How Do Wheelchairs Work?

The first self-propelled wheelchair was created in 1655 with three wheels by a disabled watchmaker. The design has come a long way since then. Wheelchairs may look simplistic, and we often take their functionality for granted, but it is time to find out once and for all how wheelchairs work.

The traditional wheelchair has a seat with two large wheels at the back and two small ones in the front that swivel when propelled by a person. If the person in the wheelchair controls the movement, they use push rims on each side of the large wheels. An assistant can also push by using rear grips.

Since there are many types of wheelchairs invented since the first one, they use different methodologies to function. If you’re interested in how they work, there are many different ones to know about, and they are all equally fascinating!

Whatever wheelchair you use, a lot of thought went into creating an optimized wheelchair to suit many needs. Traditional wheelchairs have variations that function in slightly different manners. The standard self-propelled wheelchair has a simplistic design, but the variations can be more complex, especially when electronics get involved.

Manual self-propelled wheelchairs are the traditional type. As previously explained, it can be maneuvered by the person using the wheelchair, if they are able, by pushing rims on the side, which are attached to the large wheels. An abled person can move the person in the chair using grips at the back. The physics behind it is that the wheel’s movement exerts force onto the ground, which boosts it.

Typical wheelchairs have footrests and brakes. When the wheelchair is in motion, the footrests at the bottom of the chair need to be flapped open so the user can keep their feet on them, away from the floor, and need to ensure that the breaks are disabled.

Manual wheelchairs are usually able to fold up using a cross-frame so that they can get transported in cars or stored when not in use. You also get rigid-frame wheelchairs that don’t fold at all, which means they can use performance-enhanced designs for easy movement and better performance.

Manual attendant wheelchairs are impeccably similar to self-propelled ones and are also known as transit chairs. These wheelchairs don’t have rims for self-propelling and need someone to push them from the back using grips to move from point A to B.

This type is usually smaller than a self-propelled and lighter for easy transportation. You’ll usually find these wheelchairs in hospitals, health care facilities, nursing homes, and airports as it is less expensive, and the wheelchair user isn’t required to do the propelling work.

Powered wheelchairs incorporate motors that power the wheels using electricity, so that manual effort is not required. This wheelchair is especially useful to those who don’t have the ability or strength to propel themselves.

Two motors propel each large wheel by drawing power from lithium batteries. There is a control point on the wheelchair that the user activates using a joystick, which signals electricity from the battery into the motor, thus moving the wheelchair in the indicated direction. The batteries are fully rechargeable.

Some powered wheelchairs only work on certain terrains, like an indoor model that will only work on smooth surfaces and doesn’t have the ability to use slopes. Indoor-outdoor and outdoor powered wheelchairs increase their range but still struggle on rugged terrain. You can, however, disengage the motors using a setting that allows the user to use the wheelchair as a self-propelled one.

If you’ve seen the Paralympics, you’ll know that wheelchair tech is advanced enough to let people get active using their specially designed wheelchairs. Sports wheelchairs are created for tennis, rugby, racing, basketball, and dancing.

Each sport has customized wheelchairs to match the participants’ needs, such as racing chairs that are elongated with a wheel in the front, designed to maximize speed and offer the user complete control of the wheelchair movement.

Sports wheelchairs are not accustomed to everyday use! Typical sports enhancements include non-folding for strength, lightweight composite materials, and enhanced user positioning. These wheelchairs aren’t cheap due to the engineering.

All-terrain wheelchairs are equipped to allow the disabled user to access rugged grounds that a regular wheelchair can’t. Typically, an all-terrain wheelchair uses a mountain bike design using four terrain-ready tires and spokes with no rim.

The more popular all-terrain wheelchair is the beach wheelchair which has softer tires that can maneuver through the sand. The wheels are also wider to provide stability, and the wheelchair has finishes that allow it to be water-resistant. There are both powered and manual options available. Some people have gone as far as creating a tractor-like wheelchair for farmland!

Smart wheelchairs are incredible and impressive – also the most expensive. These are powered wheelchairs that use robotics and augmented user control. Smart wheelchairs use AI technology and path-planning to move people with limited abilities, like those with cognitive impairments.

Smart wheelchairs can have a computer, sensors, sonar, infrared, and range finders to optimize movability and prevent collisions. This type of wheelchair is able to react to muscular activation or other complex commands to move as requested.

Standing wheelchairs allow the user to move into an almost-straight standing position using a special frame attached to the wheelchair. The seat moves using hydraulics to stretch out safely while the user is in it. 

These wheelchairs can be manual, partially powered, or fully powered to move the seat into an upright position. The user can move around in the standing position, which is helpful for numerous reasons.

Wheelchairs work in wonderful ways, helping those unable to move to get where they need to be. The user or an assistant manually propels the typical wheelchair, but other options could make life easier, such as powered or smart wheelchairs. Wheelchairs also work to let disabled people play sports, stroll along the beach, or even stand. Whatever wheelchair you use, they work using genius functionality.