Revolve Air

Three years ago, the Italian developer Andrea Mocellin presented the world’s first modular, foldable airless wheel. With a view to an increasingly mobile world, he saw the potential for using the foldable construction as added value, especially for bicycles and other mobility solutions. Under the name “Revolve Air”, Mocellin is now presenting a wheelchair that can be folded to the size of a piece of hand luggage and that a passenger can easily take on a plane or stow in the trunk of a Smart.

60% less space when folded

The wheelchair’s two wheels with foldable rims are based on the so-called Hoberman effect. Everyone is familiar with the Hoberman ball from the toy store as an isokinetic structure. With a scissor-like movement of its joints, the structure can be folded up to a fraction of its normal size and then can be opened again. In countless experiments, Andrea Mocellin was able to transfer the principle to a wheel and applied for a patent for the mechanism back in 2015.

Now the inventor is happy about “a completely new independence to commute and travel every day!” Because the Revolve Air Wheelchair with its 24 inch (0.61 m) wheels can be folded up to a volume of 40% in just a few simple steps and can also be unfolded again. The front wheels are attached to a telescopic system that can be easily pushed open and closed and disappears into the seat shell. A locking mechanism and a handle support transport without complications.

Since the wheelchair does not have to be checked in as extra baggage, the inventor assumes that waiting times of up to 3 hours can be saved on a regular flight. The Revolve Air Wheelchair is currently in a test and prototype phase. It should be certified in 2022 and then come onto the market for around € 2,000. Revolve Air would thus be the world’s first active wheelchair that would be approved as hand luggage for national and international flights.

A video on how the wheelchair works has been published on the start-up’s website: www.revolve-wheel.com