Living with paralysis necessitates numerous physical changes. However, it also necessitates numerous emotional modifications. Many people who become wheelchair-bound, for example, require time to mourn the future they imagined they’d have. But, more importantly, they need time to adjust to their new normal, regain their confidence, and discover new ways to do the things they enjoy. Liz Soden missed family outings and camping getaways. So her husband designed a tank wheelchair to allow her to travel through rugged terrain and high hills.
Liz was crippled in a car accident three months before her 1999 wedding to army veteran Brad Soden. Family hikes and camping excursions became a source of frustration for her because she would frequently miss out on meaningful time with their five children. Liz was in tears after a trip to the country, and her husband was desperate to find a solution.
“It’s not only your problem when you’re in a wheelchair,” Brad Soden explained. ‘It’s a family issue because the family must deal with it. My dear wife. She tried to keep moving, but the wheelchair became stuck. Our kids tried to push her and get her going, but she started crying and shouted, “Go on without me,” which I found intolerable.”
But he was a plumber by trade, with no college education or engineering background. Despite this, he was able to build a wheelchair with tank track tires that could withstand severe inclines, uneven terrain, and even snow and shallow water. His father-in-law suggested the tank after remarking on how cool it would be to put tank tracks on a wheelchair. “It took me two years and a bunch of beer in my garage to figure out the first model, but since then, with my applied science, we’ve been making leaps and bounds. Despite the fact that a group of engineers told me it couldn’t be done, we went ahead and did it.”
Soden’s original concept was an off-road cart, but he quickly abandoned it because most campgrounds would prohibit it owing to noise and gas limits. So, after considerable effort and a number of unintentional fires, he built the “Tankchair” prototype. “Every minute I spent in the garage putting it together was worth every minute she had on her face when she came back from her hike,” Brad added.
Liz’s life was changed forever by his invention. “It made it possible for me to go hiking and camping,” she explained. “I used to sit in the car when we drove to the snow. Now I can go outside, chase my kids around, and accompany them. Just the trekking and getting out — I’m no longer a prisoner in the car or the house.”
Soden then developed Tankchair and enhanced its design with the assistance of Arizona-based NPC Robotics. They offered Tankchairs, which cost roughly $15,000, to other persons with impairments for several years so they might enjoy the same freedom Liz did. Many persons who were interested in the product were veterans like Soden who had been injured while serving. “Money does not motivate me,” Brad explained. “It’s all about the smiles on people’s faces and the families I’ve been able to assist.”
Although the Tankchairs firm is no longer in business, it has left an indelible mark on pop culture. One of the wheelchair demo films piqued the interest of a Pixar executive working on the film Wall-E, which is about a garbage-collecting robot that whirls around on two tank-like wheels. “They put an s- – – ton of cameras and sound equipment out there and filmed me going over trash a number of times,” Soden explained. They even made him wear a cardboard box on his head, making him the character’s real-life inspiration.
Fortunately, other manufacturers have now developed their own all-terrain wheelchairs. Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources and the Aimee Copeland Foundation, for example, purchased a fleet of all-terrain electric wheelchairs to be rented at 11 state parks and other outdoor events. “We want to create an unforgettable outdoor experience for everyone, not just individuals who can walk,” said Jamie McBride, a state parks and recreation area program specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Parks and Trails division. “People have informed us that this will change our lives.”
