Pollmann in the Amsterdam Rehabilitation Centre. He believed that in order to sit comfortably in a wheelchair you need high quality pressure redistribution and stability, and he thought air was the best way to achieve this.
An award winning design
The foundation for SmartCells was laid by Huibert Pollman, but after this a new challenge arose. Overcoming one of the most common problems encountered with wheelchair cushions that are based on air: creating the air packages in such a way that they would not leak air, not even when used intensively. This is when Max Rogmans, the CEO of Vicair, came into play. He was convinced of Huibert’s concept and believed that it could work well. Max succeeded in developing the air-cells in such a way that they would be able to weather intensive use without leakage.
Strength in numbers
One SmartCell is just the basis, the biggest strength of the tetrahedron shaped Vicair SmartCells is in their numbers. Whilst using a Vicair wheelchair cushion, you do not sit on just one SmartCell, but hundreds of them. One very basic benefit of hundreds of SmartCells is that if one cell would happen to leak air, the wheelchair cushion still works. This is why Vicair wheelchair cushions last for years on end. Not just a smart but also a safe idea.
Next to safety all the SmartCells together form layers within the compartments of our cushions.
The evolution of SmartCells
The current SmartCells
Your advantage: optimal protection and maximum freedom
Vicair Quality – 6 point SmartCell safety check
Introducing the 6 point SmartCell safety check. Making sure you’re comfortable and safe under any condition.
Need advice?
Vicair can help you make the right choices. For this we have developed the wheelchair cushion decision aid. Would you like more information about our cushions for wheelchairs? Please contact us, or one of our distributeurs located all over the world.
Different models of wheelchair cushions
Vicair offers various models of cushions for a wheelchair, each of which meets the various wishes of wheelchair users. The Vicair Adjuster O2, Vector O2 and Active O2 are much sought-after models of cushions for wheelchairs. You can easily wash these in the washing machine! The Vicair O2 cushions are fully breathable due to open fabric structure yet resistant to incontinence. This ensures even more seating comfort. In this video you can see the Vicair Vector O2.
On our YouTube channel you will find more informative Vicair videos. And on this site you will of course find more information about, for example, the Vicair Adjuster O2.
Which wheelchair cushion suits you best?
Use our wheelchair cushion selection tool and find out
