For most wheelchair users, everyday life is designed around the limits of accessible infrastructure. A dropped kerb or a ramp may solve one obstacle, but steep hills, rocky trails, forest paths and staircases can still put entire destinations out of reach. Rather than accept those limitations, American maker and engineer Jake Laser set out to build something entirely different for his father, who has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) for the past 20 years.
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The result is what Laser calls the "bionic leg chair," a robotic mobility vehicle that combines advanced quadruped technology with a custom-built seat, allowing his father to travel across terrain that conventional wheelchairs cannot navigate. By adapting an industrial robot rather than designing a mobility aid from scratch, Laser has demonstrated how robotics originally developed for industry could one day help redefine personal accessibility.
An industrial robot becomes an all-terrain mobility aid
At the heart of the project is an industrial-grade quadruped robot built by Unitree, a robotics company known for developing agile, four-legged machines. Unlike traditional robots that rely solely on legs, this platform uses a hybrid leg-and-wheel design, with powered wheels mounted beneath each robotic foot.
That combination gives it the best of both worlds. On pavements and smooth indoor floors, the robot rolls efficiently like a wheeled vehicle, reducing energy consumption and providing a comfortable ride. When it encounters stairs, rocks, tree roots or uneven ground, it can transition to walking mode, lifting each leg independently to climb obstacles that would stop even specialised off-road wheelchairs.
For Laser, the platform offered an ideal foundation for a mobility device capable of travelling almost anywhere a person on foot could reasonably go.
Laser built it with his father in mind
Laser's motivation was deeply personal. His father has lived with multiple sclerosis for two decades, a neurological condition that can progressively affect movement, balance and muscle control. Although wheelchairs restore mobility in many situations, they remain constrained by the terrain around them.
Wanting to give his father greater independence outdoors, Laser transformed the quadruped robot into a personal transport system by installing a custom seat, developing modified control software and designing an automotive-inspired body around the machine. The result is a vehicle that allows its occupant to remain seated while the robot walks, rolls and climbs beneath them.
More than an engineering exercise, the project was designed to restore access to places that had gradually become inaccessible, from hiking trails and countryside paths to uneven natural landscapes where traditional mobility aids struggle.
