Abstract: A probe is connected to a probe carrier that is positioned with respect to the body of a patient. The probe is moved into or out of the body incrementally by means of a driver mechanism and flexible coupler. The flexible coupler in one embodiment comprises a flexible sheath with a flexible driver shaft that can be passed within the flexible sheath and can be rotated or pushed forward and backward with respect to the sheath by a driver element thereby causing translational movement of probe. Several forms of probes, flexible coupling elements, and driver apparatus as well as methods of applications accommodate specific objectives.

Abstract: A manually operated wheelchair user exercise device comprising a pair of ramps each including an open front end and a barriered rear end, it being arranged so that their front ends extended in the same direction and are jointly tiltable between a downwardly inclined forwardly facing position and a level position, with the ramps at their respective rear ends each journaling a plurality of rollers that are flywheel effect equipped and that are spaced apart longitudinally of the respective ramps, which rollers are exposed at the top of the ramps, and including a manually operated mechanism for simultaneously tilting the ramps between a tilted wheelchair receiving position, in which the wheelchair user can back his chair onto the ramps while seated in the wheelchair, with the wheelchair rear wheels reaching and resting on the respective sets of ramp rollers, several of which are braked in the ramp tilted position, and the ramp level position, in which the wheelchair front wheels are braked and the wheelchair user

Abstract: A heel strap retractor for wheel chair foot rests, in which the familiar foot rest support platform of each of the wheel chair foot rests is equipped with the retractor that comprises a resiliently flexible spring filament device of one piece spring wire construction formed to define a helically contoured annular socket portion that receives the upright pendantly mounted portion of the foot rest support, for seating of the retractor at the level of the foot rest heel strap; the device below the retractor socket portion is shaped to anchor the retractor to the foot rest support by a snap fit connection, and the device adjacent the top of the socket portion is shaped to define a finger projecting radially of the retractor socket portion that is angularly related with respect to the helix axis thereof and proportioned lengthwise thereof so that when the finger is placed in engagement with the rear side of the foot rest heel support, the retractor socket portion is partially wound up to spring bias the finger aga