Mobility Aid

We're not sure 2016 quite matched the sheer off-road weirdness of 2015, and its nomadic minivans and recreational tanks, but it definitely brought a vast variety of off-road vehicles for all tastes and types. From 6x6 trucks to flying ATVs, here are the best new off-road vehicles.

The Smart-Drive MX2 is an electric drive designed to attach to an ordinary wheelchair and give a boost up hills and over difficult surfaces whenever it's needed.

We've already seen experimental "white canes" that allow blind users to get a sense of their surroundings via ultrasound and lasers. The XploR mobility cane, however, uses its onboard electronics towards another end – to help users locate people that they know.

Just because you have difficulty walking doesn't mean that you should be limited to the smooth sidewalks of the world ... at least, not according to Zoomability. Its Zoom 4-wheel drive electric vehicle can be operated entirely by hand, allowing people with limited mobility to go off-road.

For folks who have limited mobility, often all that's needed is a little something to lessen the amount of walking that they have to do. A number of lightweight folding electric wheelchairs have emerged to serve that market. One of the latest, the Zinger, is also reportedly the lightest.

The FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil will be kicked off by a paralyzed person using a brain-controlled robotic exoskeleton. This feat is being carried out as a demonstration of the current state-of-the art in assisted mobility technology.

You probably wouldn't try using the same motorbike for both racing over rough trails and commuting on smooth roads, so ... why use the same prosthetic leg? That's the thinking behind the Moto Knee, a prosthesis that's designed for activities such as skiing, horseback riding, cycling and motocross.

The “i-Transport” robotic vehicle that is designed to get wheelchair users on their feet so they can carry out conversations eye to eye and grasp hard-to-reach items.

The Chiba Institute of Technology has developed a robotic wheelchair that has wheels that turn into legs.

Wheelblades add wintertime mobility to wheelchairs.

A new robotic walker developed in Japan stays upright on its own.

The ongoing development of vehicles offering two modes of transport was a key trend evident at Auto China last week. Personal transportation needs are changing and Geely and BMW are the latest to demonstrate cars with inclusive last-mile transport.