Students have developed an electric wheelchair that itself overcomes stairs

This idea appeared as a student project for the graduating class, but in the end it changed the lives of countless disabled people around the world.

What is a new stroller

"Scaleo" is a hybrid of a wheelchair and segway. It is a two-wheeled wheelchair that has the ability to climb the stairs. The use of gyroscopic technology, similar to the Segway technology in the balance mode, makes it easy to rotate in place and quickly change direction. On a level surface, a wheelchair can travel at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour.

Nevertheless, the most impressive feature of "Scaleo" is its ability to climb and descend the stairs with a slope of 17 to 34 degrees. To accomplish this, two tracks are dropped from her, allowing her to climb up the stairs. In this case, the person who is in the wheelchair, keeps a vertical position. "Scaleo" even has the opportunity to climb the spiral staircase.

The stroller was developed by 10 students from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the University of Zurich. The group consisted of engineers and industrial designers.

The new wheelchair is fully automated. For example, if you need to get up, the person in the stroller should just drive up to the place where the stairs start, turn around, press the button and control the speed, which will be comfortable for him. The very ascent of the ladder and the alignment of the person who is in the wheelchair are automated. Lifting can be controlled using the rear camera. This movement is completely safe.

Analogues

This is not the first technology of its kind. The company "Johnson and Johnson" created a wheelchair called iBot. Nevertheless, it did not have much success, and its production was discontinued in 2009, as the cost of such a chair was too high for most consumers.

Unfortunately, the wheelchair "Scaleo" has not gone on sale yet. Nevertheless, a group of students who developed it thinks about launching the Kickstarter campaign to make this prototype accessible to everyone.