Adapted Driving 101: Watch a quadriplegic drive his mini-van with a joystick

Amazing technology can be right under our noses, or it can exist in far off places without us having a clue. Just like the fancy cell phones that are available in South Korea years before they hit the US, adapted technology can be just as mysterious, especially the kind of technology that gets people with disabilities behind the wheel again. But the technology out there is amazing and it can make all the difference between being independent, and not.

From voice-controlled blinkers and modernized hand-controls (that look like they were built into the interior of the car) to modified trucks with wheelchair lifts, if you have enough money and enough smarts, almost *any* vehicle can be adapted. A great example of such an advancement a video by Dan Harvey, a C4 quad, who drives his mini-van using his wheelchair joystick using the EMC AEVIT 2.0 system. If you watch Dan’s 6 minute video here, you’ll see how one of the most advanced adapted driving set-ups looks when in action.

As you‘ll see, the driving set-up allows him to gas, brake and turn on/off the signals all via his joystick. The video is cool to watch because you can see how the steering wheel moves without him even touching it the entire time he’s driving (just like a player piano!). The video also shows how a microphone is used to activate the other important controls as he’s driving too, like wipers, horn and cruise. It can take months, if not years, for people to finally land a set-up as amazing as this. Watching this video can show you exactly what to expect and what’s out there if you’re in the market.

And on the other end of the spectrum, a video aptly titled, “Menox Hand-controls.” This video shows a young man with paraplegia explain his very sexy hand-controls controls for his 2006 Infinity G35 Coupe (he jokes, “There was NO way I was going to drive a mini-van after his injury). It’s a quick 1:30 long video showing how they look when you’re sitting in the car. Damn, wish I was a para! This car is sweet.

Watch the videos!

– C4 Quad Driving with Joystick

– Menox Hand-controls