#TIL: Five Futuristic Wheelchair Designs
By Anirban Paul
The early 1900s witnessed invention of the modern wheelchair. Ever since, dreamers, designers and inventors have been tinkering with the basic design to make it lighter, sturdier, safer, affordable and more versatile.
Every year, March 1st is celebrated as the international wheelchair Day. To celebrate it this year, we wanted to take a look at some of the futuristic wheelchair designs.
Note: Video descriptions are included in this post to improve accessibility for our readers living with visual disabilities.
1. Stair Climbing Wheelchair
Nothing frustrates a wheelchair user like stairs. Just a few steps, say at a restaurant or a mall, can make access impossible for a wheelchair user. But what if wheelchair could climb steps? Curious? Watch this video:
Video description: The video shows a man dressed in black t-shirt and pants on a blue motorised wheelchair. The wheelchair rolls on 4 wheels on a flat surface. At the same time, it climbs steps with the help of a special caterpillar belt, which is attached to the wheels of the wheelchair.
2. Standing wheelchair
Reaching out to the upper shelves in a supermarket may not be possible in a regular wheelchair. Moreover, sitting in a wheelchair for too long could also lead to health hazards. All of this has a solution now, where one can stand making certain adjustments to the wheelchair:
Video description: The video shows two persons, one in a multi-coloured t-shirt and the other in a blue shirt, sitting and in a wheel chair, fastened to the seat by a belt. They use a lever, attached on either sides of the wheelchair, to straighten the seat which assists them to stand-up.
3. A wheelchair which is built like a tank
More like a tank built like a wheelchair, as this all-terrain wheelchair can do anything (except fire missiles). With the added ability for standing, this wheelchair can travel anywhere, be it snow, rocks, grass, shallow waters, sand. There’re multiple attachments for this wheelchair, using which one can literally manage an entire farm:4. A device to convert a manual wheelchair into an electric wheelchair.
Video description: The video shows multiple people demonstrating how the wheelchair functions. The wheelchair is seen travelling on terrains like snow, grass, water and rocks, using attachments at the front of the wheelchair like a mower, forklifts and shovel. It also has a phone-charger and facilities for attaching utilities like a farm trolley.
4. A device to convert a manual wheelchair into an electric wheelchair
When cars are going electric, why not wheelchairs? This battery-powered device can be locked on to a wheelchair and convert it into an electric hand cycle. There are different levels which can help one to move forward or reverse:
Video description: The video shows a person wearing a navy blue jacket and black pants, sitting in a wheelchair and attaching a battery-powered steering device to it. The device has steering handles with brakes. The person moves forward when he selects level 1 and in reverse when he selects level 2.
5. Underwater wheelchair
Disabilities should never be limitations, be it on land or underwater. Yes, underwater! This self-propelled wheelchair can function underwater and can lend a fresh perspective like never before. Fun fact -This wheelchair was also staged in London 2012 Paralympic Games:
Video description: The video features performance artist Sue Austin, who is wearing a dress, goggles and an oxygen mask. She is sitting in the wheelchair underwater. Attached to the wheelchair are four propeller wings, two near the feet and two behind the backrest. There are two propeller fans at the bottom as well. Together they steer the wheelchair.
The wheelchair designs above are at various stages, ranging from prototyping to commercial production. They may or may not have been tested by persons living with locomotor disabilities as yet. Nonetheless, these designs open up minds and help us imagine the future. They remind us that disabilities should never be barriers to mobility. In this spirit, let us applaud the thought, intent, creativity and efforts which have gone into building the above wheelchair designs.
Wish you all a Happy International Wheelchair Day 2020. Do let us know which one is your favourite in the comments below.
Today I learnt (TIL) is a weekly series by OMI that brings you interesting nuggets of information that you didn’t know you needed.
