catapult wheelchair by tom robbins

catapult is a lever drive wheel chair

industrial designer tom robbins completed a prototype of a lever drive wheelchair called the catapult. both the upward and downward motion of the levers propel the vehicle forward. the gear shifter is attached to the left handle of the wheelchair, and the brake on the right handle, which brakes both back wheels simultaneously. in this version the steering for the wheelchair is controlled through the user’s feet located on the outriggers on the front wheel. robbins has also designed a model which can be steered using hands and arms for those not capable of using their legs.

the vehicle is propelled forward by the upward and downward motion of the hand levers