Pontus Ventures private investigator

◎黃靖媗

Andrew Slorance, 51, has won a $1m prize to help him continue to develop a revolutionary ultra-light, stable carbon fibre wheelchair.

51歲的安德魯．斯洛蘭司贏得100萬美元的獎金，幫助他繼續研發一款創新、超輕、穩定的碳纖維輪椅。

He was aware of how tipping over backwards was the primary cause of accidents for wheelchair users. One way to deal with this is by having the axle to the back of the wheelchair and putting the user’s weight to the front of it - but this brings new challenges.

他發現向後傾斜是輪椅使用者發生意外的主因。一種解決此問題的方法是，將輪軸放在輪椅後方，並將使用者的重量置於前方，但這種方法也帶來新的挑戰。

When the weight is carried by the small front wheels, this adds drag, making pushing and turning much more difficult, and introducing uncomfortable vibrations that can cause pain and muscle spasms.

當重量由小的前輪支撐時，會增加阻力，讓推動與轉動便得更困難，並且造成不舒服的震動，可能會引起疼痛與抽筋。

Wheelchair designs have previously had to make a trade-off between agility and stability, but Mr Slorance’s new design allows the wheelchair to automatically change the weight distribution itself, keeping users balanced while also ensuring they’re as agile as possible.

輪椅設計過去已在靈活與穩定性間做出妥協，但斯洛蘭司的新設計讓輪椅可以自動改變自身重量分配，讓使用者維持平衡，也確保他們盡可能地靈活。

新聞辭典

primary：形容詞，主要的。例句：The primary purpose of the campaign is to end the discrimination.（這場運動的主要訴求是終結歧視）

trade-off：名詞，妥協、讓步。％％我的關鍵字例句：10% discount is an acceptable trade-off for the business deal.（九折對這筆生意而言，是可以接受的讓步。）

agile：形容詞，敏捷的、靈巧的。例句：All guitar players have agile fingers.（所有的吉他手都有靈巧的手指。）

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  斯洛蘭司研發的輪椅「鳳凰1號」（Phoenix i），解決了輪椅後傾的問題。（圖擷取自Phoenix Instinct Facebook）