The ultimate in mobility assistance Scewo’s Bro is the only self-balancing wheelchair that can stand up and climb stairs. As we learned firsthand at his CES this year, this two-wheeled personal electric car of his is very intuitive to operate.
Actually, it was the very first exhibition I went to when the store opened. I had no trouble finding the magenta-decorated Swiss-Hi Tech-His pavilion inside Eureka Park, an international innovation bazaar tucked away in the basement of the Venetian Expo. And as I headed to the Scewo (“skeh-vo”) booth, I was immediately greeted by Bernhard Winter, his CEO and co-founder of the company.
Interestingly, he and co-founders Thomas Gemperle and Pascal Buholzer came up with this design by accident. “It’s actually a funny story,” Winter told us en route to a product demonstration. And he thought, ‘Why don’t you just put the sheet on top? Then people can go anywhere. So we made it, and I was actually surprised by how little innovation there was in the wheelchair industry. “
The project has evolved since 2017, when the trio were at university in Switzerland. And now, his 30-person team of his is planning to bring this smart electric wheelchair (formally Bro Series One) to market in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, with a US launch in 2025. However, the European version currently sells for around US$39,000. )
Apart from the sense of freedom this ingenious chair brings, what impressed me most was its comfort, fun and ease. The seat and seat back (among many settings) were both easy to angle and adjusted to my liking. The app provided information about speed and current mode and allowed selection of key settings such as effective control of lights and joystick sensitivity.
Equipped with two large wheels, this body-independent wheelchair can climb up to 36-degree gradients, up to 30 steps per minute, and 20 cm (7.9 inches) in height each. At this point, it seems almost insulting to just call it a wheelchair. Also, in the wild he can climb over 5 cm (2 in) obstacles if he wants to roll through scenic woods or over uneven terrain. The seat rises from 45 to 87 cm (17.7 to 34.2 inches) when extra height is convenient or appropriate in a store or social setting.
Scewo Bro at CES 2023
The chair must be in climbing mode to climb stairs that must be at least 76 cm (30 inches) wide and must not be a spiral staircase. This will raise the seat. In my case, backing up to the stairs automatically enabled the rearview camera view on my paired smartphone screen. Then I pulled back the joystick and went up some stairs that happened to be near the convention hall.
brother climbing stairs
I was able to climb stairs safely and confidently. Admittedly, I felt a slight nervous swell before descending the same few flights of stairs forward, but it quickly disappeared on the way. Honestly, my biggest mistake was doing this demo early in the morning That’s it. Needless to say, I thought a lot about the Bro’s smooth ride as I kept logging his 18,419 strides that would tire my legs by the end of the first busy day at CES.
brother going down the stairs
By comparison, the 162 kg (357 lb) Bro could travel 25 to 35 km (15 to 22 miles) at speeds up to 10 km/h (6 mph), depending on the battery installed. Of course, they are also blessed with the ability to walk. But for those who don’t, this next-gen transport is a godsend. As Winter told us in an email, they named them with the siblings in mind. With that in mind, it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
Product page: Screwo
