The incredible wheelchair with LEGS that can climb steps (and even walk over a ditch)



Wheels transform into legs that can carry the chair over steps and ditches

Invention could revolutionise the lives of the disabled



A wheelchair with legs that can climb steps and negotiate obstacles has reached the prototype stage in Japan.

Engineers at the Chiba Institute of Technology in Narashino have developed a robot wheelchair that can make a variety of movements using four-wheel drive and five axes of motion.

Like any other wheelchair, it rolls along on its wheels but, if a step or ditch gets in the way, the wheels transform into legs to carry the user over.

Disabled access: Japanese engineers have built a prototype wheelchair that has wheels that can become legs which are able to climb steps and negotiate obstacles

Getting around: The invention has the potential to revolutionise access for disabled people, who are currently severely restricted by obstacles which are common in towns and cities

The promising invention has important implications for disabled access. Currently buildings and areas with steps and uneven surfaces are practically off-limits to those in wheelchairs.



The user controls the device by means of a joystick and its robot brain automatically assesses the surrounding terrain and moves appropriately - even adjusting itself to keep ensure the seat remains level.

Sensors on the feet of the wheelchair detect if there are any obstacles nearby, Professor Nakajima told DigInfo.tv . Using its sensors in combination it can assess the size of an obstacle and how to negotiate it.

Even if the sensors fail to detect an obstacle in advance and the wheels touch it, the torque can be automatically varied as a backup.

'In this way, the robot can detect the road surface reliably,' Professor Nakajima said. 'If a sensor detects a step, the robot calculates whether it can lift that leg.'

Automatic: Sensors on the machine detect obstacles ahead and giving the machine's robot brain the information it needs to negotiate them. All the user has to do is point a joystick and decide which direction to travel

Professor Shuro Nakajima tests the wheelchair in the lab: With the prototype ready, his team from the Chiba Institute of Technology now hope to conduct further tests to perfect their invention

NASA DEVELOPING EXOSKELETON THAT COULD HELP DISABLED WALK

A spinoff from robotic space technology may someday help astronauts stay fit in space and help paraplegics walk on Earth, Nasa says.

The U.S. space agency and the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) have jointly developed a robotic exoskeleton called X1, pictured right.

The 57lb device is a robot that a human could wear over his or her body either to assist or inhibit movement in leg joints.

As well as its ability to negotiate uneven ground, the wheelchair can also line up its wheels and extend stabilisers either side, allowing it to turn in a circle. This makes it easy to reverse even in narrow spaces.

Professor Nakajima said he and his team had decided to stick with the conventional wheeled design for their chair, since wheels are the most efficient way of getting around on paved surfaces.

With the prototype ready, they now hope to conduct further tests to perfect their invention.

'For now, we're presenting this system and form as a concept, and the motion has mostly been worked out. So, we're at the stage where we can show this robot to the world,' said Professor Nakajima.