The Tank Powerchair!
Ziggi over at Wheelchair Diffusion caught wind of the TankChair - a comfy-looking powerchair with monstrous tank treads!
According to tankchair.com, the creator of the chair developed the Tank Chair so that his wife could maneuver around better in the great outdoors. Here is an excerpt from the site:
The TankChair started a little over 2 years ago. My wife, five kids and I were in a cabin in the woods. To our surprise a herd of elk came walking through our camp. My kids, having never seen an elk before, woke up and rushed outside. My wife got in her power chair and wanted to see them too. As we went outside the elk had moved on about 100 yard and you couldn’t see the through the dense tress. We started walking to get closer but had to keep stopping and help my wife get her wheelchair unstuck. Anyone who has a loved one in a wheelchair knows what a pain in the nether regions that can be.
The TankChair reminds me of an older promo video for the iBOT in which the iBOT drives over small logs and sand within a demonstration at an expo center. As staged as that was, it gave me a little rush just like seeing the TankChair does. Although Ziggi brought up the necessary question regarding the giant - “how do you transfer into it?” - it’s refreshing to know that minds are at work developing a tool that could reconnect or simply connect wheelers to something as circumstantially fantastical as hiking. And hopefully those people will catch wind of it.
February 1st, 2008 at 5:27 am
Ithink you should lower the centre of gravity so that it is safer on slopes and easyer to get on
February 1st, 2008 at 11:39 am
I agree with Doda on this one, if you lower the center of gravity of the machine, the “Tank Chair” will have less of a tendancy to want to throw the rider to the ground when manuvering over large(er) obstacles. The only problem I can see would be if the engine is underneath the seat, you my have to reposition it to behind the driver, therefore making the “Tank Chair” more accesible to any user. Make sure to place some type of divider between the driver and the treading though, because any loose clothing or long hair may get caught in the treading of the track
October 15th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
i agree and also some kind of resraining device so when it goes down hill the disabled rider doesnt fall out
April 10th, 2009 at 12:16 am
That isa pimped out wheelchair!
September 7th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
are those mattracks on the chair? ive used them before on a quad and the trouble i had was the tread didnt last all to long after 6 months the track was almost completely smooth , i am wondering if the new design with a longer tread worked better i have since changed over to the polaris tracks and they have lasted well over 2 years , the tracks take so much power though my 800 with the tracks goes any where i want,
April 21st, 2010 at 5:32 pm
that chair is cool and my wife has a frind that is in the market for something like that do you have information that i can get to let him know thanks