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The Wheelchair Gets a Makeover—and a New Name

Wheelchairs have come a long way since the advent of the motorized model in 1953.

In fact, even the term “wheelchair” has fallen out of favor. Now it’s a “personal mobility device.” Models coming on the market or in development can climb stairs, turn tight corners, make their way over trails, and are lighter and easier to maneuver than earlier generations. Technical breakthroughs in software, batteries, sensors and lower-cost hardware manufacturing have inspired a recent burst of innovation in personal mobility.

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Featured

 Tomorrow's Wheelchairs

Predicting the future is tough: How many people, epidemiologists aside, anticipated a pandemic when COVID-19 was discovered? But by looking at the past plus what we see today, can we predict what tomorrow’s wheelchairs will be like?

 Wheelchair Technology is Racing Forward Into the Future

Safety, access and comfort haven’t been the traditional hallmarks of wheelchairs, scooters and other mobility devices. But that is changing, thanks to the fast-moving technological advancements made in recent years. The latest, cutting-edge breakthroughs also can turn any wheelchair into a smart one—with attachable artificial intelligence, machine learning and big-data analysis, and cloud-based connectivity.

Articles of Interest

Can 3-D Printing Help Build a Better Wheelchair?

And while the ubiquity of news about the world’s first 3-D printed this or that can bring out the skeptics who might think it’s just another annoying trend, Hubert explains that 3-D printing technology is the perfect tool for designing a better wheelchair.

Georgia Tech researchers develop way for wheelchair users to steer with head tilts, facial expressions

For five years, Georgia Tech postdoctoral research engineers Nordine Sebkhi and Arpan Bhavsar have been fine-tuning the technology they call MagTrack, getting ready for McCoy and a handle of other volunteers living with a disability to test it out.

How better wheelchairs improved adaptive sports

Athletes want to do everything in their power to better their results, and so the wheelchairs themselves should be no different in this regard. However, I want to add to this conversation by showcasing how technological advancements have changed different sports in different ways, rather than singularly focusing on the performance element.

How Paralympic Wheelchairs and Prostheses Are Optimized for Speed and Performance

The engineering and designs vary widely from sport to sport and athlete to athlete.

Meet the startup that gives wheelchairs aftermarket superpowers

As a technology that’s been around for decades, powered wheelchairs aren’t exactly a hotbed of innovation. Aside from some basic improvements in power and battery life, they’ve largely remained the same for the past few years. But that’s not to say nobody’s pushing the envelope in this space.

Smart tech gives a new spin on the classic wheelchair

The idea of putting furniture on wheels has been around for hundreds of years. From a custom-built chair with four small wheels used by King Phillip II of Spain in the 16th century to a German paraplegic watchmaker’s wheelchair with a geared front wheel and hand cranks unveiled in 1665, the innovation never stops.

Technological advances mean more possibilities for people with disabilities. I ground my work in making tech useful

Since the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act 30 years ago, technology has made tremendous advances that have significantly improved the lives of people with disabilities. The smartphone, a flourishing internet and now even autonomous vehicles are part of mainstream conversation.

The Technology of Wheelchairs in the Future

Today, there are close to 131 million people who use wheelchairs to move around the world. Most rely on the same decades-old technology to get around. Despite all of the improvements wheelchairs make to the quality of people’s lives, little has changed about the wheelchair.

When wheelchair design can take many steps up

The biggest gift to someone who gets around is the gift of greater independence. Lifts for wheelchairs are available but not always in proximity. Some students got together and started thinking they might be able to change the curious lack of progress in wheelchair design to help those who use them.

Why Don't We Design a Better Wheelchair?

What's the difference between using a wheelchair and wearing glasses? Both take advantage of technology to adjust or enhance human capabilities. Yet we tend to consider people in wheelchairs as disabled, and people with glasses as, well, relatively normal. It's all about perspective.