Off-road bike design is adapted to all types of people with disabilities
Creating a new vehicle adapted for the disabled allows them to walk over rough terrain and explore nature
Thanks to pressure from sectors of the disabled around the world, accessibility has seen constant improvements in terms of adapting vehicles, such as wheelchairs, bicycles, cars and motorcycles (including electric ones). But these adjustments usually occur for means of transport that do well in cities. What should the disabled person who enjoys nature do to take a trail or simply go for a walk where there is more tortuous natural terrain?
The American company Outrider, bicycle manufacturer off-road, launched a campaign on the crowdfunding website kickstarter to produce a bike called horizon. The three company partners developed, together with the tetraplegic adventurer Christopher J. Wenner, a bicycle model that, in addition to being electric, adapts to all types of users with disabilities, from quadriplegics to individuals with injuries only in parts lower or only in the upper parts of the body. The aim of the project is to expand the freedom of mobility for people who have some kind of limitations and enjoy sports and nature.
The bicycle has folding handlebars, three wheels and a low center of gravity to qualify the general balance, electric pedal adapted for difficult terrain and that can be handled by people with full functions of the lower limbs or by those with limited abilities, such as paraplegics and quadriplegics. To better understand how movement is possible through the handlebars, click here.
THE horizon it has an excellent range of suspension, that is, the electric vehicle can ride both on asphalt and on rougher terrain (such as on trails). The bicycle is powered by a lithium battery which, like any other type of electrical material, needs a power source to recharge, its speed reaches 40 kilometers per hour and has a range of approximately 48 kilometers (without the aid of mechanical force). It has three modes:
- Mode 1: 100% electric
- Mode 2: hand power + electric
- Mode 3: pedal + electric
THE Outrider successfully produced and tested two prototypes of the horizon. The campaign in kickstater will close on April 10th. If the team doesn't get the $100,000 funding, the bike won't be built on a large scale.
If you want to know more or contribute to the project, click here. Check out the video and more images below.
