From WGEM

URBANA, Ill. (AP) — A grad student studying mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois watched wheelchair users on campus and had a thought: If gear shifting is good for motorists and bicyclists, why not for wheelchairs?

Scott Daigle figured that adding gear shifting to a wheelchair could help people get around more efficiently. So he came up with a continuous variable transmission.

There are already wheelchairs with gears, but Daigle’s concept is distinct. He says it automatically senses conditions. For example, if a wheelchair user is going up a hill, it will shift to a lower gear.

Daigle has worked with his grad school advisers to apply for grants for the project.