July 14, 2026
In a recent IEEE article shared by UW News, CREATE Associate Director Heather Feldner provided her expertise on the possibilities of self-driving wheelchairs — powered mobility devices that are not currently designed or readily customizable for the diverse needs of individuals with disabilities.
Smart wheelchairs are just becoming available for purchase. Starting at about $3,300, these powered mobility devices offer app-based remote steering, automatic folding, and a learning mode for first-time users. Other features, including cruise control and LiDAR-based collision avoidance, vary among models.
Dr. Feldner notes that it’s only a matter of time before smart wheelchairs with self-driving capabilities are ready to be sold to people with disabilities.
“I would say the world has to be ready because there are a lot of people who can benefit from semiautonomous or more fully autonomous devices,” Feldner says. “If we’re having that conversation about cars, and the cars are starting to come, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be having similar conversations about personal mobility devices.”
Heather Feldner is a physical therapist, an associate professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, and core faculty in Disability Studies. She directs the IMPACT Collaboratory, an interdisciplinary lab that partners with children and families to conduct research and develop technology designs that encourage accessibility, mobility and play, inclusive design, participation and health, and low to high-technology solutions.
An unfair marketplace for disabled users
Feldner notes that direct-to-consumer technology can perform a useful end-run around the inflated prices associated with healthcare-related equipment.
“Unfortunately, we are driven by a system where anything that’s labeled as specialty or healthcare-related equipment has a much higher cost involved,” Feldner says. “And the way that is paid for is largely out of the hands of the people that are needing the equipment. So, in a way, it’s great for a consumer to have the ability to say, ‘This is technology that I need to do what I want to do in the world, and I can access it without going through those channels.’
“But for folks who don’t have the socioeconomic means to do that,” she continues, “They’re still left behind. There have been a lot of creative ways that people have dealt with that—like through crowdsourcing for funding or through advocacy and lobbying for things to be covered. But that regulatory piece is challenging, I think, not just for smart wheelchairs but for a lot of equipment that could benefit people with disabilities.”
This article was excerpted from the IEEE Spectrum article, “Two New Wheelchairs Reveal What `Smart’ Really Means Today: App-controlled chairs are not the same as self-driving ones.”