Wheelchairs

It's safe to say that generally-speaking, electricity and water don't mix. So, what do you do if you're designing a powered wheelchair for use in a splash park? If you're part of a team at the University of Pittsburgh, you power it using compressed air.

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.

A new wheelchair has been designed to make life easier for individuals living with disabilities in developing regions. The SafariSeat, from London-based Uji, is aimed at being affordable, easy to repair with inexpensive parts, and able to be manufactured and repaired locally.

​​​It was in 2010 that we first heard about a set of ergonomic wheelchair wheels that let users move their chairs forward by pulling back on the handrims. Six years later, the technology has moved from prototype to product, with the Rowheels REV-LX wheelset recently hitting the market.​

With the Paralympics coming up in September, athletes the world over are training hard right now. Engineers at BAE Systems have come up with an indoor, computerized training system that will allow professional wheelchair racers to speed along without moving an inch.

Following up on an announcement made last year, BMW has introduced its all-new racing wheelchair, which will find use in the 2016 Paralympic Games in September. BMW has worked closely with the American team to create a chair that capitalizes on aerodynamic design and carbon fiber construction.

BMW of North America has announced that it is now focusing attention on the upcoming 2016 Paralympic Games. It's reaching into its deep well of mechanical know-how to develop a racing wheelchair for the US track and field team.

Unlike other stair-climbing wheelchairs we've seen over the years, the B-Free Chair relies on a set of robotic "pedrails" that look almost like skinny tank tracks. These articulated pedrails allow the electric to grip the staircase firmly as it navigates up or down.

The Mountain Trike off-road wheelchair features arm-pumped levers that deliver power to the wheels via a geared chain-drive transmission. Now, it's available in two new models.

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.

Whoever said that losing your mobility also meant giving up your independence? Rocket Mobility's Tomahawk all-terrain personal utility vehicle allows the wheelchair-bound or otherwise mobility-impaired to traverse up to 12 miles cross country at a maximum speed of six miles per hour.

Since breaking his back at 14, Andrew Slorance has dreamt of reinventing the wheelchair. Now the the former TV journalist is finally setting the wheels in motion. The Carbon Black is a sleek, minimalistic design aimed at giving wheelchair users an efficient and stylish new way of getting around.