MORPH | Foldable Wheelchair Wheels

At my work we have a small side program where we rent out manual wheelchairs. A program which I mostly manage so I’ve had to figure out a way or two to fit wheelchairs into a car. Which I’m always able to do but it can be a bit of a hassle because wheelchair wheels are pretty big in size. That also means that once the wheelchair is in the trunk or backseat, there’s not much room for anything else. If the wheels could somehow be easily removed and made smaller that would make things a lot easier. Well now that very thing can be done with the MORPH foldable wheelchair wheels.

Bicycle Morphing
MORPH began as a concept for bicycle wheels by London based Duncan Fitzsimmons. Many prototypes were made and tested. Watch the video below to see the test version. Eventually the idea of using the wheels for wheelchairs entered. Further aspects were added to make MORPH work with wheelchairs until a final product offered by Maddak became available.

Wheel Features
The folding action results in a wheel that is compact and can be easily stored away. Each wheel weighs 7.5lbs and the wheels as a set have a weight capacity of 300lbs. The wheel cannot fold once the axle is through the wheel and metal spoke in place.

How to MORPH
Folding process works like this. After removed from the wheelchair, the metal spoke is released and rotated to a stopping position. The axle is the pulled out from the center. Now the wheel can be folded with two hands or by being pushed down to the ground. The axle is then pushed back in to keep it in the folded position.

Conclusion
The MORPH wheels are a potentially great way to easily transport wheelchairs without taking up a lot of space. Watch the videos below to see it in action and visit MORPHWheels.com for more information.