When 11-year-old Lily Born noticed her grandfather’s Parkinson’s Disease was causing him a lot of hand tremors, she snapped into action, creating a three-legged ceramic cup that is more durable and less likely to flip over. Watch her brilliant invention and four other videos about the people, ideas and solutions that moved and motivated us in June.
Watch the full videos here:
When This Grandpa Had Trouble Holding a Glass, His Granddaughter Put on Her Inventor’s Cap
Why Does This School Let Its Students Record Hip-Hop Tracks?
This Janitor’s School Family Gifts Him Money to Visit His Family Overseas
These Wheels Help Those Paralyzed Travel Over More Than Just Hills, Dells, and Dusty Trails
How One Man is Saving His Community, One Child at a Time
Tag: Tankchair
This Vet Designed a New Wheelchair-Tank Hybrid for His Paralyzed Wife
Despite the amazing technological advancements we’ve made (think: smartphones, driverless cars, 3-D printing), the average wheelchair could use some updating.
And that’s where Brad Soden comes in. Soden, a combat veteran and owner of the Phoenix-based Tankchair, wants to help all people those that need a little assistance by creating a one-of-a-kind wheelchair. “People in a wheelchair’s got a problem? We’ll fix it. We don’t care what your injury is. You got the desire, we’ll get you off the sidewalk,” he explains.
One of his most recent designs can plow through muddy football fields, storm through feet of water and glide over snow. The Tankchair (as it’s appropriately dubbed) is built from steel or aluminum and provides users with confidence when traveling over any terrain.
According to the Huffington Post, Soden’s wife was paralyzed from the waist down in an automobile accident in 1999. After that, “she was crying one day after her injury, and she couldn’t go camping anymore.” She told her husband to continue doing all that they loved without her, but he didn’t find that to be an acceptable resolution.
After two years of tinkering in his garage, he invented the battery-powered Tankchair.
MORE: A Cute Little Car That Takes Wheelchair Users Everywhere
Each tankchair starts at $19,500 and is durable enough to last up to 15-20 years. While it took trial-and-error to create the invention, Soden has silenced a lot of naysayers. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, “critics are so easy to find — you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting one,” explains Soden.
The sale of each Tankchair raises money for research and development of future designs.
“I get more pleasure watching other people have fun. You see a kid smile, or you see happiness, and the tears of it. I can’t really describe it. Man, I can’t tell you. It’s just really cool.”