Ligna Handcycle Seeks to Bring Mobility Back to the Physically Disabled

The mobility solution you see before you is one of the weird ones. It’s been dubbed the Ligna by its creator, and before you start thinking that you’d never ride something like this, you may need to think again as similar vehicles do exist.

Before I talk about the Ligna, I'd like to tell you a bit about its creator; this will give you a better idea of what this vehicle is really made for. Eric Grams is the mind behind this ordeal, an industrial designer from Berlin, Germany. If there is one thing you need to know about Germans and their urban mobility vehicles is that most of the time, they include a mix of functionality and health benefiting movements; in layman’s terms, to stay healthy.

The Ligna is a bit different in that it’s targeted towards physically handicapped people that have lost the ability to use their legs but who still want to get out and about to enjoy the freedom of movement.

Just to start things off, take a nice long look at the Ligna and try to imagine how it works. The designer shares that the vehicle is a hand-operated recumbent bike. Yes, hand-operated. Don't worry though, there’s also an electric motor to help increase power transferred to the rear wheel. Heck, not everyone is an Olympic rowing champion, so a bit of help is much appreciated and even sought after in the case of the physically disabled occupant.

Other than the fact that the Ligna is to be operated with your hands, there is nothing else mentioned regarding the drivetrain and how it functions. I wasn’t able to decipher if you rotate your hands like the cranks on a bike, or if the motion is more like that of rowing; your guess is as good as mine.

One design aspect Mr. Grams made plenty mention of are the building materials used in putting together the shape you see. If you look closely at the frame of the trike, you’ll notice that the shape is actually given by massive wooden pieces. Yes, wood. Well, not only wood, but epoxies and even hemp fibers are used to create the trike.

The wood has been shaped to offer an aesthetic look and feel, but also a functionality geared towards comfort. After “extensive” research, according to the designer, it was found that fiberglass-reinforced ash wood veneer could achieve the results the designer was looking for. Further testing revealed that the use of hemp fiber fabrics and resins could achieve the same results as fiberglass without the harmful byproducts.

With one tire at the rear and two at the front, steering and stability is sure to be a breeze on the Ligna. Even the positioning of the body seems to be rather comfortable and one that favors a longer ride. Then again, your ride depends on the amount of energy left in your battery or your pectoral muscles. In case you need to stop, a pair of classic bicycle disc brakes are found.

Personally, I’m the kind of person that would so ride something like this, even though I'm not disabled. It looks like lots of fun for people no matter the physical level. Only one thing bugs me about this concept.

The designer talks about this rendering as if I can just go down to my local bike shop and pick up a Ligna. I don’t think that’s the case and probably won’t be for a while. Plus, I think there are other designs that may be a fit more fitting for the disabled. Still, it’s a fun idea that you could probably whip up as a two-weekend project.