SAN ANTONIO – The company Trinicorp Robotics Inc. is creating a wheelchair called Hoverchair that can go up to 30 mph and has self-balancing capabilities that allow you to go off-road.
CEO Mel Du said the company has six full-time engineers and two doctors whom they met at Geekdom.
The company recruited more than 12 engineering senior design students from local universities (namely Trinity University and UTSA) and the former engineering director of Tesla Motors.
“We are taking the newest technologies in electric vehicles and applying them to wheelchairs,” Du said.
Du said his passion for medical robotics started about eight years ago, after he broke his back in a motorcycle accident.
"Every engineering course I took, every startup I took, including the ones I took here last summer, is all been with the intention of starting this medical robotics company here,” Du said. Du is a former Trinity University engineering student.
“We’re fortunate to leverage relationships and local corporate resources at Geekdom,” said CTO Roman Sandoval. “We are prototyping and fabricating 3D parts quickly. Our shared lab space, Geekdom Labs, is perfect for our team’s need for rapid development.”
Du said the product can also help disabled veterans enjoy outdoor activities.
"It's really important, being in military city USA here, that we are really focusing on getting veterans on these off-road wheelchairs here,” Du said.
They want to start a pilot program where they can have veterans test the wheelchairs. Du said the wheelchair is expected to be ready by the end of the year.
You can get more details about TriniCorp Robotics Inc. by clicking here.