HT Systems' Kera Travel has been officially registered with Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration, clearing it for use across healthcare and disability settings.
A New Zealand-designed transfer device that lets people with no weight-bearing ability travel away from home has been registered by Australia's medical device regulator, a step that clears it for use across Australian healthcare and disability settings.
The Kera Travel, made by HT Systems, is now registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Registration requires evidence of safety, quality and consistent performance, and it means clinicians and providers can recommend the device knowing it meets recognised medical device standards.
For many wheelchair users, time away from home is the hardest part of life to manage. Traditional transfer equipment is built for hospitals: it is bulky, it often needs two caregivers, and it does not travel. So family visits, holidays and nights away can quietly disappear.
The Kera Travel was built to change that. It moves a person directly from one seat to another, close to their centre of gravity, so a single caregiver can complete a transfer without a sling and without lifting. It weighs under 18 kg, packs into a carry case, and goes in a car boot or on a plane.
The technology was developed at the University of Canterbury by Professor Keith Alexander, the engineer behind the Springfree Trampoline, after Burwood Hospital asked for a safer way to move patients. The Kera is now used in more than ten countries.
The TGA registration opens the Australian market to the company through its subsidiary, HT Systems Pty Ltd. HT Systems is a New Zealand assistive technology company based in Christchurch. Its Kera sit2sit and Kera Travel devices move people with little or no weight-bearing ability between seats with a single caregiver, no sling and no suspension. The technology was developed at the University of Canterbury and is now used in more than ten countries.
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