12 Facts About Manual wheelchair

Innovation within the Manual wheelchair industry is relatively common, but many innovations ultimately fall by the wayside, either from over-specialization, or from failing to come to market at an accessible price-point.

An attendant-propelled wheelchair is generally similar to a self-propelled manual wheelchair, but with small diameter wheels at both front and rear.

Specially designed transfer chairs are now required features at airports in much of the developed world in order to allow access down narrow airliner aisles and facilitate the transfer of Manual wheelchair-using passengers to and from their seats on the aircraft.

An electric-powered Manual wheelchair, commonly called a "powerchair" is a Manual wheelchair that additionally incorporates batteries and electric motors into the frame and that is controlled by either the user or an attendant, most commonly via a small joystick mounted on the armrest, or on the upper rear of the frame.

Powerchairs have access to the full range of wheelchair options, including ones that are difficult to provide in an unpowered manual chair, but have the disadvantage of significant extra weight.

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Power-assisted wheelchair is a recent development that uses the frame and seating of a typical rigid manual chair while replacing the standard rear wheels with wheels of similar size which incorporate batteries and battery-powered motors in the hubs.

Smart Manual wheelchair is any powerchair using a control system to augment or replace user control.

Usually, a smart Manual wheelchair is controlled via a computer, has a suite of sensors and applies techniques in mobile robotics, but this is not necessary.

Variation on the manually-propelled wheelchair is the Leveraged Freedom Chair, designed by the MIT Mobility Lab.

The electric Manual wheelchair shown on the right is fitted with mecanum wheels which give it complete freedom of movement.

Such floor designs allow a Manual wheelchair user using a dedicated shower chair, or transferring onto a shower seat, to enter the shower without needing to overcome a barrier or lip.

Some Manual wheelchair users want to use a seatbelt to make sure they never fall out of the Manual wheelchair.