Automotive

Why bother to make even lighter models? The firm points out that over half of wheelchair users end up with upper body damage over the years. Aside from the materials, “in order to ease these chances the wheels have been positioned in closer proximity to the user which helps to increase propelling efficiency.”

Reported by Kurt Kohlstedt

I follow Formula 1 auto racing because, unlike all other sports, it is singularly focused on advancing the capabilities of human and machine. Formula 1 racing is a money-no-object pursuit of the latest technological advances in applied material science, aerodynamics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemistry, physics, and human health and kinesiology.

Working with Formula 1 race car manufacturers and employing aerospace materials, a Swiss firm has developed what they claim is the world’s lightest wheelchair, with a frame weighing in at just 3.3 pounds.

Take this wheel chair for example. Formula 1 racing is a sport that gives back to society. I think it’s fair to say that other sports contribute through the pursuit of traditional sports medicine. But I think there is a limit in terms of how much of that feeds back into every day normal people. Auto racing is the stress test that produces innovation.