Are you wondering what the above image shows? Well, it’s one of the very earliest recorded powered wheelchairs (aka powerchairs) and represents a milestone in mobility history. Not to mention, the beginning of powerchair history. Which is what this blog article is about. The product in question shown here is the “Custer Car” a battery-powered three wheel mobility chair. At this point in time, such a product looks very much like a mobility scooter, which also started off as three-wheel products. However, mobility scooters would not be invented in the modern sense until 1954, whereas the “Custer Car” originated in 1919. It was designed in response to the needs of WWI veterans in the USA. As the name suggests, the inventor was a Levitt Luzern Custer, who was based near a military hospital in the Midwestern USA. It wasn’t until after WWII though that a more recognisable powerchair emerged.
The Next Chapter in Powerchair History
Seen to the left is the first powerchair to enter into commercial production. Developed by Ottawa-based scientist George Klein, and debuting in 1953, fifteen years before the first commercially successful mobility scooter, the Klein Drive Chair was the start of a technological advancement which would transform millions of lives worldwide.
Of course, in 1953, this technology had yet to go global. So, what happened next? Sweden was to become a notable country in powerchair history. Indeed, it remains so to this day. This is largely due to the work of MD and disability advocate Dr Per Uddén. Founder of Permobil, he pushed hard for the use of the most advanced, and, therefore, liberating, technology in powerchairs. Uddén founded Permobil in 1968, on the basis of his experience with his mobility-impaired patients and his embrace of new technologies. Coincidentally, 1968 was the year when the first commercially successful mobility scooter anywhere in the world became available.
Diversification and Advancement
In the wake of Per Uddén and George Klein’s work, new names in powerchair manufacture emerged across the world as this new technology caught on. In 1983, Sunrise Medical, responsible for the world-famous Quickie powerchair range, opened their doors for the first time. In 1996, Pride Mobility Products entered the powerchair world. By 1998, this US-based company was selling into Canada, the UK, mainland Europe and Australia. And, in 2000, Quantum Rehab, a subsidiary of Pride, emerged. This offers specialised prescriptive powerchairs. Moving into the 21st century, powerchair innovation continues apace. Whatever may happen in the future of powerchair design and development, Lifestyle & Mobility will be here to accompany you on the journey!