Wheelchair users have only been restricted to forward and backward movement so far and it takes a whole series of vehicle-like maneuvers for them to be able to turn their chairs to a side. A new wheelchair developed by Japanese scientist Komori Masaharu comes with a bunch of omnidirectional wheels that enable wheelchair users to turn sideways without having to go through the rigorous routine of moving their chairs forwards and backwards before making the turn.
The Kyoto University professor developed the wheelchair to allow users to be able to turn within relatively small spaces like traditional Japanese homes. Dubbed the Permoveh Personal Mobile Vehicle, the wheelchair allows sideways movement via a set of unique omnidirectional tires. The prototype Permoveh Personal Mobile Vehicle’s oblique movement would be particularly beneficial for the elderly and people who have limited upper body strength and cannot maneuver and turn a regular wheelchair with ease or people who live and work in spaces that do cannot accommodate regular sized wheelchairs.
Masaharu has not announced any plans to put the Permoveh Personal Mobile Vehicle into production just yet though we expect to see more refined versions of the technology being developed before wheelchair manufacturers pick it up for production.
Via: Dvice