poolpod helps people with disabilities enter the water independently

poolpod helps people with disabilities enter swimming pools independently
all images courtesy of poolpodproducts

when the olympic delivery authority for london 2012 could not find a pool lift that satisfied their exact requirements for functionality and accessibility, they launched an international competition to find the right design. poolpod products, a creative industrial design company based in glasgow UK, took up the challenge and won with their designs – a novel submersible platform lift plus amphibious wheelchair. 

video courtesy of london marathon tv

the poolpod platform provides a quick and simple means of pool access for any swimmer who finds using a ladder inappropriate. it can be used whilst standing, or alternatively people can make use of the custom designed submersible wheelchair to aid their entry and exit. the pivot action of the platform lift, coupled with a robust mechanical design, means access to the pool is fast and reliable. the lift remains level during its deployment phase and is stowed neatly on the side when not in use.

poolpod can be used with submersible wheelchair

the need for wires installed into the poolside is eliminated through using rechargeable batteries – a fully charged battery allows up to 50 users to get in and out and has around one day standby before recharging. proximity wristbands allow a user to operate the poolpod by placing their wristband by the descent and ascent controls.  this allows the user to control the platform whether from the poolside, on the device or in the water. the system also allows an individual to adjust the depth to which the poolpod submerges.

submersible wheelchair allows easy transportation between changing facilities and the pool

incorporated into the system is a custom designed submersible wheelchair. this allows swimmers to remain seated until they are comfortable with the water depth, offering huge benefits to both comfort and usability. this element of the design allows users to transfer in the comfort and privacy of the changing room, and has removed the need for people to make a poolside transfer from a wheelchair into an assistant operated hoist.

pool lift supports 2 persons or 1 person + wheelchair, up to a maximum total load of 250 kilograms 

poolpods can be retrofitted to existing pools and has also become the natural choice for state of the art pools such as zaha hadid’s london aquatics centre and tollcross international swimming centre, glasgow’s commonwealth games competition pool.

as it began to gain popularity in the UK, designer and founder of poolpod, josh reid, decided that it was not to be launched during the 2012 games due to components reacting to additive chemicals in the pools. now with the arrival of the 2016 games in rio de janeiro brazil, this provides a brand-new platform for the poolpod.

lift can be used for rehabilitation purposes