Inventor and mechanical engineer Gerhart Wissel from Überlingen drives up a slope with his invention, the Alpine e-hiker Photo: dpa
From BZ/dpa
Despite your frailty, still go up the mountains, over hill and dale?
A 92-year-old from Überlingen on Lake Constance has invented a turbo rollator for the forest and mountains. A bicycle accident limited his mobility and forced him to come up with an all-terrain rollator, says engineer Gerhart Wissel to the German Press Agency. “Most walkers are designed for the streets, but I wanted to go out into the mountains and forests.” The senior didn’t want to waste away at home, so the invention was a necessity for him.
For three years he tinkered, calculated and finally invented a kind of hiking aid with an electric drive. “It had to be a combination between a mountain bike and a walker,” says the inventor. Big wheels would help overcome obstacles. The electric drive pulls you up the mountains; a powerful brake is necessary for the descent. “So that you can get back down safely,” explains Wissel. The rollator is also foldable.
300 meters up to the hut
He has already tested its suitability for everyday use in several tests. “I have already driven 400 hours with the prototypes – 300 meters up to the hut.” Through practice he also came up with the idea of building extra snow chains for the walker.
Wissel shows photos of where he has been with his walker Photo: dpa
He has the technical know-how for construction from his professional life. “I’m a full-blooded engineer; I started designing things as a small apprentice,” says Wissel.
The selling price of the Turbo Rollators Because of the complex production and the high-quality parts, it costs 5,000 euros. The demand is there, says Wissel. “So there are still a lot of crazy people like me.”