The convenience of never having to recharge a manually-powered wheelchair is often outweighed by the fact that riders must use both arms to steer it. Carrying something like a smartphone at the same time is a big challenge, so a Swiss design student was inspired to design a better wheelchair that allows riders to…
Before the show floor opens to throngs of tech enthusiasts, and before big companies like Sony, Samsung, and LG reveal their latest and greatest to the world, we get a sneak peek at the trends shaping CES 2018 at an event called CES: Unveiled. And millennials be damned, because this year, the best gadgets could be…
Most electric wheelchairs and mobility devices can easily shrug off a little rain, but on the whole, they really don’t mix well with water. So engineers at the University of Pittsburgh designed a powered wheelchair that runs on compressed air, allowing those with limited mobility to safely enjoy a day at the water…
Remember the brilliant Star Wars Snowspeeder costume that Ryan Scott Miller built around his son’s wheelchair last Halloween? He’s already managed to top himself a year later by now turning Jeremy’s wheelchair into a miniature version of the Ghostbusters’ Ecto-1. This kid is getting so much candy.
When the RoChair first appeared back in 2011, the wheelchair used an unorthodox center-mounted drive lever, operated with a rowing motion, to propel it forwards. Four years later the RoChair has been completely redesigned to look more traditional, until you see someone operating it.
Before the Segway, inventor Dean Kamen created a standing, self-balancing wheelchair called the iBot that gave users more independence and freedom. It also cost $25,000, and is no longer available. But a new all-mechanical alternative might provide the same improvements in quality of life for users, at a much cheaper…
The first time New Zealand inventor Kevin Halsall stepped on a Segway, he saw the potential of using the technology to build a wheelchair that could be controlled without a joystick or requiring the rider to use their hands at all. So he bought one, stripped it down, and turned it into the Ogo.
Technology has been making wheelchairs more convenient and easier to use, but this crazy amazing model that actually scales staircases is a metaphorical mic drop.
Three-year-old Tanner Jensen and his 20-month-old brother Skyler were both born with a rare genetic condition known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy which means they can’t walk, crawl, control their heads, or even lift their arms. But life for the young brothers will soon be improving thanks to students at Brigham Young…
Design options for wheelchairs seem stuck on a spectrum from boring to next-level boring. That's what Andrew Slorance wants to change. The UK-based entrepreneur is in the process of getting his Carbon Black chairs FDA approved to bring the distinctly stylish chairs to the U.S.
The world's already got its fair share of tank-treaded wheelchairs that can traverse any terrain, but a personal mobility device that looks as fun to ride as an ATV? There's definitely still room for the HexHog in our hearts, on our hilly fields and mountains, and even in shallow water, apparently.
At just 38 pounds—including its electric motor and rechargeable battery—the creators of the Zinger claim their electric wheelchair is the world's lightest. It even folds flat just like a lawn chair, and while you won't want to have to carry it on a long walk to the beach, it's easier to toss into the trunk of a car…
The Whill started life as an innovative device designed to give manual wheelchairs an electric motor so they were self-propelled. But since its inception, the Whill has evolved into a full-fledged personal mobility device with a unique control mechanism and even smartphone connectivity.
To promote an upcoming charity bike ride for the local Heart and Stroke Foundation, Toronto-based ad agency Agency59 turned a wheelchair into a fully functional bicycle. It took the brains (and fabrication know-how) of an expert designer, but the finished product is completely rideable, as its creator demonstrates in…
It's one of the most stale idioms in the book: Don't reinvent the wheel. But that didn't stop Gilad Wolf, the Israeli inventor who found that comfortably getting around in a conventional wheelchair was nearly impossible. Instead, Wolf set out to reinvent his wheelchair wheels.
Their design is mostly functional as is, but until now no one has really stopped to ask if the handles on the back of a wheelchair could be improved. It turns out the answer is yes—an emphatic yes, in fact—given how useful these ergonomic alternatives appear to be.
The story of how Berkeley, California, first got wheelchair-accessible sidewalks in the 1970s is an unlikely mix of public protest, anti-war sentiment, and the grassroots potential of urban planning for the people, by the people. Writing for Boom, Bess Williamson explains how the city began to redesign itself for…
What's the difference between using a wheelchair and wearing glasses? Both take advantage of technology to adjust or enhance human capabilities. Yet we tend to consider people in wheelchairs as disabled, and people with glasses as, well, relatively normal. It's all about perspective.
Getting around in a wheelchair is difficult enough, even when one still has use of their upper extremities. Quadriplegics face an exponentially more difficult challenge: controlling the wheelchair by sucking or blowing air through a straw. But this new powered wheelchair from the Georgia Institute of Technology will…
The original WHILL was a clamp on device designed to power manual wheelchairs lacking an electric motor. Unfortunately, it turns out it will never see the light of day, but the design and technology behind that original concept have been repurposed for the futuristic Whill Type-A electric wheelchair that's actually…
