In 2010, artist Sue Austin began to work with a team to create an underwater wheelchair that would allow her to navigate the depths of the world’s oceans. In her talk at TEDxWomen 2012, featured on TED.com last week, she explained how the art she creates with her re-purposed wheelchair aims to reshape how we think about disabilities:
I realized that scuba gear extends your range of activity in just the same way that a wheelchair does. But the associations attached to scuba gear are ones of excitement and adventure — completely different to people’s responses to the wheelchair. So I thought, ‘I wonder what will happen if I put the two together?’
At first, the goal seemed impossible: “When we started talking to people about it, engineers were saying it wouldn’t work, the wheelchair would go into a spin, it was not designed to go through water — but I was sure it would,” Austin told the BBC. But things worked out, and the results are quite spectacular. “If you just put a thruster under the chair all the thrust is below the center of gravity so you rotate,” she said. “It was certainly much more acrobatic than I anticipated.”
Cross-posted from the TED Blog, where you can read many more of the great stories behind TED and TEDx Talks.
212 notes
-
bola-online reblogged this from tedx and added:
agen ibcbet
-
cari-uang-lewat-ekiosku-com likes this
-
buy-steroids-uk-co likes this
-
mpiresbr likes this
-
nelychuu likes this
-
predator-n-prey reblogged this from foresail
-
foresail reblogged this from tedx
-
bearded-drumfill reblogged this from forthedreamsofyouth
-
forthedreamsofyouth reblogged this from weatherforsweaters
-
weatherforsweaters reblogged this from tedx
-
theunprettyme reblogged this from tedx
-
dylans-disheveled reblogged this from tedx
-
tedxpsu reblogged this from acuriouscollectionofknowledge
-
caseybear4510 likes this
-
kendraw likes this
-
rayishinspiration reblogged this from amazingcranekid and added:
This is highly relevant to an extremely specific someone.
-
backalleypoet likes this
-
mercurialme likes this
-
legitimatestrategy reblogged this from tedx
-
julianyu reblogged this from tedx
-
maximegrimaudd reblogged this from tedx
-
maximegrimaudd likes this
-
alex-dicembre likes this
-
miss2step reblogged this from tedx
-
miss2step likes this
-
digitalbin reblogged this from tedx
-
mona2291 likes this
-
thisinsufferablewoman reblogged this from sweetkimchii
-
lavenderblues likes this
-
fckyesimsoodd reblogged this from nappychan
-
cute-slutty-baby-bunny likes this
-
sweetkimchii reblogged this from nappychan
-
sweetkimchii likes this
-
ackalackles reblogged this from nappychan
-
ackalackles likes this
-
thirstywhiplash reblogged this from xbean
-
cheekiesss reblogged this from nappychan
-
gatheringmarbles reblogged this from littlestvegan
-
smoothxt likes this
-
crackmixture likes this
-
littlestvegan reblogged this from xbean
-
lemongays likes this
-
jakegyllenhaalabackgirl reblogged this from xbean
-
otakyou likes this
-
nappychan reblogged this from xbean
-
xbean reblogged this from smile-andwave and added:
In 2010, artist Sue Austin began to work with a team to create an underwater wheelchair that would allow her to navigate...
-
johannastephan reblogged this from tedx and added:
scuba gear extends your range...activity in just
-
wenusflytrap reblogged this from theflamintampon
-
theflamintampon reblogged this from featheredwolf
- Show more notes
