Author Topic: Gyroscopic Wheel Chair  (Read 2716 times)

marcus

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Gyroscopic Wheel Chair
« on: February 22, 2012, 10:12:38 am »
I saw a fellow in one yesterday on The Blue (Southwark Park Road). It had 4 wheels, about 10" diameter with grey rubber tyres. The wheels were on a subframe  which allows them all to be on the ground, or to raise itself up onto its front wheels at which the frame folds the back wheels up and inwards so they are against the back of the chair and half way up.

It looked amazingly odd, I wondered if I was being affected the the smoke from "Brixton Herbs"! Presumably it has Segway type gyroscopic stabilisers, but whereas a Segway has all its weight down very low and with the weight of the driver also carried down to a low level, this fellow was fairly large and sitting up about almost 3 ft above the two side-by-side wheels, so a VERY high centre of gravity, an inverse Pyramid! He was stationary for a while, then trundled off under total control and stability.

What a brilliant use of gyroscopes! Enabling a disabled person to converse almost normally with standing people, to see over shop counters and pub bars, to be more visible and "on-the-level" among other people.
Just remember: as one door closes behind you, another slams in your face

AndrewG

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Re: Gyroscopic Wheel Chair
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2012, 12:12:27 pm »
That made me go looking and I found this vid of a guy firing a 12-bore shotgun while the chair was raised - very impressive:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39JWZUcDbL0

marcus

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Re: Gyroscopic Wheel Chair
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2012, 12:17:53 pm »
Very impressive, cheers for posting that!
Just remember: as one door closes behind you, another slams in your face

blob

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Re: Gyroscopic Wheel Chair
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2012, 05:24:14 pm »
These were invented a while back, but I have only ever seen 1 in use in London as they're jolly expensive  :o I saw the one being demonstrated on TV showing off it stair climbing caperbilities.