Randy Kwapis’s Action Chair, which he invented for his son to play on grass and other difficult surfaces, is a modern marvel.

By Michael Lee

Matthew Kwapis sits in the chair his father Randy designed to enable him to play on grass and other surfaces unusable by ordinary wheelchairs.

Randy Kwapis, 43, inventor of the Action Chair, a custom-built everyday sports wheelchair, was one of the 25 semi-finalists in this year’s Invent Now Challenge, sponsored by the History Channel program Modern Marvels. “Everyday” inventors from across the country submit their inventions in hopes of becoming the “Modern Marvel of the Year.” Even though Kwapis did not win, he felt humbled being in a category with other inventors. “I was surprised to be a semifinalist-especially after you see the other inventions,” he says. “I didn’t expect it.”

Kwapis’s son Matthew, 16, was his primary inspiration for the Action Chair, also known as the Typhoon. Matthew has a congenital defect of the spine. Kwapis said that the concept came about early in his son’s life when Matthew wanted to play with his friends in the backyard at their home in New Boston, Michigan, but his standard wheelchair would have difficulty rolling on the grass.

“I am not in a chair,” Kwapis says. “My challenge is to make the right chair for the right group of people. I want to be able to offer a product that works for people, not one people have to work for.”

Thus, the invention of the relatively lightweight Action Chair, a wheelchair with a mono-shock installed to smooth out the ride over rough terrain like grass and gravel. Despite Modern Marvel’s billing of the Action Chair as an all-terrain, Kwapis says that is not quite right. “The chair is more of an urban chair designed to flex and roll over minor obstacles like sidewalk cracks, the grass in your backyard, or the threshold of your doorway.”

Making Opportunities

The process from drawing board to warehouse had its own bumps. Kwapis approached several manufacturers with his idea only to be turned down. In his opinion,

“Most [manufacturers] don’t want to talk to you if there’s not a market.” So he took it upon himself to make his idea a reality the old fashioned way- through self-finance and elbow grease. He took money from his savings to buy the equipment he needed and learned how to weld, too.

Kwapis began building his invention in 2002. He admits that he didn’t know much about the mechanics of a wheelchair prior to wanting to make a more efficient one for his son. “I was a guy fumbling to learn things,” he says. “From there, it was a slow process.”

Like most inventions, the first Action Chair looked nothing like the finished product. “It was a really crude product, put together with a hacksaw,” Kwapis says. “It was more of a concept.” Matthew was involved throughout the process, even taking on the role of official tester, and he suffered all the bumps and bruises that came with the job. Randy took all of his son’s suggestions into account and showed the chair to several groups of people in Michigan in its early stages to get their feedback, too.

“It was a good year before I was happy to let people see it,” Kwapis says. “I’m happy to show it now, and its functions.”

Kwapis formed his company Action Chair in 2002. He recently changed the company’s name to Mobility Sports, LLC to expand beyond selling wheelchairs exclusively. Matthew is keen on ice hockey, and because there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to buying equipment because of the small market, Kwapis wants to make sure his son and other disabled athletes are able to enjoy outdoor activity. “The sport is not about what people can’t do but what they can do,” he said. “I see my son. He’s competitive. That doesn’t go away.”

Mobility Sport’s Web site (www.mobilitysports.com) offers the AC-2 (Action Chair 2), similar to the design of the original. The AC-2 was developed partly in response to feedback. “Everybody’s different,” Kwapis says, adding that he is determined to continue to improve the Action Chair, especially for wheelchair users who drive cars. Kwapis says the Action Chair’s frame design doesn’t allow for convenient car space compatibility. Yet.

The Web site also offers sleds for whole teams and he says he’s sold “a few dozen.”

The Future of Mobility Sports, LLC

Kwapis continues to set goals for himself. He wants to sell the Action Chair. He’s working on wheelchair testing and certification and FDA approval so that his products can be available through local wheelchair stores. And as far as expanding his products, he would like to make rugby chairs and basketball chairs. “Whenever we build something, it’s going to be good.”

He advises young inventors not to give up. He’s doesn’t think the phrase “Overnight Success” holds much weight-a falsity that could be attested to by anyone who attended the Modern Marvels challenge. He said that the inventors he saw at the competition had been working on their inventions longer than he had and “they’re just now getting some public recognition.”

It can be said that a great deal of Kwapis’ recent success lies within the love for his son. “I think that to give people what they want you have to understand people,” he said. “People in wheelchairs are no different than anyone else.”

Michael Lee is a freelance journalist from East Elmhurst, New York.