Vincent Ross used customized wheelchairs in sports. But he wanted a wheelchair that could travel across all kinds of terrain, so he made his own. The result is the PowerTrike, which recently received the BBC Invention of the Year Award in England.

Powerful, stable, and easily controlled, the PowerTrike is a conversion kit that fits on existing wheelchairs. What makes it special are its long handlebars, hand brakes, twist-grip throttle, battery, knobby-tire wheel, and 150-watt Honda electric motor. These parts all fit on the front of the chair and lift the chair's front wheels off the ground.

It takes about half an hour to fit the PowerTrike on a standard or folding wheelchair. Once equipped, a chair can easily travel over uneven ground and go uphill on wet grass. Its top speed is about 15 miles an hour. When done, the conversion unit comes apart easily and can be packed away quickly.

When Eric Searcy, 21, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, tried the PowerTrike, he was impressed. A quadriplegic with limited use of his hands, Searcy said, "I can't wait to go out in the woods with it. I love it to death."

Ross and partner Andy Gammans offer the conversion kit through their company pdq mobility. In the United States, a company called HarMar Mobility in Florida offers the kits. #951

(2002, April). The souped-up wheelchair. Popular Science, 72.

Keyword: Mobility