A Message from Our Designer, Peng: Why Roamate Was Designed to Roll Like a Suitcase
Roamate started as an idea in 2023. Through years of iteration and multiple prototype generations, that idea gradually became more focused, finally settling into its current form in 2025. In the following reflections, industrial designer Peng Zhen shares the original intent behind Roamate — and the reasoning that shaped its final design.
"We wanted to design the world's most convenient, easiest to carry, smallest possible vehicle to help those with mobility challenges get outside." Peng said, "Since we started this project, we've done extensive market research and found that current mobility devices are large in weight and volume and take up a lot of space. For people who need them, moving or storing such a device is a real burden. We wanted something you can sit on but still easily take out and bring to many places. We aim to encourage people to move and go out more by making it easier to do so—this is our key idea".
Why Roamate folds in the middle:
Early on, we studied the devices already on the market. Most travel wheelchairs and power chairs rely on a cross‑brace — an “X” shaped frame under the seat that brings the sides together when you pull up on the seat . The design has been around for decades because it lets the chair fold relatively flat and still use swing‑away leg rests and removable wheels.
Those systems work, but they have one thing in common: they require multiple steps, two hands and sometimes the removal of parts. For someone with limited strength or dexterity, that can be a barrier to independence. We kept asking ourselves, what if folding your chair was as simple as closing a suitcase?
No one wants to feel like they are carrying a mobility device. But a suitcase is different — it’s something people are already comfortable taking everywhere. Suitcases belong in airports, offices, hotels, and everyday life. By giving Roamate a suitcase-like presence, the design shifts how mobility is perceived: tech-forward rather than medical, modern rather than fragile.
The Hardest Part: Keeping it Rolling
One of the biggest challenges of the one-step folding system was ensuring that all four wheels remain on the ground — both folded and unfolded. Because we want it to stands upright on its own and can be rolled beside you — under a train rack, into a closet, or wherever a suitcase would go.
That single goal — rolling instead of carrying — guided every design decision we made. Achieving it was not easy. The system went through many iterations before reaching its final form. What you see today may appear simple and understated, but that simplicity is the result of countless refinements.
The Trade-Off: Weight and Comfort
Another major challenge was comfort. Generous cushioning and thick structures would improve softness and robustness, but they would also work against foldability and weight. Roamate’s maximum weight capacity is 245 lbs — a choice shaped by this trade-off.
We know that some people will need more support, but we believe that preserving lightness and foldability was essential to the experience Roamate is meant to offer: a chair you actually want to take with you. Balancing comfort, load capacity, and its own weight meant accepting that no single product can optimize everything at once. We tried to achieve the best possible balance within those limits.
Flexibility Within a Minimal Form
We designed the adjustable handle and armrest positioning to serve 2 purposes at once: to allow Roamate to switch seamlessly between wheelchair and rollator modes, and to adapt comfortably to users of different heights and body proportions. For a device this minimal, flexibility is essential. From approximately 155 cm to 190 cm, Roamate is designed to fit a wide range of users — men and women, teens and elderly.
Peng said, "Throughout development, I worked closely with people who experience mobility challenges in their daily lives, as well as with our research and development team. Their feedback shaped every stage of the process. Seeing Roamate resonate with real users has been one of the most rewarding outcomes of this journey. "
1 comment
Good day! I need to know if or when this product would be available in Canada. Also, where I could get service if needed in Canada.