Share this
Here’s a great article from one of our clients (Brian Scherff) about his new operations (the MAT table). Its been exciting to watch Brian pursue his goals!
The idea began in our outpatient PT gym, when I saw a heavier patient fall off equipment she was using. The narrow sled and belt were shaky and not suitable for her size and condition. At that moment I realized, there must be a better way and I began to design one. A piece of equipment by a therapist, for therapists, that would work for everyone. The concept for the MAT table was born. What’s the Multiple Applications Table? It’s a better way to deliver services and modalities and has many functions including:
- A mobilization and treatment table
- A multiple applications lower extremity workout platform
- A traction table
- A gravity resisted pulley system
- A tilt table
It’s taken a few years to reach fruition (all good things take time), but we are so close to the finish line, I just had to share what’s happening! In January 2019, I partnered with Singh Automation, a robot and machine integration engineering firm in Kalamazoo Mich. Since then, Singh has been transforming my original working prototype into the Multiple Applications Table and they continue to make incredible progress. What takes the most time and patience on my part is the testing process. We scrapped the first three designs. Literally. Back in January we tested and rejected three preliminary designs until we found one that worked as well as practicing PTs needed it to work. To test the durability and weight-bearing capacity of the frame, three of us jumped up and down on it, trying our best to cause it to fail. And only when it didn’t, did we move ahead to the next step. We now know the MAT table will easily support 500 pounds and provide the stability our older, and heavier outpatient clinic patients need. As a physical therapist who’s determined to make a safer and more stable piece of PT equipment, I found my own limitations in getting the prototype table to do all the things I wanted it to do. As my partner, Singh Automation has taken my eight years of planning and making of prototypes, and refined the MAT table, helping me construct a finished product that soon will be available to physical therapy clinics and clinicians everywhere. Singh Automation has provided me with the latest technology in CAD design, but they’ve also been my partner when common sense and human testing was needed throughout the process. Engineers and assembly workers alike are contributing to the success of the MAT table. It’s exciting and fun for me to see the process of testing and measuring it takes to produce an excellent product and I can’t wait to deliver the first one! These are the people that are making it happen at Singh Automation, Gurdeep Singh (chief engineer), William Kloosterman (robot and machine integration), Matt Commissaris (machinist and welder), and Joe Leeson (CAD and engineering), Noah Fountain (administration). The creation of the MAT table is really about the way your patient feels about their care. Do they feel safe as you increase challenges? Do they trust you and your equipment? Trust is lost when our patient is startled (or worse) by inadequately stable equipment. The Multiple Applications Table (MAT) offers state of the art, heavy duty, safe treatment options.
