Market Strategy

Analysis for Potential Commercialization

Between 765,000 -1 million people in the U.S currently have some form of cerebral palsy.

Athetoid cerebral palsy makes up 10-15% of cerebral palsy cases and causes involuntary movements in the limbs. People with athetoid cerebral palsy imay require wheelchairs to aid with mobility and communication but wheelchair manufacturers often neglect the specific needs of users with spasms.

Wheelchair Market

The wheelchair market is expected to grow, both globally and domestically. Fortune Business Insights predicts that the global wheelchair market size will grow from 4.73 billion USD in 2018 to 8.09 billion USD by 2026. Driving factors for market growth include:

  • Growing geriatric population that develop mobility issues
  • Increase in spinal cord injuries among the older population
  • Increase in walking disabilities among all age groups
  • Increase in injuries to lower extremities
  • Increased prevelance of chronic diseases
  • Increased access and availabilty of wheelchairs to lower-income areas
The wheeelchair market is grouped into personal users and institutional users. Personal users are individuals with disabilities who own their wheelchair. Institutional users are facilities like hospitals who purchase wheelchairs for people using their facilities. Both the personal and institutional markets are expected to grow, contributing to the growth of the overall market. The personal user segment is expected to expand due to the increased prevalance of mobility problems, like arthritis, and developmental disabilities among the aging population. The expected growth from the institutional user segment stems from the increased need for wheelchairs for patients following surgery as well as the increased number of medical emergencies that require wheelchairs. Additionally, increasing numbers of wheelchair-bound users in nursing homes is likey to further boost the demand. As demand for wheelchairs increases, so to does the demand for wheelchair headrests.

Competitors + Competitor Analysis

Top Key Players in Wheelchair Headrests Market Report are:

  • Rehatec
  • Sunrise Medical
  • Netti
  • Positech Innovation Inc.
  • PHYSIPRO
  • Life and Mobility
  • Permobil
  • Ottobock
  • Karman Healthcare
  • Healthwares
  • KARMA Medical
Among our competitors listed, a majority of their headrest designs featured a singular connection point to the chair. This does not provide the necessary support or stability for a user with muscle spasms who requires a head array to control their chair. Inadequate support cause the controls to shift position while in use, making it dificult to control the wheelchair and any other devices the user needs.

Competitor Analysis Table

Competitor Name Headrest Hardwre Design Features Image
Sunrise Medical Cobra Xtra Flip Back Hardware curved design, large range of positioning, flip back function
Ottobock Ottobock Multi Axis hardware, offset adjustable positioning
Wheelchair Rockers Truss Design truss support to distribute forces, adjustable

Target Market

Currently, our target market is personal wheelchair users who require more personalized headrest solutions than those found on the market. Our design is focused on meeting the needs of users with athetoid cerebral palsy but could also be beneficial for users with other conditions that cause muscle spasms and need additional support from their headrest.