Purdue University Professor Creates "RoboDesk" Motorized Wheelchair Tray

Brad Duerstock, an associate professor at Purdue University's Biomedical Engineering Department, has developed a motorized desk, dubbed the "RoboDesk", in the hopes that it can be used by powerchair users to help increase their employment opportunities.  More information and a video after the jump.

Braun To Debut Converted Ford Explorer For American Hero

Braun has teamed up with West Coast Customs, Hewlett Packard, and Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports to create a revolutionary adapted vehicle built in tribute to special American veterans who have served in the military.  More information after the jump.

Exosuit That Could Be Applied For Disabled?

Harvard researchers have developed and demonstrated an exosuit that is designed to boost the strength and stamina of the wearer.  More information after the jump.

Volvo's Self Parking System Could Potentially Eliminate Need For Handicapped Spaces?

Volvo has released a clip that demonstrates their self parking system that could lead to a time where the need to find a disabled parking space may be a thing of the past.  More information and clip after the jump.

Rich Families Using Disabled Tour Guides To Cut Lines

The New York Post has published an article about a social anthropologist Dr. Wednesday Martin, writer of Primates of Park Avenue, who has uncovered a very disturbing and troubling trend:  Rich Manhattan mothers using disabled tour guides to help their families cut the lines at Disney World. More information and video after the jump.

VPG Ceases Operations - No More MV-1?

Reports are surfacing that VPG Autos have ceased their operations and production of the MV-1 has been stopped.  After receiving a $50 million loan from the US Department of Energy,  VPG was unable to sustain the funds to repay their loan and continue production to fulfill the orders that have been received.  This is unfortunate news considering that VPG has made about 2,500 MV-1s between September 2011 and October 2012.

Based on their Facebook page, they have laid off their entire sales staff and have stopped answering business calls since the middle of April.  There has been unconfirmed reports that VPG may be acquired by AMG; however, the majority of the news and feedback suggests that is not going to happen.

Unimo by Nano-Optonics Energy

At first glance, it appears as if Apple has designed a wheelchair, but the Unimo is a one-seater electric vehicle intended to run inside hospitals and rehab centers.  The idea behind the Unimo is to provide an alternative to a wheelchair.  More information after the jump.

Justin Spurlock's "Orange Crush"

Being an avid car enthusiast myself and having done my own customizations on my personal minivan, I had to put up a post of Justin Spurlock's 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan, whom he dubs as "Orange Crush".  As you can see, Spurlock does not let the fact that he is a C5-7 quad stop him from having one of the nicest minivans around.  More information after the jump.

Maddack's Morph Wheels Now Available

Remember Maddack from this post a couple of years ago?  They have now their collapsable wheels, now called the Morph™, available for sale.  More information after the jump.

UPDATE: More Images of Accessible Nissan NV200 Released

Official photos of the accessible version of the new Nissan NV200 taxi have been released.  Check out the pictures after the jump.  Enjoy!

UPDATE: Nissan Releases Video of Accessible NV200 Taxi

Nissan has released a video detailing the accessible version of the NV200 taxi.  The conversion was designed in conjunction with Braun Mobility.  Based on the video, it appears that it is designed to only accommodate a wheelchair passenger or regular passengers and not both at the same time, limiting the practicality of taxi transportation if traveling with a companion or another wheelchair user.  The tie-down system, thankfully, appears to be well thought out and should provide adequate restraint when in the taxi.

Enjoy the video after the jump.

Nissan Debuts Wheelchair Accessible NYC Taxi

The manufacturer of the new New York City Taxi, Nissan, is debuting the wheelchair-accessible version of the NYC Taxi, the NV200.  As predicted through an earlier post, the vehicle is designed to be a rear-entry vehicle.  The ramp is manually raised and lowered by the driver and the wheelchair user simply drives up the ramp and will be secured inside via tie-down straps.

More information will be posted as it is released.  More pictures after the jump.

Paralysis Does Not Stop Motocross Rider Darius Glover

Darius Glover has been riding motorcycles since he was 7 years old.  After an accident left him paralyzed when he was 15, most people would think that his motocross days were over. Darius is not like most people.  Find out why after the jump.

Audi Piloted Driving via Audi Connect

Audi unveiled a demonstration of their latest feature that is part of a system of telematics system called Audi connect.  This particular feature, unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, utilizes the driver's smartphone to interact with their vehicle and allow the driver to exit their vehicle and have their car park itself.  This is a particular feature that could prove useful for disabled drivers.  More information and a video after the jump.

Kevin Connolly's Armed & Ready

Kevin Michael Connolly is a photographer, author, and general thrill seeker that has traveled all over the world.  While his earlier photography work and memoirs have profiled the reaction that people have to the fact that he was born without legs, his show on the Travel Channel focuses on how someone with no legs can still have some exciting and amazing adventures and experiences.  More information and a video after the jump.

Michael Johnson Sets Sights On Racing Indy 500

Michael Johnson was injured in a motorcycle accident in 2005 when he broke his T5 and T6 vertebrae. Despite his injuries ending his venture into motorcycle racing, he immediately began to seek another form of motorsport where he could still race. It was in 2007 when he began racing in a go-cart that was modified with hand controls. After quickly realizing his natural driving ability with his four-wheeled machine, he began winning various go-cart series races and eventually working his way into the USF2000 series. More information, pictures, and a video after the jump.

Smart Chair Is Beautiful, Lightweight, & Stable

Smart Chair, designed through the combined efforts of Kim Jhi Yong, Park Chul Wung, Eom Gi Chen, Jung Jin Seok, Prof. Kim Young Yun, Oh Jung Min, and Chung Sae Ha, was created in an effort to combine beauty and the latest technological innovations without compromising the safety of the user.  The designers chose to take a minimalist approach to the design of this chair resulting in a very simple yet elegantly designed front wheel drive powerchair.  More information and image after the jump.

USDOE Orders Schools To Provide Sports To Disabled

The US Department of Education has ordered schools to either make "reasonable" accommodations to their sports programs so that disabled students can participate or create separate teams for them.  This historical decision is said to create an impact on school sports not seen since the Title IX order was implemented 40 years ago, a regulation that required schools to offer equal athletic opportunities for both female and male students.  Read more about this groundbreaking decision after the jump.