August 29, 2012

British artist dives underwater on a wheelchair!

by Gavril Mankoo

There was a time when wheelchairs were limited to well-paved surfaces and taking these anywhere beyond seemed impossible. British artist Sue Austin, also a wheelchair user, has envisioned a way to take wheelchairs to places never gone before. Called the “Creating a Spectacle” concept, this series of live and film events portray a heavily modified wheelchair being used to move underwater! Using two dive propulsion vehicles that propel it through water; this wheelchair sports a fin extending around its sides and swimming floats that add buoyancy. For now, rust is one of the only problems keeping Austin from spending longer hours below the surface of the sea, and the designer currently is contemplating a titanium-crafted wheelchair. An inspiration to the disabled, bringing to life the phrase “sky’s the limit”, Sue Austin has indeed managed to break across the barriers of her disability and embrace her passion for the sea.

[Cnet]