--- description: Find out why WHILL Model Ci is on TIME's list of the best inventions of 2018. title: A Wheelchair That Empowers Its Users: The 50 Best Inventions of 2018 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1ff666d5f93e97ed/69893ee8457a522220d5fdd7/model-ci-best-inventions-2018-05.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 15, 2018 # A Wheelchair That Empowers Its Users WHILL Model Ci by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Andrew Myers for TIME Over 3 million Americans rely on wheelchairs to get around. And yet, there has been little innovation in that field—most wheelchairs are bulky vessels that struggle to traverse many terrains. Enter the Model Ci ([$3,999](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BZV5PH5/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=bestinventions2018-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B07BZV5PH5&linkId=0d04157ac133008b1d94e6ef3a526dcf "undefined")), a new electric model. Thanks to its specially engineered front “omni-wheels,” it can ride up to 10 miles indoors or outdoors, climb obstacles up to two inches in height and easily navigate cramped quarters; it can also be disassembled in minutes, enabling easy transport. Parent company [Whill](http://whill.us/model-ci/ "undefined") says the Model Ci, which also comes in gold and millennial pink (among other colors), has sold almost 10,000 units since its January debut. _—Samantha Cooney_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2018/5454212/whill-model-ci/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2018/5454212/whill-model-ci/"},"headline":"A Wheelchair That Empowers Its Users: The 50 Best Inventions of 2018","datePublished":"2018-11-15T11:44:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:28:42.419Z","description":"Find out why WHILL Model Ci is on TIME's list of the best inventions of 2018.","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2018/5454212/whill-model-ci/","keywords":["best inventions","Best Inventions 2018"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1ff666d5f93e97ed/69893ee8457a522220d5fdd7/model-ci-best-inventions-2018-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1ff666d5f93e97ed/69893ee8457a522220d5fdd7/model-ci-best-inventions-2018-05.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2018/5454212/whill-model-ci/","name":"A Wheelchair That Empowers Its Users: The 50 Best Inventions of 2018"}}]}] ```