Want to roll like one of the biggest minds in physics? Prof Stephen Hawking's wheelchair is up for auction

The family of the late Professor Stephen Hawking is auctioning off some of his possessions – including an early version of his motorized wheelchair – to raise money for the charitable foundation that bears his name. In all, 22 items from the Hawk will be up for grabs. These include a red leather-clad motorized wheelchair the …

[Will Godfrey]

Ugh

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but to me this seems rather obscene.

[FuzzyWuzzys]

Re: Ugh

I thought so too at first but the money is not going into their pockets, it's going to "chaireedy", so I'm fine with it.

[Chris Daemon]

It's just a thing, but...

It belongs in a museum!

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: It's just a thing, but...

Hopefully the buyer will be a museum.

[Spazturtle]

Re: It's just a thing, but...

Normally it's a rich person who buys it and then donates it to the museum.

[Anonymous Coward]

Agree

Although the proceeds are going to a charity, I would also say that it does seem a fraction tasteless, especially so soon after the loss of Prof. Hawking.

[Jay Lenovo]

Charitable Oddities

Considering Elvis's dad tried to make a buck selling his deceased son's soiled underwear, a wheelchair disposed of to benefit a charity, is at least a much better choice.

Now what the buyer does with the wheelchair, I can't imagine.

[Glenn 6]

Re: Charitable Oddities

Sniff the seat for Hawking farts?

[FuzzyWuzzys]

Re: Charitable Oddities

"Sniff the seat for Hawking farts?"

Mate, don't laugh. Some PR scumbag probably offered them a ton of cash for his bodily fluids. If porn makers can offer the sister of a royal parts in grumble flicks based on seeing her arse on TV at a wedding, there's no limit to the depth some people would sink to make a buck.

[Teiwaz]

Re: Charitable Oddities

If porn makers can offer the sister of a royal parts in grumble flicks based on seeing her arse on TV at a wedding, there's no limit to the depth some people would sink to make a buck.

The Royal family are whored out to media like a bunch of cheap celebs 'lifestyles of the rich an famous' already.

I'm fed up with checking the news and seeing the latest non-item of Royal X has done Y in Z.

[Herberia]

Chariot of a gifted mind

In my opinion it should be donated to someone with the same type of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to give them the same possibilities in life. What everyone has said about it be too soon your right but only because they are selling it. Give it to a young person to try to have a good life. And who knows what that person may do. I remember watching a program about what the chair helped Mr Hawkins with after the sadly very early onset of his condition. R.I.P Mr Stephen Hawking

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Chariot of a gifted mind

Or sell the chair, buy two or three or four with the money raised and give them to two or three or four young people to have a good life.

[Grikath]

Re: Chariot of a gifted mind

Ummmmnope.....

As reported before in this here tabloïd rag, that particular chair is a one-off entirely and only suited to the late Big Brain. It needs a proper specialist to even maintain it. It should be completely unsuited for anyone else, unless modified beyond recognition past its original purpose. Which would be defeating the point of putting it up for sale as a Curiosity.

Would I buy it? Nope.... Would it "aid" anybody besides Hawkins? Doubly Nope....

[GlenP]

Re: Chariot of a gifted mind

My first thought was why not donate the chair to someone who needs it, but...

It is an old model, highly customised to the owner and probably, after several years use, knackered (to use a technical term!) From family experience wheelchairs do not last indefinitely.

Better to sell it as a curiosity and use the money raised.

[Spazturtle]

Re: Chariot of a gifted mind

You are all assuming that the cost of an electric wheelchair is the only hurdle keeping people with the same condition from getting one. Learning how to use the equipment will be a bigger hurdle for many.

[Scotty Bones]

Dead Pool

Ryan Reynolds needs to buy this chair!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Last Wheel Tonight

John Oliver needs to buy this chair!!!

[mosw]

Re: Last Wheel Tonight

The perfect chair for his wax president?

[d3vy]

Re: Last Wheel Tonight

Which one they bought 5...

Though I think one of the was FDR... So they could race them!

[smudge]

the party

only time travelers would be able to attend the shindig, and as far as we know no-one showed up

Yes, well, they would know that no-one had turned up, wouldn't they? So if they did turn up, then they would be changing the past and the future and mucking around with the space-time continuum and I've got one of my headaches coming on... Just look at the trouble that Dr Who had to go to to make sure that Rosa Parks got on that bus.

On a more practical note, presumably he must have had it set up properly for a party - gutrot white wine, cubes of cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks, maybe even vol-au-vents, The Carpenters' Greatest Hits on the stereo - otherwise everyone in the future would know that it had all been a sham.

[Dr. G. Freeman]

Re: the party

They got stopped by security at the front door.

"We're here for the time travellers party, that Professor Hawking hasn't scheduled yet"

"Well, if it's not on the schedule you're not getting in"