“‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Yeshua, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.  As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.  Night is coming, when no one can work.'”  (John 9:3-4)

Two Israeli innovation teams have wheeled out a pair of savvy wheelchairs this year, with one designed to sense and conquer obstacles in its path and the other geared for mobility feats and rough terrain.

As a gift to his mother-in-law—and other wheelchair users—musician Ilan Aviv designed a stair-stepping wheelchair with sensors that help the chair avoid obstacles as it moves.

As it rolls up to a curb or a step, the chair stops and extends a pair of arch-shaped mechanisms with wheels on each end that feels for the next surface and gently lifts the chair down to it, lowering its back “legs” until the chair’s main wheels touch ground again.

Aviv’s Step-Up device has been registered as a patent and can be installed into electric wheelchairs.  The gift to his mother-in-law took one year to design and will cost consumers $2,000 to purchase.  (Jerusalem Online)

Meanwhile, Israeli company SoftWheel has designed a wheelchair with military veterans in mind, including Americans who will be some of the first users of the device.  SoftWheel CEO Daniel Barel told ISRAEL21c that he contacted the United States Veterans Administration (VA) to begin a working relationship.

“We are in advanced talks with the VA now; these things take time.  Meanwhile, there are some private funds in the United States that support veterans,” Barel said.  “A few months ago, we contacted the Independence Fund, a $15 million fund that buys medical equipment for veterans.  They were very excited to provide vets with the SoftWheel Acrobat until the VA partners with us officially.”

The company’s Acrobat wheelchair is designed out of lightweight carbon with a patented suspension mechanism that activates above an impact threshold—sending jarring bumps and shocks into the wheels, not the chair or the user.

The Acrobat wheel gives wheelchair users “a more comfortable, bump-free ride without performance compromises.  It offers a smooth and comfortable ride across everyday paths, including curbs and other declines, and can virtually connect to any wheelchair frame,” writes the company website.

Barel said that SoftWheel received a $1.4 million Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) grant to fund the project, which will be in production by December.