When the disabled Haidar Talib Erabeh invented the solar wheelchair, he was not thinking of profit or fame, but his main concern was to help handicapped people in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Emirates news agency (WAM) reported Monday, citing a local daily.
Erabeh, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) national, said he had always wanted to support the disabled in the UAE and thought about a solar wheelchair when he was watching a television program about solar cars and aircrafts.
"Then I thought that if they can make cars and planes that are powered by the sun, why can't we make a solar wheelchair that will help the handicapped and at the same time save energy," he said.
Last week, Erabeh's invention was displayed at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, drawing dozens of curious people to see the solar wheelchair.
The wheelchair has massive panels hanging overhead and overshadowing the chair, and some visitors mistook the wing-like panels for a metal umbrella to be used for protection against the sun. The chair is also equipped with four batteries that can keep it moving for six hours under cloudy skies.
Erabeh explained that the the panel was to draw sunshine and power to the solar wheelchair, WAM said.
"I have searched hundreds of websites to check if a solar wheelchair was in use somewhere else but I couldn't find any. This is the first solar wheelchair in the world," said Erabeh, who works as a computer programmer.
"I designed and built this chair myself. I am not thinking about making money or drawing public attention but mainly to do something for the handicapped people in the UAE.
He added: "I have tested this chair and it is working perfectly. I have made a trip on this chair from Sharjah to Abu Dhabi and it was a total success."
Erabeh said he had invented the chair in collaboration with the Masdar Technological Institute in Abu Dhabi and is now awaiting funding and sponsorship of the project.
He has been involved in negotiations with Masdar and a Japanese company to produce the chair on a commercial basis.
"Besides helping my fellow citizens, I also wanted to contribute to the UAE's efforts to protect the environment and save energy," he said.
Erabeh said thousands of paralyzed persons in the country would benefit from his chair once it is in the market, as the solar wheelchair will offer tremendous comfort and assistance to crippled people.
"They will no longer have to wait for hours to charge the batteries as the chair will just roll ahead once it is exposed to the sun. This is a highly feasible machine here as the UAE has clear skies most of the year - perhaps that's why they did not think about one in the West," he added.
Erabeh used the UAE's National Day on December 2 last year to unveil his solar wheelchair by making a 200- kilometer journey from Sharjah to Abu Dhabi. (PNA/Bernama)
DCT/utb
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