Scewo Bro, The Ingenious Wheelchair That Goes Up And Down Stairs

Scewo Bro Overcomes all obstacles

A team at Swiss startup Scewo, the Bro Wheelchair began as a student project for a robot to climb stairs and ride on two wheels. It now offers users more freedom and flexibility. Bro Wheelchair users can climb steps made of various materials. Whether going up or down, straight, or on a slight curve, Scewo Bro safely moves users from one place to another. There are also seat setting options to offer back, foot, and arm supports to suit individual needs.

“Our Scewo Bro drives on two wheels, which makes driving on lawns, sand, and forest paths, for example, more pleasant and easier,” says Tabita Rüegg, head of marketing & communication at Scewo. “Another advantage of our device, our wheelchair keeps the balance independently. This means that no torso stability is required from the user.”

Like other electric wheelchairs, it has a battery on board that can be monitored from the cell phone and achieves a range of 40 miles (25 kilometers). Its top speed is 6.2 miles (10 km) per hour. Considering that a person walks 3.0 miles (4.8 km) in an hour, we can say that Scewo Bro is not slow at all.

Like stairs, sloping terrain is a complication, but also a risk. Scewo Bro will take its users even on hilly trails while keeping the seat angle at a comfortable level. In the event of a slippery slope, a Trail mode can be activated for safe travel.

Although the Scewo Bro represents a breakthrough in mobility, it has some limitations: it cannot climb spiral stairs, tackle those steeper than 40 degrees, or steps higher than 8.0 inches (20 cm).

For now, it is only available in Switzerland, for just over $33,000, although it will soon arrive in Austria and Germany. In the future, the company wants to expand around the world, including the US, despite its strict regulations.

Sources: