One Device to Be Your Travel Companion: The Real Idea Behind the 3-in-1 Design
I remember reading about Le Corbusier and his idea of une machine à habiter — the notion that houses are “machines for living,” spaces designed to serve the functional needs of modern life. In many ways, a vehicle follows the same logic:
- A house → a stationary machine that supports living
- A vehicle → a mobile machine that supports moving
- A mobility device → a personal, human-scale machine that supports independent living while in motion
They are not merely tools for getting from point A to point B, but personal spaces that support everyday needs — comfort, movement, hydration, charging a phone, even basic lighting — all the small yet essential details that make independent living possible.
But Roamate was never meant to be that kind of machine. From the start, we designed it with a mindset of reduction, not accumulation — deliberately resisting the urge to add every possible feature just to cover every scenario.
We know that kind of all-encompassing robustness isn’t realistic. Maybe in a gravity-free world, but not in the real one. So instead of building a mighty machine that tries to do everything, we focused on what truly matters: creating something you can pack, carry, and take anywhere — a device that people who need it can handle independently, without relying on a caretaker.
Instead of asking how many functions we could pack into a single product, we asked a more meaningful question: how can one mobility device truly support independence in everyday life? How can it be moved, handled, and brought along without effort?
The answer came naturally — it had to be lightweight, and it had to be foldable.
There are already a lot of travel-focused mobility devices on the market — Pride, travel buddy, WHILL, and others. Lightweight, foldable designs have existed for years, and we never approached this project under the illusion that we were inventing the category.
But we are not building a wheelchair. With a background in robotics, we never limited ourselves to the traditional wheelchair framework. From the beginning, we set out to create something different: a device that may be called a wheelchair, yet goes beyond that definition to support people in more flexible ways. Robotics taught us how to balance two things, often seen as opposites — flexibility and capacity.
We also understand that mobility is not static. It changes with time, environment, and circumstance — shaped by the user, the caregiver, and everyday life itself. Sometimes you want to walk. Sometimes you need to sit. Sometimes you need support to move from one place to another. Rather than asking people to juggle multiple devices for different moments, we envisioned one assistant, one companion.
The 3-in-1 is designed to Remove Complexity, Not Add more functions
A long press on the Boost button switches Roamate from wheelchair mode to rollator mode.
A long press on the Wheelchair button switches it back to wheelchair mode.
In rollator mode, continuing to press the Boost button provides powered assistance—effectively turns the rollator into a transport chair.
Designed to be a Companion for travel, Not a burden
So many wheelchairs become a burden once you start traveling. At their core, they are designed for sitting — not for being lifted, folded, carried, loaded into a car, taken through airports, or brought onto flights. Yet in real life, most people don’t stay in a chair all the time. Beyond the home or nearby streets, travel almost always involves other forms of transportation.
Despite their similarities to vehicles, wheelchairs are not long-distance travel devices. And when they aren’t designed to move with you, they end up becoming something you have to manage — rather than something that supports you.
At the beginin of our design idea, this has been with us. We want a real travel chair, with all kind of vehicles compatible, compliments each other, and so that it supports you, rather than becomes a burden during traveling.
At 37 lbs, and folding down into a suitcase-like form, Roamate is easy to load into the back of a car and fits naturally into storage spaces on trains, buses, and subways. When flying, it can be taken onboard and stored in designated cabin spaces, rather than being checked as cargo.
By switching seamlessly between a chair, a rollator, and a carry-on–style luggage, Roamate gives you the ultimate freedom to move through different stages of travel, giving you support wherever you need it along the way.
An Unexpected Fit for Medical Conditions, but designed for Everyone
Through conversations with our community, we realized there are people living with certain conditions such as multiple sclerosis, hypermobility, post-stroke recovery, or Parkinson’s disease who naturally need both a walker and a wheelchair.
When we designed Roamate, we weren’t thinking in terms of specific medical conditions. It was a pleasant surprise - we are just so happy the functionality of Roamate can help those people.
But at its core, the idea was simple: having just one mobility aid, for everyone who needs it for whatever reason.
Some days you may feel like walking; at other moments, you may want to sit and ride for a while. This isn’t about medical needs alone — it’s about flexibility, about independence, and about giving everyone the freedom to choose how they move.
3 comments
Can I drive it
How much?
Like price is it medicare okd