I’ve seen quite a few “look-at-me loud” disability inventions in my day, from the rockin’ Intimate Rider sex chair to the crazy Vertran standing wheelchair, but Brad Sodens’ Tank Chair, a non-wheelchair (for there’s not a single wheel to be found on the entire design), that equips triangular-shaped tracks to a cushioney seat, giving hardcore outdoors people the ability to make the wilderness their bitch, is crazy.
And by “crazy” do I mean it’s good or bad…well to be honest, I can’t decide. I do love the story behind it: Brad designed it for his wife Liz, who was paralyzed in a car accident and loved enjoying the outdoors with her five kids. They were camping one day (a few months after her injury) and her regular powerchair had gotten stuck in some mud as they all rushed to see a rare herd of elk that was nearby. Long story short, they missed the herd. At that moment Brad was determined to create a machine that would take away as many barriers for his wife that he could, short of a cure for her spinal cord injury cure of course.
And so Brad designed the behemoth Tank Chair. It can tackle it all, from snow, gravel, wet mud, beach sand, shallow streams, to even logs in the forest, this chair is unstoppable. And possibly the coolest part: It can even climb stairs that are at a 45 degree angle or less. AWESOME. And it runs on high torque electric motors, so no nasty fumes are trailing from this bad boy.
Is this practical for daily in-home use? Not a chance in hell (unless you‘re a cast member on Lost). I would however LOVE to use this up at my parent’s cabin, or even on the beach next summer. Sure, I might end up looking like some sort of bizarre Transformer, but who the f#*! cares. To traverse the elements like God himself…yes, that’d erase years of mobility-created tension.
And further, why am I not surprised an American designed this? :p
Cost: $15,000 - $25,000. Each one is custom-built to ensure user safety.
- Camping in a wheelchair
- Taking my wheels into the wild blue yonder
- The Most Accessible Season and Social Inclusion
