Superfourin- All Terrain Wheelchair & Nurse
Ziggi | Jul 08, 2006 | Comments 7
It seems that there is a steady stream of all-terrain wheelchair offerings of late. That should tell you something about today’s wheelchair users. While home may be where the heart is, the out of the way and hard to get at places are where many wheelchair users want to be.
This tricked out buggy is the Superfourin. The prototype was developed by engineers at Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH and Fraunhofer Institute for Information and Data Processing IITB. Aside from the cool dune buggy features such as a roll bar and mag wheels, the Superfourin sports some very novel assistance features. The following information can be monitored at a centrally located control center on a digital map and information display-
- On board GPS system that continuously transmits its position.
- Technical information such as battery status.
- Axle orientation and setting of two or four wheel modes.
- Vital signs such as the riders pulse rate and blood oxygen content
- An entire fleet of vehicles can be monitored from one central location.
The wheelchair will shut down if anything goes wrong with either the technology or the user and will send a signal to the control center for help. The developer claims that the vehicle can traverse gravel, rocky or snow-covered paths. And with a high-performance hybrid motor, Superfourin can negotiate inclines of up to 40 percent.
What do you think of this bit of speculation- What do you do with an all-terrain wheelchair whose position, technical status, and user can be centrally monitored from afar? You rent them out for use in national parks and forests, outdoor recreational areas, hiking trails and secluded camping grounds. What a wonderful new experience this would afford adventuresome wheelers. I’m looking for a few partners. Is anyone interested?
Filed Under: General • New On The Scene • Power Wheelchairs
I’m interested in learning more…
We would be very interrested in an attendant operated version and… if the outdoor operation is aimed at being less intrusive to others and the environment than a 2-up ATV or “tankchair” then it would be nice if the hybrid engine were propane fired to reduce noxious fumes when running hybrid (as opposed to battery only which is assumed for indoor operation).
wow I like the look … wonder about the price on that?
can you give an estimated cost? This is an awesome chair Best thing out here.
I want to test drive one. ~ VERY INTERESTED ~ i am a c5/6 quad in San Diego. Please contact me.
858-756-1727
Thanks!
I am interested in receiving any future information on this device.
Thanks!
I’m very interested in this. My mother-in-law has a normal, automated wheelchair and is constantly getting it stuck in the mud since she was a farmgirl growing up, before her diabetic neuropathy kicked in and basically confined her to a wheelchair. She is always out in the backyard working on gardening and junk from a wheelchair and wanting to go places that are not totally handicap accessible out and about. Something like this would be awesome for her. Just make sure that it’s only as wide as a normal wheelchair so that it can go inside too.