Innovative
Wheelchairs for Safety, Mobility and Affordability
The
wheelchair is a permanent solution to many disabled due to
age, sickness or some mishap. But many are unable to use it
due to various factors. Some do not consider it due to the
cost, some scared of life, some scared of injury and many
other reasons. This fear is because of the traditional wheelchair.
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But with research the pioneers in this field have come up
with many wheelchair innovations to help the disabled and
the needy.
A
mechanical engineer named Don Schoendorfer a native of Orange
County, California after intensive study found out that a
big percentage of people around the globe consist of most
miserable living people who hardly earned $2 daily and such
people could hardly afford even the ordinary wheelchair. He
set a target to invent the world’s low cost wheelchair
which can serve the purpose of the poor disabled people.
After
a long struggle daily, finally he settled upon the common
plastic lawn chair as the base with two strong bike tires
and a traditional frame to hold it. The result was amazing.
An economic wheelchair was invented which was sold for just
fifty dollars through a non profit organization started by
Schoendorfer. They shipped around 75,000 wheelchairs to disabled
people in Peru, Angola, India and Iraq. His mission was to
provide 20 million free wheelchairs around the globe by the
year 2010.
Jerry
Ford from Minnesota, a farmer who later became an inventor,
was inspired by his son, who saw the difficulties faced by
the aged in using manual wheelchairs. They could not apply
the brakes on time or gave too much pressure on the armrest
which in result rolled off the wheelchair out of control.
The patients were mostly senile people or ones affected by
Alzheimer disease. Gil Gutknecht a congressman has also felt
the problem grave as the roll of from the wheelchair would
be death as the patients were very weak to manage.
Jerry
Ford invented the automatic wheelchair with just spare parts
valuing $19. His automatic wheelchair had auto locking brakes
and wheels locked which can help the wheelchair from skidding
and avert the person from falling.
Another
inventor in Australia Nick Morris brought about another improvement
in the field of wheelchairs. He invented the Vulcan Wheel
a single piece aluminum wheelchair based on the human factors,
both for regular use and also for sports. It had a wide surface
which helps to steer the wheelchair comfortably and had both
wheel rim and push rim like the traditional wheelchair. Morris
had obsession for sports, but an injury due to a motor cycle
mishap at the age of 16 led him to this invention also a source
to his therapy. He modernized the traditional wheelchair with
another person David Goding.
The
traditional wheelchairs have wheel and push rim and the user
hold the push or wheel rim to move forward. The five joint
around the wheel make it possible for the user to get his/her
hands caught in the gaps. The clothing of the person or the
sticks too has the same problem of getting jammed. The space
between the wheel rim and the push rim is very less creating
discomfort. But the design Morris invented had no such problem
or fear of getting fingers or other objects getting caught
between the rims.
As
it is a single piece the wheel is of less weight and the chances
of the parts breaking down is absent here. It provides a more
improved stability with the push rim that it leaves no room
for the wheelchair top bend or collapse when pushed making
it a perfect model for wheelchair sports.
Another
organization, Augusta Georgia firm invented the portable wheelchair
for the convenience of the disabled who travel. A foldable
light wheelchair weighing just 17 lbs made out of aircraft
aluminum but which has the potency of steel. It has flip back
armrests, folding footrests, adjustable wheel locks along
with compact chairs bagged and carried with a handle. This
has everything a normal wheelchair has but it is handy and
of light weight.
Nick
Morris, Jerry Ford, David Goding and Don Schoendorfer have
made considerable share of innovation through their inventions
which have brought about a great progress in the world of
wheelchairs. There are more innovations to come for the comfort
of the disabled in this 21st century.
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