A New power Supply for Electric Wheelchairs and Scooters

描述（由申请人提供）：与其他工业化国家一样，美国的人口正在老龄化，人口老龄化意味着残疾人和其他行动不便者数量的增加。这发生在一个期望流动性的群体中。解决这个问题的一个办法是使用动力移动辅助工具，如滑板车和动力轮椅。目前的机组在工作范围上受到限制，这一限制可以通过使用燃料电池来克服。在该项目的第一阶段，我们展示了基于燃料电池的混合电源的关键组件的功效。在这个项目的第二期，我们将建造一个完整的混合电源，并将其集成到电动轮椅上。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Like the rest of the industrialized world, the population of the US is aging, and an aging population means an increase in the number of disabled people and other persons with limited mobility. This is occurring in a group that expects mobility as a given. One solution to this is the use of power mobility aids such as scooters and powered wheelchairs. Current units are limited in operating range by the limitation that can be overcome through the use of fuel cells. In Phase I of this project we demonstrated the efficacy of the key components for a fuel cell based hybrid power supply. In Phase II of this project we will build a complete hybrid power supply and integrate it into a powered wheelchair.