Object details
| Designer / Studio | Masahiro Toriyama, Kanehiro Yoshida |
| Brand | WHILL, Inc., Japan |
| Materials | Moulded carbon-fibre frame, carbon-blade suspension |
| Award | EPDA 2026 Top Design, Automotive & Transport / Other Personal Vehicles; Winner, Healthcare: Medical Products |
| Explore the design | whill.inc |
Most wheelchairs are designed to disappear. Their frames are tubular and neutral, as if the best outcome were not to be noticed.
The WHILL Model C Lite, designed by Masahiro Toriyama and Kanehiro Yoshida, takes the opposite view. Its moulded carbon-fibre frame is left exposed and shaped like a spine, a visible structure rather than a hidden one. The chair received a Top Design distinction for personal vehicles at the 2026 European Product Design Award.
The carbon is not only expressive. It keeps the whole electric chair to 17.2 kg, light enough for a folding mechanism that works with one hand, so the chair can be lifted into a car without a second person.
On the move, WHILL’s patented omni-directional wheels, dual motors and carbon-blade suspension are intended to give a smooth ride across varied surfaces. The engineering is substantial, but the form keeps it legible: you can see where the load runs.
The designers describe the chair as a statement of style and self-expression rather than a medical device. That framing matters. A mobility product used every day is also something its owner is seen with, and the Model C Lite gives that owner an object worth being seen with.
It is a quietly confident piece of design that refuses to apologise for being there.
View WHILL Model C Lite on the European Product Design Award winner’s page →
Image: WHILL, Inc.
