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The approach to this design was
to use components that are manufactured in high volume for other
products. By this method, we enjoy a low piece price cost. We
removed every extra feature possible, ending up with the least
expensive design that will satisfy a large portion of the world's
need for wheelchairs. The wheelchair design lends itself to
manufacture by highly efficient companies where assembly costs are
low.
A GARDEN CHAIR
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For
a wheelchair you need a chair. We selected the least
expensive chair we could find - a moulded plastic garden
chair. Perfect! It's waterproof. It's durable. It's
comfortable to sit on for long periods. It's washable.
It's made in many countries. You can drill holes in the
arms and legs so it can be mounted on the frame. |
MOUNTAIN BIKE WHEELS - A
GOOD FIT
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A
wheelchair needs wheels. We selected 24 inch bicycle
wheels. For added durability we selected bicycle tyres
made for mountain bikes. The difference between the ones
we use are those on millions of bikes around the world
is a special wheelchair hub - ours is considerably
stronger. |
The mountain bike tyres
allow our chair to transverse rocky, uneven, and even muddy
terrain that would be impossible in a regular wheelchair. We are
frequently asked about using inflatable instead of hard tyres.
Inflatable tyres allow movement over terrain that would be
impossible with a hard tyre. There is almost no place on earth
where the tools to repaid a flat tyre aren't available.
HUNT FOR FRONT WHEELS
SUCCESSFUL
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You
need casters for the front legs. We found 8 inch
diameter castors that are inexpensive but rugged enough
for this wheelchair. |
NOW PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
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For
a wheelchair you need a frame. We started with steel
conduit because we could bend it ourselves. Once we got
something close, it was taken to a steel fabrication
company. |
There, they used their
creativity and years of experience to turn this crude design into
something that could be mass-produced. The bends in the single
piece frame follow the contours of the moulded plastic chair. At
the same time, the frame is something that can be made relatively
inexpensively.
VOILA!
These parts, plus a simple
footrest, a few dozen nuts and bolts and miscellaneous pieces is
all that it takes to make one wheelchair. Another benefit from
this design is standardization. There are relatively few parts, so
there is little stock needed for repair.
$100 INCLUDES SHIPPING TO
A DEVELOPING COUNTRY
The plan was to ship the
wheelchair in a kit - for two reasons.
- The first reason is that
they take up less space that way. We can pack 550 kits in a
standard 40 foot container.
- The second reason is that
in most countries the labour to assemble a kit will be very
low, with little training, someone who is good with his or her
hands can produce three wheelchairs in one hour.
We made assembly
instructions with photographs so someone who cannot read English
can learn to assemble these kits. We supply an assembly tool kit
(5 simple wrenches and one air pump) with every twenty wheelchair
kits.
We checked that volunteers
in developing countries can easily manage the wheelchair assembly,
using simple hand tools.
WE KEEP AN EYE OPEN FOR
IMPROVEMENTS
Amongst the improved design
features are sidepanels placed alongside the wheelchair seat,
which gives the rider more protection from anything thrown up from
the ground. The wheels have been fitted with a hand rims so that
it is easier and cleaner to propel the wheelchair. The footrests
have been repositioned to facilitate entry to the chair, improved
brakes, and a larger axle to give more strength and durability.
These improvements make the
chair more rugged and suitable for more areas where these chairs
are desperately needed, but add a little to the overall weight.
The most exciting part about
these new features is that the cost is still $100 each, including
delivery, and that they now include a bicycle tyre pump and a
repair kit.
THE FINISHED PRODUCT
"We now have a
wheelchair we can justifiable be proud of, which is desperately
needed through out the World. Sometimes the answer to a problem is
in its SIMPLICITY. We have achieved with this design a wonderful
chair and all it takes now to produce 130 million of them is the
generosity of the people like you! TOGETHER WE CAN BUILD THE
DREAM!"
PLEASE DONATE
NOW!
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"After
seeing the wheelchairs in action, we made some
modifications to the original design."
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"
A Wheelchair being tested on a test rig"
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"One
of our volunteers assembling a chair on site."
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