A New power Supply for Electric Wheelchairs and Scooters

描述(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，而人口老龄化意味着残疾人和其他行动不便的人的数量增加。这发生在一个将移动性视为既定条件的群体中。一种解决方案是使用电动助行器，如滑板车和电动轮椅。由于使用燃料电池可以克服的限制，目前的机组在工作范围内受到限制。在该项目的第一阶段，我们演示了基于燃料电池的混合电源的关键部件的功效。在这个项目的第二阶段，我们将建造一个完整的混合动力电源，并将其集成到电动轮椅中。

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.