The Phoenix i ultralightweight “smart wheelchair” was named the winner of the $1 million Toyota Mobility Challenge on Dec. 17, 2020. Designed by innovator and wheelchair user Andrew Slorance, the chair consists of a carbon fiber frame onto which add-ons can be plugged in based on the users’ needs.

“The judges were impressed by the way the device incorporated intelligent systems in its design in a way that represents a true advance for the wheelchair and could see it having a clear route to market,” said Ryan Klem, the director of programs for the Toyota Mobility Foundation.

“It’s unbelievable. I’m just absolutely overwhelmed,” says Slorance, whose other inventions include the Carbon Black Wheelchair and the Phoenix Instinct wheelchair-compatible travel bags. His team was one of five finalists that received $500,000 in 2019 to take their ideas to prototype stage. The other finalists included Quix, an advanced exoskeleton; Qolo, a standing, lean-to-steer power wheelchair; Evowalk, a wearable stimulator for foot drop; and Wheem-I, a wheel-on, semi-autonomous mobility device that provides ride sharing for manual wheelchair users.

Slorance’s team plans to use the $1 million prize to bring the chair from prototype to finished product, ready to be sold to wheelchair users across the world. Slorance says that amount of money is enough to bring the chair to market quickly, with as little as 18 to 24 months “before we’re actually seeing butts on seats.” That’s a remarkable turnaround, especially considering the technological sophistication of the Phoenix i. Furthermore, his aim is for the cost to be in line with other ultralightweight chairs currently on the market, so that it’s reimbursable by insurance. “There’s no point at all in developing a $15,000 manual chair that no one can pay for,” he says.

Making the Smart Chair Smarter

The Phoenix i “smart ready” frame weighs in at just over 5 pounds, as light as the lightest carbon fiber frame out there. To that, a user can add a smart center-of-gravity system, which is a motor-driven axle mounted on a track that allows it to slide forward and back in relation to the user’s position in the chair. “It’s constantly updating itself, maintaining the least amount of weight through the front wheels,” says Slorance. If a user needs to bump off a curb or over a big threshold, they can push a button to switch the chair to manual mode as needed.

Slorance’s team also developed an integrated power-assist system that will be driven through the front casters, a first for power-assist technology. “Generally, the feeling was it just wouldn’t work because there wouldn’t be enough traction. But there is enough traction, we’ve found,” says Slorance. This means the chair tracks well on off-cambered slopes and the powered front wheels pull more easily over soft terrain. “It’s like having a four-wheel-drive manual chair. I’ve got powered front wheels and self-propelled rear wheels.”

In addition, the power-assist system features downhill braking assist. Sensors detect when the chair is on a slope and automatically slow it down, meaning that instead of grabbing slick or hot pushrims, all the user has to do is steer. Even with all these smart systems and batteries added onto the frame, the chair’s weight will be around 15-20 pounds — light enough to lift into a car.

Rory Cooper, director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories at the University of Pittsburgh, helped to design the judging criteria and select the judges for the Mobility Challenge with his team at the HERL. Cooper, who helped develop the first power-assist systems for wheelchairs along with countless other advances,  sees huge possibilities in the fact that major corporations like Toyota are starting to recognize the both the needs and the buying power of people with disabilities. “I think it’s just awesome that Toyota is looking at rolling into a mobility company rather than just a motor company,” he says.

Wheelchairs users can hope that today’s announcement isn’t just a one-off, but a major step in advancing mobility technology that meets the real world needs of people with disabilities. “From here, wheelchairs can continue to evolve with technology rather than being stuck in time,” says Slorance. “The challenge for me now is deliver on [our] promise: Make smart wheelchairs a reality.”

The top photo is of Team Phoenix Instinct, Phoenix Instinct, Forres, Moray, Scotland, UK, Tuesday 24, November, 2020. Image by Malcolm McCurrach. Below is a video of Slorance using the prototype of the Phoenix i.