Researchers from Ithaca College recently created an incredibly neat device to give a bit of mobility to babies who suffer from disabilities which keep them from crawling: A motorized chair which lets its infant pilot navigate using the Wii Balance Board. See, babies lack the motor skills required to maneuver a more conventional motorized chair, but this particular model taps into a baby's natural proclivity to reach for things they want, which registers on the Balance Board and steers the device. (The chair also has a remote control override, in case its occupant decides he or she wants to reach for a flight of stairs.)
Check out an impossibly adorable video of this ingenious, pint-sized automobile after the jump.
Reader Comments (28)
Posted: Aug 29th 2010 9:18PM VioletArrows said
@Hooch I didn't look at the youtube comments, but the Gizmodo comments made me wish Darwinism actually worked. :/
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Posted: Aug 30th 2010 2:43AM religiousjedi said
@Hooch Bahahahahahahaha!!!!!! That idiot made me wanna reach through the interwebs just to smash his idiotic head! :D
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Posted: Aug 29th 2010 8:13PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said
Posted: Aug 29th 2010 7:51PM ArchiGamer said
And they say the Wii balance board would be just another useless assessory.....
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Posted: Aug 29th 2010 8:04PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said
Leave it to someone other than Nintendo to come up with the best use for the Balance Board.
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Posted: Aug 29th 2010 8:56PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said
@den69 It's not intended to be trolling. More of an observation. :)
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Posted: Aug 30th 2010 3:12AM Nolan North said
@den69
Work it Mac, join Nintendo Fun Club today!
Reply
Work it Mac, join Nintendo Fun Club today!
Posted: Aug 29th 2010 9:04PM The Man with a girls name said
Yea, but does it shoot red shells?
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Posted: Aug 30th 2010 4:43AM Falcon6 said
It IS research nonetheless. If this can somehow improve the quality of life for some child who can't walk or whose parents can't afford the teaching for it, then by all means, they should continue studying it.
A Wii Balance Board as a small babymobile today could create some very awesome things to improve things for some people tomorrow, either through new advances of technology or lower costs of current tech.
Reply
A Wii Balance Board as a small babymobile today could create some very awesome things to improve things for some people tomorrow, either through new advances of technology or lower costs of current tech.
Posted: Aug 29th 2010 10:10PM GiantGamer said
I really think the cost of such help would bankrupt the parents. The unfair truth is that there are many children that are unable to walk/crawl, and while the technology and sience is there the cost makes such help inpractical.
The alternitive isn't that horrendous, speaking from experience, I was shortly confined to a wheelchair. I was able to get on with life while I recovered. (in the wheelchair) Once I got out of the wheelchair I was very glad for such a device.
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The alternitive isn't that horrendous, speaking from experience, I was shortly confined to a wheelchair. I was able to get on with life while I recovered. (in the wheelchair) Once I got out of the wheelchair I was very glad for such a device.
Posted: Aug 30th 2010 10:05AM Standing Llama said
As I suspected, the Wii is mainly for little kids.
Just kidding, the Wii is alright.
Reply
Just kidding, the Wii is alright.
Posted: Aug 30th 2010 10:26AM Misanthropic Gamer said
If I watch that video again I'm pretty sure I'll have diabetes.
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Posted: Aug 30th 2010 2:34PM GlassAgate said
Weren't those foam/rubbery infant seat thingies recalled?
Who would have ever thought that an infant would try to
roll around?
Reply
Who would have ever thought that an infant would try to
roll around?
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