Innovation in the field of wheelchairs

While I’ve been fortunate enough to not need a wheelchair so far in life, I’ve always been fascinated with their design - particularly the fact that they always look so utilitarian (especially with materials science and design as they are today), and because the user is nearly always at waist height.

Why not turn the tables, and make the wheelchair a thing of beauty, a thing of awe, or a thing to be feared?  Make it faster than running, make it easy to elevate the rider above eye level with those around him or her, make it big and loud and with steam coming out from under it.

I’ll have to put pen to paper on this one.