Wheelchair

A bit inside the box, a bit outside, the Maxvan Access camper is like no other. Maxvan pushes out the driver-side wall to create a split-bodied camper van with spacious, open floor plan further enhanced by a Murphy bed and hideaway bathroom.

Inspired by liquid surface tension, researchers have created an adjustable wheel that alters shape in real time, tackling uneven surfaces and high obstacles with ease. It’s opened the door to wheelchairs or mobile robots that can better traverse rough terrains.

Plucky West Virginian EV company ZEV has announced what it claims is a radically more affordable ride-in vehicle for wheelchair users than anything else on the market. This US$9,900 ZEV 511 is a fully-enclosed urban getabout with a practical range.

The ultimate in assistive mobility, Scewo’s Bro is the only self-balancing wheelchair able to rise up and climb stairs. This two-wheeled personal electric vehicle is delightfully intuitive to maneuver, as I found out first-hand at this year’s CES.

Dutch design firm Studio Rotor has been working with startup Retter Helfer Medical on a lightweight patient transport option for ambulance personnel. The Multi Scoop Pro features a patented mechanism that sees it change from flat stretcher to wheelchair in a matter of seconds.

In a bid to help those with limited mobility get to the gate, Tokyo Narita International Airport is set to welcome a number of self-driving wheelchairs to its floors. With the ability to navigate the airport all on their own, the new wheelchairs are hoped to streamline foot traffic.

​Normally, wheelchair users move themselves along by pushing the rims of the two large wheels forward. But installing a set of Rowheels allows them to pull back on the rims, and still move forward. Now the company behind Rowheels has started selling a fully-kitted out wheelchair – the Revolution.​

Google Maps is getting better all the time, and today its utility expands even further with a new feature built specifically to help wheelchair users better navigate public transit routes.

The Revolve wheel folds to a third of its diameter and back in an instant, yet provides a safe, stable, full-size 26-inch wheel for a folding bicycle or wheelchair. Announced this week in Munich, the Revolve will enable a renaissance in folding vehicle design

​Honda has taken its 3E Robotics Concepts to CES 2018. The four robots are being developed through an "open invitation" approach, where other companies are invited to collaborate on the 3E project to build "multiple devices that work together as a system."​

The Scewo is the latest wheelchair design that can navigate staircases. The sleek prototype uses two big wheels with a Segway-styled balancing system to navigate flat ground and drops a set of rubber tracks to tackle stairs.

Your average family home isn't very easy for a disabled person to get around. With this in mind, Wheel Pad has designed an eponymous tiny house that provides a wheelchair-friendly bedroom and bathroom on wheels suitable for use as an annex or accessory dwelling unit.