Innovative New Product: Shock-Absorbing Wheels for Wheelchairs!

This story is so neat we had to share!

From the Friendship Circle Blog

It is commonly said, “you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.” However, when Israeli farmer Gilad Wolf broke his pelvis in 2008, he set out to do just that. He was not going to let his crops shrivel up and go without care. In order to tend to his field, he had to reinvent his wheelchair, giving it necessary adaptations and upgrades to become an off-road “workhorse.”

The Technology

In a normal ride on standard floors or pavements, the suspension mechanism remains static. The Acrobat™ acts and feels as a high-end, rigid wheel. However, when encountering an impact caused by an obstacle above a specific threshold, the Acrobat’s Selective Suspension mechanism comes into play. This causes a shift of the wheel’s hub from its previously central location and develops a cushioning effect that dramatically absorbs and lessens the impact transferred to the rider.

Once the obstacle has been passed, the hub shifts back to its central location smoothly, automatically, and seamlessly. The wheel regains its rigidity and responsiveness, and the user continues moving efficiently. In fact it is the wheel that absorbs most of the shock generated by impact rather than the chair or the user’s body.

For more details on this exciting product, visit SoftWheel.

An Innovative New Product: Shock-Absorbing Wheels for Wheelchairs