"All terrain wheelchair helps disabled get back on track." CNN.
Angely, Natalie. "Wheelchair Helps." CNN. Turner Broadcasting System Inc. 16 Oct 2013. Web. 18 Oct 2013. http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/16/tech/innovation/all-terrain-wheelchair/index.html
In the article above, all terrain wheelchairs are a thing of the now. Angely brings up a case of Corporal Michael Boucher, who in an accident in Afghanistan, became a double-leg amputee at the age of twenty two. Boucher was very active before this, being an avid hunter and fisherman. After the accident he says "I was trying to figure out in my mind what I was going to be able to do and what I wasn't."
The all terrain wheelchairs are designed "like mini-tanks," going through snow, mud, and even a foot of water. They are controlled via joystick and can go up to four miles per hour. Unfortunately, the chairs are not currently covered under insurance and carry a price tag of $10,000 to $12,000 USD. Boucher says, "it's made a huge difference ... and it's added that independence back to my life."
I personally believe that this is an amazing step forward in technology for the disabled. The disabled are often not able to go off of solid surfaces, such as concrete, and lose many of their favourite activities. With this chair, they are able to return to their activities, and can enjoy life again. They can use the chair to paint the house, go fishing, and even go play in the snow with their children.
This chair effects the world by making people with disabilities, able again. It gives the user a sense of normality, in being able to go off of concrete, or play with their children again.
Here is a video interview with Corporal Boucher, and the maker of the all terrain wheelchair.
