Novel Mobility Aid

Design of a novel low-cost mobility aid for rural India A novel and yet affordable standing wheelchair that helps disabled people - especially those with spinal cord injury - with their daily activities, increasing their self-esteem, and improving their overall condition and strength. I developed this project as part of a team of 4 students, all from different backgrounds and nationalities, which contributed to the overall experience and cultural approach, as we designed a product for a culture completely alien to all of us. The designed solution features an air-spring-supported parallelogram mechanism to move the chair from sitting to standing position. The air spring’s pressure is set depending on user’s weight and strength. The wheelchair is all constructed from easily accessible and low maintenance steel pipe. It can be manufactured locally and easily repaired by the user or a family member as it also only uses standard low costing and easily accessible parts.