Most wheelchairs get along just fine with four wheels and an occupant, but this one is radically different. Crutchfield has a new grand prize winner for its “You Dream It, We’ll Help You Built It” contest, and the award goes to Eric Jarnagin and his souped up wheelchair - definitely one of its kind in the whole wide world. You get a subtle green glow around the wheels which translate into a mobile lightshow that grooves to the beat emanating from a formidable speaker set up which consists of an amplifier, speakers and subwoofers. The main music storage device of choice? A 160GB iPod. Now is this ever a wonderful street attraction or what.

According to Crutchfield, Eric’s winning entry had all the elements of creativity, innovation, and caring, showing how consumer electrics can be used for the betterment of mankind, serving us in ways we never thought possible. Eric could not have come up with this musical wheelchair all on his own though, as he had the help of his brother-in-law Robert Vega. Now this is one rockin’ wheelchair that turns into an actual “on-the-go” showpiece audio system.

The basic components needed for the wheelchair system were an Alpine iDa-X100 digital media receiver, an Apple 160GB iPod® classic for the music source, 4″ JL Audio coaxial speakers, and a Kenwood KSC-SW10 compact powered subwoofer housing two 5″x7″ subwoofers and a 30-watt RMS amplifier. In addition, Eric’s chair has Streetglow LED lights connected to a music interface that triggers a virtual mobile lightshow. With the help of Crutchfield’s product advisors, Robert successfully overcame several practical obstacles, devising creative ways to ensure the various electrical components didn’t adversely impact the electrical operations of the wheelchair and the delicate components were adequately protected to handle everyday wear-and-tear. The result was a wheelchair like no other, loaded with some of the best electronics on the market.

Press Release