Indoor Outdoor Wheelchair

About

In America, approximately a 1.5 million individuals use a wheelchair for day-to-day activities. When going between the indoors and outdoors, an individual must switch into a different wheelchair which supports each environment. Recognizing the need for two different wheelchairs, researchers at WPI have developed a novel seat mechanism that creates a hybrid wheelchair that the user can quickly change based on the environment. The novel seat mechanism works to move the individual’s center of gravity to improve stability. Additionally, the design of the wheelchair increases the independence of the user by not needing assistance to change the location of the center of gravity. The Indoor Outdoor Wheelchair is the first multifunctional wheelchair that is effective both indoors and also capable of outdoor travel. Key Features Hybrid wheelchair that works both indoors and outdoors Novel seat mechanism uses the center of gravity to improve stability Increases independence of users Multifunctional Takes out the “inhibiting” aspect of needing two different wheelchairs