Man Designed Tough Off-Road "Wheelchair" For His Wife And It Is Now Up For Mass Production

This genius piece of engineering will help those that are physically disabled to now go off-road

Rachel

• Published in Interesting
• July 8, 2020

There are an estimated 3.6 million people in the United States alone who use wheelchairs. This figure does not include the estimated 11 million people who use canes, crutches or walkers.

Therefore, we can see that there are millions of people who rely on mobility aids to help them navigate the world—this number will only increase as the population ages. Many of these wheelchairs, though, are expensive and not suited to all kinds of terrains.

Until now. This couple has invented an incredible device that will allow wheelchair users to go off-road, allowing for more comfort, freedom and adventure—without breaking the bank.

Cambry's then-boyfriend, now-husband, Zack Nelson decided to design her a special kind of wheelchair to enable her to be able to go more places. Zack stuck two electric bikes together, with a seat in the middle, so Cambry has a whole new level of freedom.

They call the result a "Not A Wheelchair"

Cambry is able to use the bike to go places that she couldn't in a standard wheelchair, such as hikes and along the beach.

Zack told Bored Panda:

“The toughest challenge when developing ‘Not-A-Wheelchair’ is the price. We wanted to create something that is affordable for everyone. Finding quality components, and a simple enough design at the cheapest price possible took quite a bit of time.

But I think we have something now that everyone will be able to enjoy, at a fraction of the cost of other ‘off-road wheelchairs’ currently on the market.”

"Not a Wheelchair" is fully electric and super quiet.

It can travel as far as 10-20 miles with one battery, and 25-35 miles on two batteries. Though this is dependent on the type of terrain, the weight of the rider and the weight of any cargo.

They found that other similar off-road products are incredibly expensive, or quite slow, so they wanted to create something that was both affordable, but also capable.

The base model, with no suspension and one battery retails for around $3,700. The model with suspension and two batteries will go for around $5,500. Check out their website here for the customisation options and prices.

It is made using bike parts so maintenance is simple.

Without the bumper it is five feet long and 32 inches wide, meaning it can likely fit in the back of bigger cars.

"Not a Wheelchair" can handle most terrain pretty well, although it may struggle on loose sand and snow, just as a bike would.

Pretty amazing, right?!

It's important to remember that Not a Wheelchair is not a medical device, it is a kind of bike that has maintenance and repair issues.

Check out the video introducing it below.

Follow them on Instagram @notawheelchair and find their website here. On the website you can order a Not a Wheelchair, or donate to help other people's dreams come true.

More videos, including Cambry and Zack's story can be found on his YouTube channel.

Rachel