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Cooper Car 2 For Disabled Kids

The CooperCar 2

$49.00 - $999.00

"From 1991 to 1999, I created and supplied a very unique adaptation of a commercially available ride-on vehicle that was available from Toys 'R Us (remember them?).  I ended up having 848 of them around the world!  But the manufacturer's factory burnt down along with the mold for the plastic body :-(  As that was the only battery-operated ride-on vehicle that turned via a joystick, that ended that!

But within the last year, I was made aware that Power Wheels was producing another vehicle that turns without a steering wheel, the Wild Thing, since 2017.  I was able to procure 14 of these before they discontinued it and the inventory was gone :-(

So for the past 6 months, I engineered a new version, with the same capabilities (extended activation for quick switch hits, acceleration control, variable speed, wireless remote override option), found less expensive seating than I used to use, and have 14 of these to offer (you can use your own seating).

First come, first served!

After the 14 are gone, I located yet another vehicle that can do the job, which I'll offer once I sell off the slightly-better Wild Things." RJ :-)

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Before I go into more design-motivation details, here are answers to some questions I just received:

Q1: Can you tell me the weight and height limit for the Cooper Car 2?
     50 lbs and 4 ft (approximately; sometimes someone is tall but light ;-)
Q2: This is just on/off, correct? Depress the switch to go, lift off to stop.
     No, all directions are possible, with just 2 switches: 1 to spin to face where you want to go, and 2 to go there (forward).
Q3: Is this built off of the Wild Thing base?
     As per the second paragraph above, yes :-)
Q4: How many switches does it need?
     1 switch will get you either Forward (or Backward), or Left (or Right). 2 switches gets you Spin (Left or Rght) and Forward. There are 4 switch inputs.
Q5: Does it just go and stop, like Go, Baby, Go?
     Much more.  There is a Time dial for controlling how long the vehicle moves *after* the switch is released (great for those that cannot maintain switch contact).  There is an Acceleration dial to control how fast the vehicle accelerates from 0 (obviously ;-). And there is a Speed dial, to set max. speed.  There is also a Go Switches jack for a wired or wireless override switch.

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I originally designed this for a youngster named Brent as an alternative to expensive powered wheelchairs.  In playing with it at his school in 1991, I discovered a second *very* powerful use of it, cause/effect.  Having a switch spin you or propel you forward turned out to be the greatest cause/effect feedback device I've ever employed.

So when you see me at an Abilities Expo around the country, with The CooperCar 2, you'll notice that the kiddo's that 'drive' the vehicle can be significantly cognitively impaired and still get a lot out of the experience!

Max weight is about 50 lbs. Seating is your responsibility.  My fav is the Special Tomato Soft Touch Sitter.

Options to the vehicle include:

  • Magic Arm, Articulating Arm, or Mini-Arm to hold switch(es)/joystick.
  • Joystick
  • Wireless Remote Override
My The CooperCar 2 is innovative, to say the least, but that's why you're drawn to it in the first place.

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