The ‘Scalevo’ – a new design for a wheelchair that can climb stairs. A team of 10 students from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Zurich University of the Arts invented an innovative new wheelchair. This new chair moves like a Segway (on only two wheels) and can climb up stairs without a hitch. ( via Scalevo/Swiss Federal Institute of Technology/Zurich University of the Arts)
It’s always great to see new technology that aims to improve the quality of living for disabled persons. This new innovation was created by 10 students from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Zurich University of the Arts. It is a wheelchair that would give users greater mobility by faster, smoother movement, and the ability to climb up stairs.
While the race to discover how to create mind-controlled robotic limbs for patients continues, the Scalevo wheelchair takes a more practical approach that can help patients immediately. There is no doubt that scientists are making amazing discoveries about how to improve neuron functions of limbs and create robotic prosthetics, but these inventions probably won’t hit the market for 5 to 10 years.
The design of the this wheelchair is so ingenious in its simplicity that it’s a wonder no one thought of it before – most probably because scientists and innovators were so busy looking in the future that they forgot how to help people in the here and now.
The Scalevo is a two-wheeled wheelchair that uses technology similar to the Segway to balance and move; this adaption allows the wheelchair to move at 6.2 miles per hour and it gives it the agility to make sharp turns quickly. The most interesting and deceptively simple innovation is its tank-like rubber treads that allows it to climb stairs. These stats make it pretty advanced compared to other wheelchairs, although it doesn’t look to me like the Scalevo can support a person over 200 lbs. They don’t quite say what the weight limit of it is, but it is still good for a first generation product.
The stair climbing feature is entirely automated, but the user has control over the speed at which they’d like to climb. There is also a rear camera for safety reasons. You can see a YouTube video of the capabilities of the Scalevo at the bottom of this post. To climb the stairs, the user simply turns the back of the chair to the stairs and presses a button. Then the chair inches backwards until it finds the beginning of the stairs, then it drops the tank treads to begin climbing.
A gyroscope is used to keep the chair level as it ascends further and further up the stairs. It can climb stairs at a top speed one second per stair, which is pretty good. It’s not entirely clear whether the Scalevo can climb down the stairs, although I hope so.
The students haven’t decided what they’ll do with their invention yet. They were considering starting a Kickstarter campaign, but nothing is certain at the moment. This team did have impressive sponsorship by Bossard, KTR, Maxon Motor, Sick, Phoenix Mecano, and about 23 corporate supporters and sponsors.
You may have to stay tuned for a Kickstarter, although my best guess is that this project would be able to gain further corporate sponsorship and funding to bring this wheelchair to market in the near future.
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