05:53 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 7, 2006

By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA-TV

WFAA

The chair can climb stairs

Not long ago, a 6-inch curb would have seemed an insurmountable mountain to Blake Utter.

But freedom is possible with a new electronic mobility device called the iBOT.

It has high-tech functions unlike any other wheelchair, while four-wheel traction allows it to scale hills and travel over uneven terrain.

More than curbs, this machine can climb stairs and rise above a belt buckle to nearly 6 feet tall -- eye level.

"People are going to take you more seriously when you're on their level, as opposed to your own level, and they're not looking down on you," Utter said.

The chair can "stand" because of computer sensors that maintain stability.

Each iBOT is individually calibrated for a person's size and weight. So, no matter what they do, lean forwards or backwards, the wheelchair never loses its balance.

The iBOT costs about $26,000 but is covered by insurance.

For Utter, who's spent nearly his entire life in a wheelchair, the iBOT is independence.

Now, so many otherwise impossible tasks are suddenly within reach.