The first wheelchairs
Hundreds of years ago, someone had the original idea to put some wheels under a chair, so that a person who could not walk, could sit and be pushed around. Or if the strength in the arms allows; push the wheels by hand. (a drawing from 1655, source)

The electric wheelchair was invented in the 1930's, making it possible to drive around without needing someone to push you. Although most credit goes to Canadian inventor George Klein, attempts were made as early as 1912. It wasn't until the 1950s that the first motorized wheelchair became available to the general public. (source)

Nowadays, wheelchairs are fancier, but they're basically the same as they've always been: chairs with wheels.

Manual and electric wheelchairs, which are designed for people who can sit up straight and have functional arms, have been developed to very impressive, pracktical & high-tech levels. Some of these high-quality wheelchairs were surely developed by people who had a desperate need for a better wheelchair themselves. Below are pictures of two top-quality wheelchairs from 2018.

They look good, don't they? But these chairs are no good for people like me because I cannot sit up straight, have no upper body stability, and have no functional arms. I'm at high risk for pressure wounds and the like. I've had four wheelchairs so far, and they were all terrible. Why? My guess is that they are all designed by people who don't have to use them.

This is the normal process of getting a new wheelchair, made by professional specialists:
They start with the best-suited wheelchair within their limited portfolio. Then, because it is no good base really, they spend up to two years "working on it" (like snails) until they think I can sit in it. Then I have a no-good wheelchair, to work on for years, trying to get things right. But it never becomes good, because the base was wrong from the beginning..
This then is the result. I call it my "Frankenstein wheelchair":

Why don't people who are almost completely paralyzed spend years researching and developing the ideal wheelchair, to then start a business to produce and sell it worldwide? The answer is in the question, right? I would love to be that entrepreneur, but most of my day and energy goes into surviving; undergoing care, arranging care and care tools. In the tiny bits of spare time I have per day, I am alone in my wheelchair, either at home behind my computer, or if the weather is good; driving a bit around my neighborhood. I cannot be the entrepreneur.

Some more problems with the current electric wheelchairs. The Operating System is often R-Net. It works realy well, but it is a closed OS. I hear it is too old, and it is very expensive. Most wheelchairs are too expensive, like 6x fair value. Most are too heavy and still use heavy old lead-batteries. Most have the seat to high of the ground (read: instability when driving fast outside).

Better wheelchair, better life.
My chin controlled electric wheelchair is much more to me than just that. It is like a part of my body, giving me the freedom to get out of my hospital bed and outside my home. The better my wheelchair is, the more I can achieve in the real world, the less handicapt I am.

Optimal instead of Minimal
This is my motto: optimal instead of minimal.
We people often go for minimal quality instead of optimal quality, because minimal can cost less effort and money in the short term. Stupid that is, because optimal in the long run, usualy is less expensive and results in more health/joy!


This is the logo of the Super Wheelchair.
The logo is not a technical drawing of the Super Wheelchair, but it contains some clues. The normal position will not be sitting up straight, but instead something in between sitting and laying. This position reduces the risk of pressure wounds, it helps against being dizzy (no muscle control = often dizzy), it gives the upper body more stability, less chance of growing a curved spine, and it gives the chair more stability/safety. The egg shape is more symbolic, saying that this chair will protect you better, give more comfort. The eight wheels, well; I'm looking into different wheel configurations, to reach the goals of sitting lower and driving over obstacles more easily. In the end the Super Wheelchair will look completely different from the logo. But for now I will not post real images.

Who can benefit from this Super Wheelchair?
I'm first developing this Super Wheelchair for me, because I need it and it can make me happy. But if everything works well for me, it can also work for many other people. I would love to produce many Super Wheelchairs and help people all over the world with it. Think not just for people with similar physical damage, but also simply all the people who are getting physically old, which is a huge group.

Products Plans and Dreams
What I would love to develop around the Super Wheelchair:
- Product: Super Wheelchair body support (posibly to use on other brands their drive units
- Product: Super Wheelchair drive unit
- Product: Super Wheelchair fly unit (exchange with the drive unit)
- Product: The Leasie Cushion (anti pressure wounds)
- Product: The Leasie Backsupport (anti pressure wounds)
- Goal: proof that optimal is better than minimal, even financially
- Goal: to change the norm of what a wheelchair can be, hoping that other wheelchair producers will follow my example

The first product will be the Super Wheelchair body support & drive unit. I will not write down all the details. But here are the Super Wheelchair goals, relative to the current norm:
- increased safety driving outside
- increased safety traveling in a bus
- increased safety in the dark
- less chance of pressure wounds
- more stability
- driving from the street up a sidewalk, and down
- driving faster and further
- more comfotable in most weather conditions
- better access for care people
- USB and 12V power onboard
- an open source OS, giving advanced users more access to the settings.
- cruise control
- compartments where you can put some of your stuff in

Here is my "Electric Wheelchair Inspiration" YouTube playlist

A flying wheelchair, really?
Yes really! This is devenitly not the standard configuration and it will not be the first thing to do. The fly unit can be connected to the Super Wheelchair body support unit. Some weight must be taken off the body support unit before flight. It will be an expensive addition to the Super Wheelchair, so it is probably necessary to rent the fly unit instead of buying it. The craft will "fly-by-wire", meaning that the computer is actually flying the craft, and you give it directions. Letting go of the controls will not result in a crash, but instead result in a safe hover mode and landing. Flying of course is more risky than driving, but I believe it is safer than for example a chair that can climb stairs. It may sound like science fiction, but we are living kind of in the future, relative to 50 years ago. New materials, new tools. It is possible, and I am very motivated to realize it.

Here is my "Manned Multicopters" YouTube playlist.

Whithin the limits of what is possible
There are many wheelchair features posible, but you can not put all of them in one design. Any design can only have a combination of some prioraties, and compromizes have to be made.

How much will the Super Wheelchair cost?
The first ones will probably be a very expensive, because it will not be mass produced at first. Goal is to make it very avordable when it can be made in large numbers.

How much costs could the Super Wheelchair prevent?
Yes that is the right question, because the Super Wheelchair is designed to for example prevent a pressure wounds and growing curved. Also designed to protect your body better in case of a crash, and give more comfort in case of bad weather and bad roads. If the SuperChair can indeed prevent a pressure wound just ones, how much money and suffering does that save? Preventing just 1 serious injury will save you probably more than the cost of one Super Wheelchair!