Made almost completely from spare bike parts, and even some old pieces of wood, the wheelchair is designed to try and conquer the two main hurdles for mobility in Africa and other developing nations; rough terrain and cost.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Argo Medical Technologies is an Israeli company who have developed a working exoskeleton for wheelchair users. The suit (which is actually designed by a quadriplegic, we didn't know Tony Stark had been injured) uses the normal array of onboard computers, motors and batteries to allow a wheelchair user to walk. Movement is controlled by upper body movement and the user still has to rely on crutches for support and extra balance, but it seems to be a pretty impressive set-up.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
So you want to get out on the rock face and maybe even try climbing El Capitan, rock climbing for paraplegics and quadriplegics with good upper body strength isn't impossible but you will need some slightly modified equipment to make thing go smoothly.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Using a standard electric drill as a motor and means of propulsion they built a transfer unit that easily bolts onto any manual wheelchair and lets you get your freak on without the added noise of a petrol engine. With speeds of between 3 and 12 mph from using that drill you got 3 years ago but have never taken out of the box.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
It's not even a concept so dont get too excited, but even though it's nothing more than a crazy photoshop dream, it's still gone straight to the top of our wheelchair wish list.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
We like making things, lets face it even just having game of basketball in a wheelchair requires a special chair that'll probably cost thousands, so being able to make things at home that let us feed out inner desire to risk life and limb without going bankrupt is pretty cool.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Hilary has been a quadriplegic for the last 7 years thanks to a progressive degenerative disease called reflex sympathetic dystrophy and has no movement below her neck, but she's already set sailing records. She became the first quadriplegic sailor to cross the English Channel to France in 2005, and then last year she completed a solo circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
We've talked about paraplegic motorbike adaptions before, and we know there are a lot of you petrol heads out there looking for ways to get back on two wheels again. There just doesnt seem to be any commercial solutions on the market, or even much information on DIY projects. We know people have adapted their bikes to be used by people in wheelchairs, we just haven't had many details, so we were really impressed when we saw the website of an Australian engineering student.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
A laser guided robot wheelchair that automatically docks with the user's vehicle and loads itself into the trunk has been developed by US company Freedom Sciences. The rather catchy named ATRS (Automated Transport and Retrieval System), uses the same laser guiding technology used by NASA when docking with the International Space Station. Sweet. Using the new system, the user opens the door of their van and presses a button to lower the front seat so they can climb in. A remote control is then used to drive the chair round to the back of the van.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Touting a range of up to 200km and a top speed of 15KPH, the SuperFour is a hybrid electric wheelchair made for tackling off-road terrain with a slope angle of up to 22 degrees. The amount of information on this thing is ridiculously slim, considering how many people will be interested in something like this. We have been able to work out that it is not simply 4 wheel drive, but also comes with 4 wheel steering, which seems pretty cool in itself.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
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