The wheelchair was developed over centuries using man’s earliest inventions, the chair and the wheel. The first records we have of wheel being combined with chairs are of spoked wheels on chariots back in 1300 B.C. in China. The next step in evolution of the wheelchair was the wheelbarrow, a 3rd century invention of the Chinese in which they carried the sick or disabled to the “fountain of youth”. In 1595 King Phillip II of Spain had his own rolling chair with foot rests. Next came the self-propelled chair. Stephen Farfler, a paraplegic watchmaker, built a hand pedaled chair in 1655 as a means for him to get around. The “Bath” Chair, developed in Bath, England, was one of the first marketed wheelchairs. In
There were a number of reasons the wheelchair needed to upgrade. The introduction of the automobile meant that wheelchairs needed to be able to fold into cars, and more were needed due to the increased number of injuries sustained from motor accidents. The development of rehabilitation centers for the injured and improved medical services were also causes, but the disabled demanded independence and wished to be able to wheel themselves around.
Each component is forged separately, and then welded together. A one piece cast job cannot be possible if the wheelchair was required to be flexible and versatile.
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