Wheelchairs
Designers: | jtaggard |
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Tools: | Wrenches, Soldering irons |
Parts: | Frames, Nuts, Bolts, Motors, Batteries, Wires, Electrical connectors, Wheels |
Techniques: | Wheels and axles, Tri joints |
Introduction
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability.
Challenges
Current electric wheelchair users constantly have to deal with high insurance prices and long wait times when it comes to purchasing and repairing their electric wheelchair. Specifically, our sponsor Pamela had to wait several months just to have her caster wheel assembly replaced. For someone who requires their chair for a main mode of transport, this is unacceptable. Additionally, the wheelchair manufacturers have been creating chairs with lower specs (torque, average speed, etc.) while insurance companies are raising the costs to own such a chair.
The goal of the project was to avoid these negative setbacks and also prove someone could build their own electric powered wheelchair in their garage using basic tools such as a chop saw and drill press. The scope of our project included producing a working drive-train and frame that would provide a solid foundation for our sponsors, WHIM Unlimited, to develop a fully working and refined electric powered wheelchair. We hope this assembly guide will provide the necessary framework for others to build their own chair, ending the longtime dependence on inconvenient health and insurance companies. This guide is by no means includes a final product, but rather a proof of concept and a framework for others to build off of to fit their own personal mobility needs.
Approaches
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