Who invented mobility scooters

But, when did they first appear on our streets and pavements, and who is inventor that came up with the revolutionary idea? Today if you hear about electric scooters it is probably another news report talking about the rise of the two wheeled scooters that many younger people are starting to use as cheap and quick urban transport.

However, the most common type of electric scooter is in fact the sit-down mobility scooter that is used primarily by older people, and people suffering from mobility problems, to get about town and enjoy some freedom.

In , two men set up a company with the aim of developing new mobility products. Today, around 80, mobility scooters are sold every year in the UK, and it is estimated that the are as many as , mobility scooters and powerchairs out on the British roads and pavements today.

This is a radical change considering that in , they did not exist in the UK. Ray first learned about the mobility scooter concept on a meeting an occupational therapist at the Wolfson Centre in London, when she told him about a new product from America.

The machine was the Amigo Scooter, which was a 3 wheeled electric mobility scooter with tiller system and swivel seat. Now, some suggest that number could have risen to as high as half a million over the past five years, however, just over four decades ago in , a mobility scooter had never been seen on a British street.

It was at this time that Raymar was established by Ray Hodgkinson and Martin Corby, a company aiming to bring innovative, new products to the fast-growing UK assistive technologies market.

It is a thought that still exists today! Keen to bring these new finds to the UK, the pair started the company on what Ray describes as a shoestring budget and quickly found that people were both intrigued and excited about the new developments and inventions the company were introducing.

He, nor Alison, had any interest in taking it further but encouraged us to assess it. The device in question was the Amigo Scooter, a three-wheeled device with a platform, electric motor to drive the front wheel featuring a tiller style steering system and a seat that swung around to make access easier.

Designed by American inventor Al Thieme, a plumbing and heating contractor in Michigan, USA, he worked away in his garage in the late 60s creating a new personal mobility device that could help meet the needs of a loved one. Her ability was becoming limited and one day after seeing a hoover being used, he had one of those eureka moments.

Could he use the motor of the hoover to drive a wheel that could, in turn, be enough to move a person seated on a chair? Could it be used indoors and outdoors and around the local environment, thus bringing a degree of independence to his wife? At that time in the USA, powered mobility devices were very large clumsy and often impractical in the home environment, as well as seen as costly. With hundreds of thousands in use and tens of thousands sold annually, the decision to introduce the product to the UK may seem like a no-brainer with the benefit of hindsight, however, at the time, Ray had his reservations regarding its chances in the market.

The rider pushed the steering mechanism forward to engage the clutch and apply force to a handlebar-lever to control speed.

At over pounds, however, the scooter was hardly portable, just as it was not particularly affordable.

But like the electric scooter, it surpassed initial expectations, and it did appeal to a wide range of users. Despite its characterization as a toy for the rich, the Autoped was ridden by delivery men, postal workers, and New York City traffic cops and captured in several photographs of the period. The Autoped also arrived at a time of significant political reform and increasing mobility, literally and figuratively, for women.

British humor magazine Puck ran an advertisement with a speeding flapper on an Autoped. Suffragette and socialite Florence Priscilla was famously photographed on her Autoped. The Unibus was promoted as the "car on two wheels.

In the 20th century , various companies were engaged in the construction of lift chairs , and Stannah was the first to manufacture them in the United Kingdom. Stannah stairlifts are still manufactured today in our new factory, located in Andover, United Kingdom. These chair lifts have revolutionized the way people with reduced mobility navigate through their houses, and stairs have ceased to be an obstacle for them. One of the first Stannah stairlifts models, in the s.

Stannah, at the forefront of chair lifts and stairlifts, with over 40 years of experience. Elevator with automatic doors, in hospital. Every day, we use lifts or elevators , regardless of whether we have mobility issues. It just makes life easier for everyone! Elevators have actually been around for a long time. The first time an elevator was mentioned was in the works of the Roman architect Vitruvius, who mentioned that Archimedes built the first elevator around the year B.

This elevator was composed of a booth supported with ropes, hand-operated or driven by animals. In the year C. Prototype of an elevator, in the 15th century. By the 17th century , there were already prototypes of elevators in some English and French buildings. In , two British Architects — Burton and Hormer — built the first cabin lift, used to transport tourists to a platform in order to have a view over the city of London.

First cabin lift, in , by Burton and Hormer. Goods lift, by Waterman, in In , Waterman created the first prototype of a goods lift. It was a platform attached to a cable, to raise and lower goods and people. As taller buildings were being built, people got used to the idea of not having to climb stairs and, therefore, lifts became even more popular.

In , t he first elevator with an automatic door system was created for passenger elevators, which made elevators even more practical, eliminating the need for manually operated doors. There is no doubt that after the industrial revolution and the increasing construction of tall buildings and skyscrapers, the elevator became a mobility device for all. Even so, the existence of an elevator in a building does not mean that universal access is guaranteed. Throughout the 20th century there were many other inventions that have contributed to the goal of universal and independent access for citizens with limited mobility.