The Phoenix I “smart” wheelchair could revolutionize mobility products.
An engineer who has had to use a wheelchair since he was a teen has won a $1 million prize for a revolutionary new “smart” wheelchair design.
The Phoenix I, designed by Andrew Slorance of Phoenix Instinct, has been awarded the Mobility Unlimited Challenge prize, a three-year long competition launched by Toyota Mobility Foundation and Nesta Challenges to boost innovation in the assistive technologies field. The Phoenix I beat out more than 80 teams from 28 different countries.
The Phoenix I is a lightweight wheelchair with a carbon fiber frame that weighs just over five pounds. It is designed to be customizable: the user can plug add-ons onto the wheelchair depending on individual needs. It uses an artificial intelligence-driven center-of-gravity system to automatically adjust its center of gravity—making it responsive to the terrain, and dramatically more stable and easier to use than a conventional wheelchair. The system is a motor-driven axle mounted on a track—which gives it the ability to move in reaction to the user’s position in the chair. “It’s constantly updating itself, maintaining the least amount of weight through the front wheels,” said Slorance. The user can switch to manual mode with the push of a button if they want to maneuver over an obstacle themselves.
The chair also features an intelligent power braking system that automatically detects when the user is on a downhill angle and adjusts its speed. As a result, the user only needs to steer the chair rather than grab potentially slippery or hot push rims. This technology will drive the front wheels, allowing the chair to maneuver well on off-cantered inclines and pull itself across soft terrain.
In addition, the Phoenix I’s front wheel power assist reduces painful vibrations and strain on the user. And even with motors and batteries attached to the frame, the wheelchair will still only be less than 20 pounds.
“The wheelchair as we know it has been technologically unchanged for decades,” said Slorance. “Think of how much smartphones have evolved. Once you start thinking digital, there’s a whole new horizon. Wheelchairs don’t need to be only manual—they can carry batteries, sensors … GPS tags, and apps.”
The Phoenix I’s designer demonstrates how it works.
Slorance and his team plan to use the prize money to bring the chair from prototype to market within 18 to 24 months. One of the challenges will be to make the chair’s price tag comparable to other chairs on the market so that it can be reimbursable by insurance.
“I’ve spent 37 years in a wheelchair … and this is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Slorance. “The funding we received through the Challenge allowed us to prove smart technology makes for an easier to use and safer wheelchair with the potential for a suite of new features,” said Slorance. With the prize money we can now advance this work and bring the Phoenix I wheelchair to the consumer.”
The Phoenix I beat out other notable and innovative entries. The Evowalk is a smart wearable simulator placed right below the knee that uses artificial intelligence to help rehabilitate walking and prevent falls. The Qolo is a standing device that combines an exoskeleton and a wheelchair. The Qix is a powered exoskeleton that is highly mobile. And the Wheem-i is a semiautonomous wheelchair rideshare concept.
Read more about engineering solutions to mobility challenges at Neuroprosthetic Enables Tetraplegic Patient to Walk.
