Phoenix Instinct creates smart wheelchair with "intelligent centre of gravity"

Scottish designer Phoenix Instinct has developed a lightweight

With a movable shaft position, the center of gravity of the chair can be automatically adjusted to stop over-balance.

The development of this project got from 

,by

With

, Phoenix i wheelchair uses smart technology to improve its basic functions.

Andrew Slorance, founder of Phoenix Instinct, said: "It turns out that wheelchairs are the most viable way to travel for people with paralysis."

He told Dezeen: "However, wheelchair technology has not evolved since the 1980s, and intelligent systems have changed the products around us."

"Prostheses have undergone revolutionary changes in function, appearance and perception, and wheelchairs are still the inanimate and clumsy devices that prostheses used to be. Now is the time for the development of wheelchairs."

The wheels of the wheelchair are made of lightweight carbon fiber and are mounted on an adjustable shaft that can move back and forth according to the user's position.

It is connected to a sensor that detects whether the user is leaning forward or backward, and moves the shaft position to adjust its center of gravity accordingly. This means that the wheelchair is stable and agile, while reducing the risk of going backwards.

Slorance explained: "Weight distribution is the key to wheelchair agility and stability." "The position of the rear axle determines how the weight is distributed between the front and rear wheels."

He continued: "The heavier the weight on the front wheels, the greater the backward stability." "However, the weight through the small front wheels equals a lot of resistance, which makes the thrust more powerful."

"If the weight on the rear wheels is too great, the chair may become unbalanced and fall backward."

"The center of gravity of the wheelchair is fixed, so the user is either an agile and unstable chair, or a stable chair that is difficult to push away, or a chair that is neither very flexible nor very stable," Slorance continued.

"The Phoenix i wheelchair has an intelligent center of gravity, so users get the lightest agility while combining stability. This is unprecedented."

The intelligent system means that the chair will constantly adjust itself to enable the user to obtain the best performance while keeping the wheels in the same position relative to the user. According to the designer, this means that people who use the chair will suffer less harm.

Celorance said: "For the first time in history, a wheelchair and a user have the same center of gravity." He continued: "The wheels are always in the same position relative to the user, regardless of whether they are tilted forward or backward. "

"Putting position remains constant and comfortable, which will reduce injuries, putting easier, and higher agility and stability."

Phoenix Instinct intends to sell Phoenix i wheelchairs at a price comparable to traditional wheelchairs because the company believes that smart wheelchairs should be widely used.

Slorance said: "The cost of wheelchairs comes mainly from the reimbursement plan, so increasing the maximum limit paid by insurance companies means that in the long run, proving life-enhancing benefits will bring more savings to insurance companies-less harm, more Independence, etc."

"This is achieved with the advancement of prosthetic technology, so wheelchairs should also be possible. However, we intend to price new wheelchairs at the price of traditional wheelchairs in order to accelerate the pace of progress towards smart wheelchairs."

The Mobility Unlimited Challenge awarded five finalists $500,000 for the development of mobile devices for lower limb paralysis. Together with the instinctive wheelchair of the Phoenix,

.

The winner of the challenge will receive a $1 million prize, which will be announced later this month.

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