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Objective: The Handbike was developed as a product to provide lower-limb disabled veterans access to two-wheeled bicycling, for transportation, exercise, and recreational pursuits with family and friends.

Method: The Handbike began as a VA sponsored student project in the Stanford University Mechanical Engineering Design Division, with continued development at the Palo Alto VA Rehabilitation R&D Center to achieve a pre-production version. The Handbike is essentially a two-wheeled bicycle, with adjustable side-wheels, which may either be elevated to allow for the desired lean, or folded and latched down at any time for slow maneuvering up ramps, and in and out of tight spaces such as doorways and elevators. Hand cranks with a chain transmission replace the handlebars found on a standard bicycle, allowing the rider to power, steer and brake the front wheel without releasing the handgrips. An optional folding crank tower facilitates transfer to and from wheelchairs. The rider simply steers in the direction of too much lean to balance on two wheels, making it possible even for those with limited trunk stability to experience the freedom, excitement and sense of physical accomplishment inherent in true bicycling.

Status: Adult, child and touring versions of the Handbike were further developed at Recreational Mobility, a start-up company in Elmira, OR. Although the company did not continue in business, several copies of the improved Handbike were subsequently evaluated and approved at various VA Medical Centers under the auspices of the VA Rehabilitation R&D Technology Transfer Section. Companies of various sizes expressing an interest in commercializing the Handbike were provided the drawings, but only one small business, New Dimensions Design, followed through. Following the death of the owner of New Dimensions Design, another small company, Mobility Engineering, is now marketing the Handbike.

Conclusion: Although the technology transfer of the Handbike has been a long and at times difficult process, it reflects the challenges involved in creating and developing an innovative design and adjusting perceptions to remove the emphasis on the "dis-" in disability.

Funding Acknowledgement: The Handbikes were developed under early core support from the Palo Alto VA Rehabilitation R&D Center with additional support from the Telephone Pioneers of America, and the British Columbia program for the International Year of the Disabled Person (through the University of British Columbia). The Handbike is a result of the inspiration and contributions of many designers, builders and people with disability who helped to guide and encourage the product development.