But after a few rocky encounters, he decided there had to be a better way to maneuver over rough terrain in a wheelchair. So he did what anyone with experience in mechanics would do – he made a new wheel.
Previously on bespoken we’ve featured articles on manual and motorised chairs which help the user negotiate uneven streets and rougher pathway, but a lot of them have been both expensive and a bit impractical for day-to-day use. A new Kickstarter, Loopwheels, addresses this problem with a simple and far more affordable design. Loopwheels contain integral suspension meaning the wheels absorb more shock than a standard wheel and allow the user to negotiate tougher terrains with greater ease and comfort. The Kickstarter also says that they can be fitted onto most standard wheelchairs. Following up from a successful campaign to raise funds for the Loopwheel as a bike wheel, this latest project has already raised over half of its £16,000 goal with 28 days left to go.

A dead axle - a rigid beam - is now used at the front on vans and trucks only. Some front-wheel-drive cars have a dead rear axle. A double-wishbone suspension. Wishbones are fitted at their outer ends to the top and bottom of the steering swivel member. The two forks of each wishbone extend inward to pivot on the frame. A tie rod - a steadying bar - is connected between the frame and the lower wishbone.
Like a regular pneumatic tire, the ASW is air-suspended, but in this case, it's not by an inflated tube. It's a full hub and wheel replacement that separates the outer tread and rim from the hub using a set of eccentrically mounted, pneumatic air cylinders.