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Mother Nature has been wise enough to create two laws of physics that, when used properly, can make life for those of us with limited mobility feel less restricted—even liberated. Those concepts are buoyancy, as in swimming, scuba diving, or snorkeling, and gravity, as in skydiving, skiing, bungee jumping, or mountain biking downhill.

It was gravity that motivated Dr. Jeff Rosenbluth, director of spinal cord injury and director of the TRAILS (Therapeutic Recreation and Independent Lifestyles) program at the Rehabilitation Center at University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics to begin collaboration with the university’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. 

The reason for the collaboration:  the development of an off-road “mountain chair” that would enable people with high-level (C6) spinal cord injuries to experience the thrill and freedom of true downhill mountain biking—safely. The revolutionary machine, still in the prototype stage, will make it possible for spinal cord injury survivors with minimal shoulder, tricep and wrist movement to steer and brake, while high-profile wheels enhance side-to-side stability, preventing it from tipping over.

It features rack and pinion steering, with “tank-like” levers that steer either wheel, on a 1:3 ratio. It means a high-level quadriplegic (C-6) with some tricep and shoulder motion can safely negotiate a downhill mountain trail or road. It also has a Recaro type seat with shoulder harness and a roll bar/cage to protect the rider.

The brakes are designed to use simple wrist extension while minimizing muscle fatigue. In its current stage, propulsion is either provided by someone pushing it uphill, or gravity pulling it downhill.

Future enhancements will deal with weight reduction, ergonomics, and continued integration of controls, propulsion, and reproducibility.

“The ultimate goal of the mountain chair is to allow spinal cord injury patients to be able to get out and enjoy the outdoors with family and friends,’ says Dr. Rosenbluth.  It fits nicely with the stated mission of TRAILS, which is to “promote healthy and active lifestyles for individuals with spinal cord injury or disease through the educational, social, and psychological components of recreation.”

While you may not see a “mountain chair” on the trail this year, you will in the not too distant future. It’s just one example of what can happen when vision meets ingenuity and technology. It means that more people with severe spinal cord injuries will be able to take advantage of the law of gravity, as enacted by Mother Nature.

For more information about the Mountain Chair, contact Melissa Zahl, 801-581-8910, or Dr. Jeff Rosenbluth at 801-581-2334. For more information about TRAILS, please contact Tanja Kari at 801-581-2526.