Video: WHILL Turns Ordinary Wheelchairs Into Electric Superchairs

Well HELLO WHILL! New kid fresh on the block serving up a knockout shot to the big so-called "providers". It's said that timing is one of the keys when putting out a wholly new product, but this could have rocked the industry twenty years ago, or twenty years from now if no one else had come out with it. My wife has worked in human care for many years, and one of the common issues with wheelchairs (powered) is that they just don't keep the range long into the life of the chair. This almost doubles the range offered by most of the actual wheelchairs out there now. You get more range with the "scooter chairs", but those don't have the stability of an actual wheelchair. This looks like the only issue is with the potential extraction of the user in case of accident, but that's always going to be an issue regardless. If the unit adds to the person's safety vis a vis the central bar, then this advance is going to go big in a hurry, and WHILL had better have a huge production run in the offing already, because the knockoffs will be coming out fast.

So if I'm understanding this right, this design is completely modular and can upgrade any standard wheelchair to be motorized? This is the kind of design that our future needs.

Orange8Lightning@aol.com The elderly could be in great danger if this gets in their wrinkly paws hands.

With advancement in technology, they put an "Exclamation Point","!" on a wheel chair to give it more go!

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Science sees no further than what it can sense.
Religion sees beyond the senses.

That was a terrible video.

This may be inappropriate to say but I don't believe I have ever seen a positive comment posted by Robot. Every advancement in technology or science only seems to draw his scorn and poor attempts at sarcasm.

Yes, it looks like an exclamation point, yes it makes the wheelchair faster. Why don't you ask someone in a wheelchair what they think about this? I know several people in chairs that would love to have one of these. Electric chairs are extremly heavy and hard to transport. They are also slow and have a very limited range. This is light weight, modular, and allows a person to use a chair they already have. If the cost can be kept low enough people will line up for them.

As for Robots by line about science and the senses he is only half correct. Science is always working to expand our senses so we can hear, see, feel more. If science only believed in what our raw senses could tell us then we would still be crouched around fires eating burned meat on pointy sticks. I suppose when science develops a camera that can show the face of God he will complain because it is blurry and out of focus.

Skindancer,
I was not insulting the device. I was kind of making a joke.
You’re an obsessive odd little bugger aren't you? Lol

Apparently you see no resemblance to it being an exclamation.
I thank you for your long commentary.
Take care and have a Happy Holiday!

By the way, I have been a programmer, electronic tech and network administrator since the 80s... I adore technology. For me, it's all toys!

Kudos to this device! Woopee!

.............................
Science sees no further than what it can sense.
Religion sees beyond the senses.

Nice idea whose time has come. Believe me if I was wheelchair bound I would be looking at this seriously since the price tag on this one is fairly high.

http://www.allegromedical.com/wheelchairs-c540/jet-powered-concept-wheelchair-p557073.html

@Robot...please stop being an annoying troll, glad you are so smart, doesn't excuse your b#tchy behavoir

drchuck1,
Your comment is a joke as much as your own personality.
I give to the whole cosmos readers of POPSCI to take a read of your comments on POPSCI.

You have large reputations of being hateful, sexiest, rude, condensing and bad to others. You are consistently speaking down to others. And as much as I say this now as assertions, you comments do display them clearly in POSPCI and so the facts are there. You area a narcissistic personality problem and my words will completely bounce of you as nothing and cannot be taught. You are a high achiever and a looser at the same time and yes so alone.

Your comment now is just funny....

You are old, mean, divorce and alone and consistent, without hope. And as you do have a mental disorder and you do not believe in GOD, this leaves you wish no hope and you did it to yourself.

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I REALLY REALLY LIKE THIS WHEEL CHAIR AND THING THE PEOPLE WHO DEVELOP IT ARE SO AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.............................
Science sees no further than what it can sense.
Religion sees beyond the senses.

I don't see the point. If you need a motorized wheelchair, why not just get a purpose made motorized wheelchair? It looks to me to block the persons entry and exit to their wheelchair. What do they do when they go to the toilet? Motors have been added to bicycles before, did they replace motorcycles and mopeds? Of course not. This is a stupid gadget, with little practical value.