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For hundreds of years, the manual wheelchair has remained virtually unchanged.
Most modern chairs feature two large handrails for gripping, which are attached to the wheels of the chair.
Fortunately, there have been advances in materials, safety and comfort, but unfortunately, very few changes have been made to the main concept.
Manual chairs limit you to propelling
by the traditional wheel push, which provides intermittent propulsion and makes it difficult to climb hills or go over rough terrain. A small group of muscles are used during this pushing stroke making it inefficent. Also, the need to grasp a rotating push rim in order to accelerate limits the speed and can be dangerous to you. There are many published studies proving chronic injuries (torn shoulder muscles, pinched wrist nerves) these chairs cause.
Many types of human powered vehicles have been developed through time with the bicycle generally considered to be the most efficient. Combining the efficiencies of the modern bicycle with better ergonomics provide you the freedom to tackle various terrain and also work new muscle groups.
The "Quantum Runner" is a new and innovative sports chair. It provides forward propulsion with "both" the push and pull of a lever. The ergonomically correct positioning allows you to sit in the upright position and change gears depending on the power needed.
In normal operation, the chair will be used in an "automatic" mode where the 4-speed gears change according to the speed of the wheel. In addition, the propulsion system can be disabled completely and the chair used in the conventional wheel-push method. Brakes are provided for safety and quick turning. The combination of these features give you the freedom to go places that would not be possible with a conventional chair (dirt, carpet, hills, grass etc.)
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