Smart Wheelchairs Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product Type (Paediatric & Bariatric Wheelchairs, Rollators, Mobility Scooters), By Application (Homecare, Hospitals, Others), By Distribution Channel (Offline, Online) And Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

Smart wheelchairs are power chairs with control system embedded in it. Such products can effectively help the users in eliminating the need for pushing a chair manually to make its move. Smart wheelchairs are highly innovative and durable, which thereby is likely to attract users towards buying such products. The emergence of technologically advanced features such as voice & face recognition, IoT, and others in the design of mobility assistive wheelchairs have shaped the overall wheelchair industry.   

Companies are keenly focusing on providing customizable, smart wheelchair items to the household and hospitality users to provide a complete mobility solution to the disabled & aged population. For instance, in April 2019, Microsoft Corporation, launched EyeGaze, a custom, smart wheelchair for the U.S. based retired NFL player Steve Gleason. Such wheelchairs enable users to move their body with the help of eye movement and a surface tablet attached to the chair.

Growing awareness regarding the availability of the various innovative mobility assistive devices such as wheelchairs, scooters, and others among the consumers is expected to drive the market growth. Additionally, a growing number of aged populations across the globe is likely to drive the demand for such mobility assistive devices. Moreover, rising consumer spending on healthcare-related products and services have provided ease in the consumption rate of such products.

Besides this, companies are keenly focusing on engaging their customer base regularly by proving their product knowledge through the various online platforms and social media channels. This helps the associated companies to capture the newer customer base, which thereby drives the market growth. For instance, in July 2020, Munevo GmbH, Aergo Limited, and WheelAir partnered together to launch a newer online platform where they can demonstrate the MedTech’s innovative wheelchair products and the related educational programs to the wide customer base.

However, higher repair and maintenance cost of the smart wheelchairs is anticipated to limit its demand among the lower income group of the population. Additionally, the other factor such as higher weight and size of the smart wheelchairs over to that of manual chairs is expected to restrain the market growth.  

Key Players Covered:

The prominent players associated with the global smart wheelchairs market are, Medical Depot Inc., Invacare Corporation, Karman Healthcare Inc., GF Health Products Inc., Kunshan Hi-Fortune Health Products Co. Ltd., Centaur Robotics, TopMedi, MEYRA GmbH, Permobil, Airwheel Holdings Ltd., etc.

The global smart wheelchair market is segmented based on product type, application, distribution channel, and geography.

Based on the product type, the market is segmented into paediatric & bariatric wheelchairs, rollators, and mobility scooters. Bariatric smart wheelchairs are highly essential for people suffering from the obesity problems, as such chairs can comfortably provide support to the heavyweight user’s sitting position, as well as the upper and lower back. Therefore, paediatric and bariatric wheelchairs segment is expected to exhibit a significant share of the market owing to the large prevalence of obesity among the higher income group of the population. This factor has resulted in larger revenues from such a segment. Additionally, growing parental spending for child care products is further likely to provide ease in segmental revenues.   

By application, the global market is segmented into home care, hospitals, and others. The home care segment is anticipated to hold a major share of the market owing to the large demand of self-assistive medical devices among households across the globe which thereby, results in the larger consumption of smart wheelchairs among these users. Additionally, the shifting trend of patients from hospitalization to the personalized, household healthcare facilities is further likely to drive the segmental growth.

By distribution channel, the global smart wheelchair market is segmented into offline and online. The offline segment is expected to showcase the largest share of the global market as users can touch and understand the wheelchair features in person at such physical stores. Additionally, the availability of a variety of other mobility assistive devices and wheelchair accessories at such stores is further driving the segmental growth.

Regional Analysis:

By geography, the global smart wheelchair market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa.

Asia Pacific region is expected to hold a major share of the market owing to the presence of a large number of disabled and aged population in the countries such as China and Japan which thereby, results in the large consumption of smart wheelchairs in the region. According to the data presented by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the physically disabled population in the Asia Pacific region accounted for 690 million in 2019. Additionally, rising awareness regarding the availability of the variety of mobility assistive devices among the population is further likely to drive the market growth in the region.

North America region is expected to grow at a faster rate for the global smart wheelchair market owing to the rising prevalence of disabilities & other health-related problems among the population in the countries such as the United States and Mexico. This factor is likely to drive the demand for smart wheelchairs among such a population in the region. According to the data presented by the United States Census Bureau, in 2018, about 40.6 million noninstitutionalized disabled population was present in the U.S. Additionally, growing adoption of technologically innovative healthcare devices among the people is further driving the market growth in the region.

Segmentation

Key Industry Developments:

• In March 2020, Invacare Corporation, launched an Invacare Aviva FX power wheelchair with a front-wheel-drive power mobility capability equipped in it. Aviva FX power wheelchair also include linx technology that offer users the various operating options such as pre-set programming parameters, wireless programming and the integration with ASL specialty controls.


• In May 2019, All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd., a Japanese largest airline company partnered with Panasonic Corporation to test the latest generation of powered wheelchair at its airport site. This helps growing number of Japanese elderly population to independently navigate the airports.