Taking a Wheelchair on the Road

A few years ago when I was researching a book featuring a character who needed a wheelchair, I was primarily looking at different types of wheelchairs (manual, electric, sports models and so on). But yesterday someone sent me an interesting video of an attachment that turns a wheelchair into a kind of motorized bike, and that sent me off to see what else had been invented since my research days. Here are a couple of cool devices. Both of them have been around for a couple (a few?) years. I haven't seen either of them in use yet, but they look awesome.

This one is the Firefly. It's an attachment that clips onto the front of a wheelchair. I've seen videos where a person can even navigate rough terrain, such as a dirt hiking trail.

Here's a video of the Firefly in action:

There's also a car, the Chairiot Solo that is designed specifically for a solo wheelchair driver, There's also a version of this that includes a fun sunroof. This isn't a car that can be driven on the highway. It has a speed limit of either 25 or 35 miles per hour, depending on one's location/local laws, and it only has a range of 50 miles. Obviously, there are more powerful vehicles that feature wheelchair lifts, but this is still a wonderful invention.

I'm sure there are other new inventions out there. If you hear of any, let me know. I'm always interested on ways to make the world a more accessible place for everyone.

Have a wonderful day!

Myrna