An Israeli company has developed a wheelchair which could offer millions of people with severe physical disabilities new levels of freedom and independent movement.
The new wheelchair, created by Galileo Mobility Instruments, will allow for quadriplegics and others with severe disabilities to go for walks in the country, have picnics on the beach, enter and exit the car alone, reach high shelves, climb and descend stairs unassisted, and even to lower themselves to the floor to play with their children.
"It's the four-wheel drive of wheelchairs," Avishay Novoplanski, one of Galileo's founders told Israel21c.com. "It offers the handicapped a measure of independence that was never possible before."
The technology behind the new wheelchair was developed by Novoplanski together with Gil Michaeli. The two men began work on the project while they were still studying. Novoplanski, who is 38, studied industrial design engineering at the Bezalel College in Jerusalem, while Michaeli, 32, studied engineering at Zur Industrial University in northern Israel.
The innovation behind the invention is a new kind of wheel that they termed “the Galileo Wheel.” The track and tire which make up the wheel can transform from a wheel to a track to a stair climber as the need arises. "There are so many vehicles, like tractors, all-terrain vehicles, tanks, and snowmobiles that have track rather than wheels, and yet they only need that track for specific short periods," Novoplanski said. "The majority of the time they could use wheels, which are far more efficient and comfortable. Track causes a lot of problems."
The wheelchair, which is still at the prototype stage, is the company's first project. Currently, powered wheelchairs enable users to lower or raise themselves into a specially adapted car, go up and down curbs, and to climb stairs with the aid of a handrail – although they must face downward whether they are climbing or descending the stairs.
Galileo's electronic wheelchair is the same dimension and weight as the standard powered wheelchairs but lets users go over obstacles and all types of terrain and climb stairs facing the direction in which they are going. It does not require a handrail or any other type of assistance. It can also tilt the user to a standing position, or to a reclining position.
"You can control the wheelchair by the zip and puff system, with just a straw in your mouth," Michaeli said. "It does not require any movement from your upper body or hands." Michaeli believes that some manual wheelchair users will buy a Galileo chair for vacations or for leisure purposes such as walks in the countryside. "With our wheelchair they can very easily reach anywhere," he says.
Aside from the wheelchair, the three-man company is also developing a number of other applications using its core technology.
The first is a highly maneuverable autonomous robot for observation and intelligence gathering, which is based on the same transport mechanism as the wheel chair. Galileo is now working jointly with the Technion in Haifa, and the Israel Defense Force (IDF), which is financing the project. The robot can be equipped with cameras or detection sensors for a range of tasks.
The company is also working on a stair climber, a device that will allow a porter or a worker to shift heavy weights up and down the stairs. This could be used for anything ranging from heavy boxes, to a handicapped person in a wheelchair, or an elderly person on a chair.
If anticipated investment comes through, the pair of innovators hope to see the wheelchair on the market within a year.
The new wheelchair, created by Galileo Mobility Instruments, will allow for quadriplegics and others with severe disabilities to go for walks in the country, have picnics on the beach, enter and exit the car alone, reach high shelves, climb and descend stairs unassisted, and even to lower themselves to the floor to play with their children.
"It's the four-wheel drive of wheelchairs," Avishay Novoplanski, one of Galileo's founders told Israel21c.com. "It offers the handicapped a measure of independence that was never possible before."
The technology behind the new wheelchair was developed by Novoplanski together with Gil Michaeli. The two men began work on the project while they were still studying. Novoplanski, who is 38, studied industrial design engineering at the Bezalel College in Jerusalem, while Michaeli, 32, studied engineering at Zur Industrial University in northern Israel.
The innovation behind the invention is a new kind of wheel that they termed “the Galileo Wheel.” The track and tire which make up the wheel can transform from a wheel to a track to a stair climber as the need arises. "There are so many vehicles, like tractors, all-terrain vehicles, tanks, and snowmobiles that have track rather than wheels, and yet they only need that track for specific short periods," Novoplanski said. "The majority of the time they could use wheels, which are far more efficient and comfortable. Track causes a lot of problems."
The wheelchair, which is still at the prototype stage, is the company's first project. Currently, powered wheelchairs enable users to lower or raise themselves into a specially adapted car, go up and down curbs, and to climb stairs with the aid of a handrail – although they must face downward whether they are climbing or descending the stairs.
Galileo's electronic wheelchair is the same dimension and weight as the standard powered wheelchairs but lets users go over obstacles and all types of terrain and climb stairs facing the direction in which they are going. It does not require a handrail or any other type of assistance. It can also tilt the user to a standing position, or to a reclining position.
"You can control the wheelchair by the zip and puff system, with just a straw in your mouth," Michaeli said. "It does not require any movement from your upper body or hands." Michaeli believes that some manual wheelchair users will buy a Galileo chair for vacations or for leisure purposes such as walks in the countryside. "With our wheelchair they can very easily reach anywhere," he says.
Aside from the wheelchair, the three-man company is also developing a number of other applications using its core technology.
The first is a highly maneuverable autonomous robot for observation and intelligence gathering, which is based on the same transport mechanism as the wheel chair. Galileo is now working jointly with the Technion in Haifa, and the Israel Defense Force (IDF), which is financing the project. The robot can be equipped with cameras or detection sensors for a range of tasks.
The company is also working on a stair climber, a device that will allow a porter or a worker to shift heavy weights up and down the stairs. This could be used for anything ranging from heavy boxes, to a handicapped person in a wheelchair, or an elderly person on a chair.
If anticipated investment comes through, the pair of innovators hope to see the wheelchair on the market within a year.