Tech Japanese startup Lifehub to launch stair-climbing wheelchair

A Japanese startup is set to release an all-terrain electric wheelchair in 2026. The device is designed to enable users to climb and descend stairs independently and board trains and buses without assistance. The company also plans to develop a future model capable of navigating escalators.


Developed by Lifehub Inc., the wheelchair—called Avest—operates on four wheels across flat surfaces but is equipped with caterpillar tracks to tackle stairs, slopes, and uneven terrain. According to Lifehub, the chair can adjust its seat angle to maintain balance while ascending or descending inclines of up to 40 degrees, and it offers a range of up to 40 kilometres on a single charge.

While similar stair-climbing wheelchairs are already available, many of them ascend with their occupants facing backward, according to the company. Lifehub will offer 50 units of the launch edition, priced at 1.5 million yen ($10,000). In Japan, electric wheelchairs are exempt from sales tax. The Tokyo-based company is developing a new version to allow users to ride escalators without assistance, which would be the first wheelchair in the world with such a capability, Lifehub said. Lifehub CEO Hiroshi Nakano said at a press event he wants to "solve the challenges faced by wheelchair users with our technologies."

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