hi-tech wheelchairs

04Dec07

1. tankchair

the tankchair is a custom made off-road wheelchair designed by a guy whose wife was growing increasingly frustrated by the limits of her normal electric wheelchair. this treaded beast can wade through mud, streams, sand, snow and gravel. on his website the creator says, “turns out that other people want a tankchair so i’m going in debt and am going to build them”. order yours here.

2. custom-built segway wheelchair

spanish designer josep mora decided to adapted a standard segway pt for people with reduced mobility. he added a seat, a handbrake to ensure the machine stays upright whilst still and a fold-away handlebar. it looks like a really functional modification. video below…

3. ibot

for ingenuity you can’t beat the ibot, an incredible self-balancing wheelchair designed by segway inventor dean kamen. as well as the 2 small wheels at the front, the ibot has 2 pairs of motorised wheels at the back, one of which the whole chair can balance on using a gyroscope. the first advantage to this system is extra height for the user, the second advantage the spooky ability to climb stairs…

4. porsche p’gasus

at present only a concept, the ibot-inspired porshce p’gasus also relies on a gyroscope based balancing system. however, whereas the ibot raises the user whilst remaining seated, the p’gasus slowly stands you to a near vertical position, seemingly strapped in just at leg height. technical details are thin on the ground at the moment but let’s hope something good comes from this minimalist design.

5. toyota i-real

touted by toyota as a ‘personal mobility vehicle’, this concept seems to be aimed at disabled people and able-bodied humans who have too much money and not enough sense. the back end of the i-real lowers automatically as speed increases towards its maximum of 18mph and sensors alert the user to upcoming collisions by way of noises and vibrations. video below…

extra

the future of ‘wheel’chairs?

sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

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