Proud Geek

For people who use wheelchairs, even the tiniest bump or step can seem like an imposing barrier. Curbs without a curb ramp? Forget it. A step along the sidewalk? Impossible. A walk along a trail that has some bumps and dips? May as well scale Mt. Everest. High service counters? Neck-crick time.

Perhaps not anymore. There’s a new type of power wheelchair designed to give persons with disabilities yet more independence — the Independence iBOT 4000 Mobility System.

With the iBOT 4000, persons who use wheelchairs would be able to:

• Easily raise yourself to reach high shelves and countertops.
• Safely travel at eye level.
• Go up or down steps and stairs.
• Travel over uneven terrain.
• Climb curbs up to 5 inches high.
• Travel indoors and outdoors much like a conventional standard power wheelchair.
• Using remote control, maneuver the iBOT® Mobility System up a ramp and into a vehicle for unoccupied transportation.

Impressive list of features. At 289 pounds (unladen), it’s not exactly lightweight stuff. But with remote control and its ability to transverse uneven terrains and steps, that seems to be a fair trade-off.

I should note that the stair-climbing feature has some limitations. The person using it would need to have at least one railing to hold on if using this independently to climb stairs, or have a person assist. I took several snapshots of a video showing how this stair-climbing feature works:

Thoughts? Concerns? Observations? Share with us in the comments, willya!