A wheelchair is a vehicle to liberation and freedom; a chariot for independence. – Rick Hansen
Despite what some people seem to think, a wheelchair is not a negative thing. On the contrary, it is a tool that allows for people to participate in the community and lead a full life. The wheelchair is the international symbol for disability and 1% of the worldwide population uses a wheelchair. People use wheelchairs for a variety of different reasons: spinal cord injuries, paralysis, weakness, chronic pain, or other neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), cerebral palsy (CP) or muscular dystrophy (MD). It is estimated that 70 million people worldwide need a wheelchair, but unfortunately only 5-15% have access. Some people are full time wheelchair users, while other people prefer to use a chair over long distances, or when their condition flares up. There have been many improvements to the “wheeled chair” over the years, and technology continues to advance with forays into human/machine interfaces.
Here are some interesting facts about wheelchairs throughout the years:
Carts were the inspiration for the Chinese “Wheelbarrow Wheelchair” back in 200AD. They were used to transfer goods as well as people. This is the first instance of a “wheeled seat.”
There were also instances of wheeled furniture in Ancient Greece. These were immortalized in a frieze on a vase in 6th century BC which shows a wheeled chair as well as a wheeled children’s bed.
The first ever proper “wheelchair” was made for King Phillip II of Spain in 1595. It was a reclining chair on wheels that was pushed around by his servants. It was more of a portable throne rather than what we would consider a wheelchair these days.
The first self-propelled wheelchair was invented in 1655 by Stephan Farffler, paraplegic German watchmaker. His chair more closely resembled a hand-bike rather than a modern wheelchair. The design featured a large front wheel with hand cranks mounted on it.
In 1783 a 3 wheeled chair was created in the town of Bath, England by John Dawson. It had two large wheels and a smaller front wheel, and a hood that could fold up or down, resembling a small one person carriage. It could also be mounted on four wheels and pulled by a horse, donkey or pony.
The first patent for a wheelchair with 2 large rear wheels and 2 smaller front casters was issued in 1869 in the United States. This configuration provided better control and stability. It also allows for wheelies to provide better maneuverability.
Several improvements were made over the years. These included hollow rubber wheels to reduce weight and provide a smoother ride. In 1881 push-rims were added to allow for better self-propulsion.
In 1887 “rolling chairs” were made available at the Atlantic City Boardwalk. They were initially offered so they could be used by disabled tourists. However, over time many healthy people started to rent the decorated rolling chairs and hired servants to push them around as a form of vacation indulgence.
American inventor Thomas Edison used a wheelchair in the later years of his life. His friend, Henry Ford, bought one too so they could have wheelchair races.
Prominent Mexican painter Frida Kahlo used a wheelchair after contracting polio as a child and after a bus accident caused further injuries later in life.
The first motorized wheelchair was theorized and attempted London in 1916. But was not viable for commercial production.
The foldable, lightweight, tubular steel wheelchair, the “grandfather” to all other modern manual wheelchairs was invented in 1932 by engineer Harry Jennings. He also co-founded the Everest & Jennings wheelchair company with Herbert Everest, his paraplegic friend.
Frankilin D Roosevelt the 32nd president of the United States was paralyzed and was a full time wheelchair user.
Motorized or power wheelchairs were not commercially available until after WWII when they were produced by Canadian inventor, George Klien for returning veterans.
Power wheelchairs were massed produced in 1956 by the Everest & Jennings wheelchair company.
There have been many innovations made to power chairs over the years to make users more independent. One example of this is the sip and puff controlled wheelchair developed in the 1960s which allow for people with no use of their arms to move around independently.
Famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a motor neuron disease at the age of 21. He was a wheelchair user for the majority of his life and he credits his disability for allowing his to accomplish so much in his field.
The first attempt at a carbon fiber wheelchair was in 1991 by Action Technology. There has been a lot of trial and error over the years learning how to work with carbon fiber, but it is becoming a more common as an ultralightweight solution.
In 1995 actor Christopher Reeve was thrown from a horse during an equestrian competition. This resulted in a cervical level spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down. He used a motorized wheelchair and a ventilator for the rest of his life.
There are many different types of wheelchairs specialized for different activities. Sports wheelchairs are lightweight and have pronounced negative camber for the wheels (angled wheels) this allows for stability and making quick turns. Beach wheelchairs have large balloon style tires for traversing the sand, and the frames are often made of PVC pipe or other water-friendly material. There are also tank-style track wheelchairs that are very heavy and wide, but can handle a variety of outdoor terrain.
There are several models of wheelchairs that are able to be mass produced at low-cost for use in third world countries. Such as the Arise standing wheelchair by IIT Madras and Phoenix Medical Solutions in India. As well as, heavy duty leveraged freedom chairs available in Africa and other developing countries. Which are built specifically to handle rough terrain and uneven ground.
There are a variety of stair climbing wheelchair models that have been conceptualized and produced over the years. But these end up being overspecialized and too cumbersome for everyday use. As well as prohibitively expensive due to low production numbers.
Self-balancing, seated segway-style wheelchairs are one of the latest innovations on the market .
The cutting edge of wheelchair technology are “mind control” power wheelchairs being designed that are controlled by the users brain waves and an electrocephalogram (EEG) worn on the forehead that sends wireless signals from the brain to the wheelchair.
It is amazing to see the progress made over the years, and it will be amazing to see the innovations in the years to come. Especially as the fields of robotics, exoskeletons, human/machine interfaces and AI become more advanced!
