[08/08/2019, WORCESTERSHIRE] - As human beings, one of the main things that differentiates us from animals is the ability to alter the world around us to cater to the conditions of those less able. It is this notion of using the available materials around us to improve the lives of others that has been steering scientific discovery since the dawn of man. One of the clearest and most evident examples of this ingenuity is the advent, and continued updating, of the lightweight wheelchair.

Lightweight wheelchairs pre-date records - but their use in Europe can be traced back as early as the 12th century. Chairs as they are recognised today however, first began taking shape in 1750, when English inventor James Heath created his ‘bath chair’ - named so as he hailed from the town of Bath. Heath’s chair was the first of its kind to feature two large wheels at the back, and two smaller wheels at the front, and was revolutionary in steering design to where it is today. As the years progressed, many more adaptations and alterations were made to the design as materials and skills became more diverse. Another turning point in the lightweight wheelchair’s history came in 1932, when American mechanical engineer Harry C. Jennings created the first collapsable, tubular steel wheelchair. This was groundbreaking as it not only allowed for easier manoeuvrability and storage, but it also drastically reduced the chair’s weight and paved the way for the lightweight models that are common-place today.

Modern lightweight wheelchairs truly are feats of human engineering, with models such as the Ergo Lite 2 Ultralight Transit Wheelchair weighing just 8.7 kg, whilst simultaneously being entirely collapsible and able to withstand up to 100 kg of user weight.

This difference between weight and durability, and other unique functions of models such as these, have only been able to come about through the use of cutting-edge materials and methodology that were not at the disposal of our predecessors. Today scientists and doctors are working closely together across the globe, so we are able to combat problems that people never dreamed of tackling in the past. And in the mists of the technological revolution we are living in - who’s to say how far they will go, and what new heights we will reach.

Source:
https://www.karmamobility.co.uk/product-category/lightweight-wheelchairs/