Eli Razon estimates he drives 50,000 miles and flies 200,000 miles annually, traveling to clinics, rehab centers and family homes to help people with disabilities or chronic diseases learn how to walk. The founder of Easy Walking and developer of its Up N’ Go gait trainer, however, is the first to point out he is not selling miracles.
“It’s more about understanding the process of rehab,” says Razon, a former VP of engineering and new product development at Kullicke and Soffa in Fort Washington. “This is a tool. There is no quick fix. Overall, it’s about trying to develop a more normal gait.”
The Up N’ Go is a lightweight, partial weight-bearing device that combines the best parts of traditional lifts and walkers into a gait trainer that is both flexible and comprehensive. The device’s gas springs supports a user’s weight above the trunk, allowing for increased stability
Parts for the device are manufactured at sites throughout the state and assembled by Razon in Maple Glen. In 2002, he received $100,000 in loans from Ben Franklin Technology Partners to start Easy Walking in Maple Glen. Razon made such an impression that BFTP awarded Easy Walking with its Most Innovative Product Award the following year. Since then, close to 2,000 Easy Walking units have been sold and the company has grown between 20-50 percent each year, Razon says.
The Up N’ Go comes in models designed for users as young and small as 12 months old and 18 pounds up to 100 years old and 380 pounds. It costs anywhere from about $2,300 for a toddler model to $4,400 for large adults.
“When people walk, everyone looks the same basically, but each one has different needs,” says Razon.
Source: Eli Razon, Easy Walking
Writer: Joe Petrucci