Wheely extreme off-roading

A new four-wheel drive all-terrain wheelchair with a hybrid motor and an electronic assistance system will make negotiating previously inaccessible footpaths and trails a walk in the park for wheelchair users.

"This technology offers wheelchair users a level of freedom previously unavailable," said Prof. Jürgen Wernstedt of the systems engineering applications centre of the Fraunhofer Institute for Information and Data Processing IITB, who together with Otto Bock HealthCare developed the novel assistance system. "Our test driver, a multiple sclerosis patient who has been wheelchair-bound for many years, was enthused. For the first time in a long time, he was able to visit the Thüringer Forest with his family without having to rely on outside help."

Superfourin, as it's called, looks like a small all-terrain vehicle with wide, deep-treaded tires, four-wheel drive and roll bar. The robust wheelchair can traverse gravel, rocky or snow-covered paths. With a high-performance hybrid motor, Superfourin can easily negotiate inclines of up to 40 per cent.