Future Technology » Wheelchair

Nomad Lightweight and Simple Wheelchair for Your Comfort

TheFuture — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:13:30 +0000

The Nomad Wheelchair concept is the outcome of Mark Owen’s continuous effort with his brother Jon and Angela Gidden, a furniture designer of Studio SDA, after he got paralyzed in a motorbike accident. The inconveniences and difficulties he has faced with the traditional wheelchairs became the key turning point of Mark to make an innovative wheelchair that can overcome all those problems successfully. Finally, the lightweight and minimal mobility device reached the production house with the money he got from his personal injury claim. The simple and sleek wheelchair excludes all the unnecessary elements and has been structured in a comfortable and contemporary way where a person can sit and roll for longer time without getting irritated.

Designer : Mark Owen

Roll.Charge.Light.Protect Wheelchair Glows Brightly During The Night

TheFuture — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:47:29 +0000

Wheelchairs would be dangerous for open ride especially when users go out during dark night. “Roll Charge Light Protect” Project demonstrates a concept wheelchair that has lights for other people to notice the wheelchair, offering a remarkable safety system. This lights get power from movements of the wheels, thus, it is a good way to save energy. There are a set of LEDs under the wheel cover that glows brightly during the night. A magnet is helping generating electricity by rotating and the generated electricity is conveyed by the Coil to the LEDs. The wheel and the magnet are bridged with a Gear, protected by a Small Cover. The LCD panel shows readings about remaining amount of electricity and how long the user will be able to use it.

Designer : Mingoo Kim, Yunjin Chang, and Sueun Park

X30 Next Generation WheelChair

TheFuture — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:18:11 +0000

The X30 wheelchair has been designed keeping in mind the strain that the physically challenged have to undergo in situation where there is no help in hand. Designed by Danish designer Ulrik Svenningsen, the design helps in reducing the strain in hands, and shoulder which some times leads to injuries to them and also puts the device for long term use and improves comfort and mobility. Also these wheelchairs are strong, long lasting and easier to maneuver while going up the inclined surfaces and ramps etc. and also address the issue of transferring the user to and from the wheelchair. Definitely a touching thought for a practical thought.

Designer : Ulrik Svenningsen

Handy : Electric Wheel Chair for Handicapped Children

TheFuture — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:15:25 +0000

Handy Wheel chair which due to its construction is very flexible for the users. The wheels are constructed in a way which enables the user to ascend one or two steps of a stairs. The design is particularly aimed towards children with various physical handicaps, and the construction will enable the child to participate in games and will also function as a “toy” to play with.

Designer : Nicolas Nicolaou

Transporter : An Electric Wheelchair by Nori Sakatsume

TheFuture — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:03:50 +0000

Growing up in today’s time is not easy. Peer pressure and to be popular among friends is what any teenager feels while growing in years. In today’s times, life which is bound on chair sometimes can be very disheartening for a physically challenged teenagers, for them the chair becomes the biggest hindrance. Understanding this architectural designer Nori Sakatsume, has come up with an automatic wheel chair named as transporter. The device runs on electric motor housed in each wheel which in turn is powered by a lead-acid battery making it easier to maneuver and turns out to be of great help for all the physically challenged.

Designer : Nori Sakatsume

Transformable Wheelchair Concept by Caspar Schmitz

TheFuture — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:38:18 +0000

If you know some one who is using a wheelchair for survival then this product is for them. This wheelchair is made of an elastic as well as strong plastic, for example Polyurethane. The vehicle becomes adapted to contact face and the center of gravity to the situation. Through vertical pressure on the handle bar the round wheel converts to ellipsoid. As a result of which steps and barriers can be taken care of easily. It is a great invention of the wheelchair. This transformable wheel will surely abolish lots of barriers and assist disabled people to carry on their life easily.

Designer : Caspar Schmitz

Freemode Lightweight Wheelchair Made of Fiberglass

TheFuture — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:05:16 +0000

‘Freemode’ the new chair design by John Dyson, has been designed with the motto of helping the people with disabilities to gain more freedom and personal space. The chair with its innovative storage/collapsibility can be used both for personal and as well as hospital. It is easy to use and highly functional thus for collapsing the chair the necessity of usage of hands is not there. Also the base material used is that of fiber glass as the chair is exposed to different environments like shower and toilet functions which involve water. Thus this is a practical solution for the physically challenged.

The “Freemode” is the only one of its kind. This chair is designed with the aspiration to help the many people with disabilities gain more freedom and personal space which is so often compromised. With its innovative storage/ collapsibility it has potential to be used personally and in hospitals/ nursing homes where minimal storage space is required.

The simplicity of the quick release pins on the hub of the main wheel and also at the top of the castor wheels, means they can easily be removed and packs in on top of the collapsed commode frame in a carry case.

Under influence from John Dyson, a good design is designed from the inside out. This chair was designed using the same process so everything which is on the chair has been designed specifically to be there and is an integral part of the chairs design.

The “Freemode” is highly functional and easy to use. This design means that there is no hand dexterity required to assemble or collapse the chair. There is currently only one model available which is considered to be collapsible. It is made by a New Zealand company but it requires extremely good hand dexterity in order to collapse and assemble the chair as its joints are made from wing nuts and bolts.

Fiberglass is used in many water sports equipment design. As this chair is required for both shower and toilet functions it will be able to live up to the required expectations and with such a durable surface material, it will be easy to fix in years to come.

While designing the chair, Julie was careful to consider how it would be manufactured. Working closely with a local ‘glass’ expert, on some areas of the design, Julie made sure the chair was designed so that it could be made in three easy moulds. An alternative to fiberglass would be ABS.

There is a severe lack of disability design being done both nationally and internationally and with increasing elderly numbers and other lifestyle factors, more and more people may require a commode at some stage of their lives.

Designer : Julie Clyde

HABILITY: Easyfood and Valcucine

TheFuture — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:23:19 +0000

Hability was born from the need to combine a careful analysis of the needs of the disabled with the creation of a kitchen that is not merely accessible but also aesthetically pleasant and accurate in every detail. The collaboration between architect Marco Miscioscia, a designer attentive to the world of the disabled, and Valcucine, a company that has made the philosophy of beauty its motto, has resulted in the creation of this industrial product that can be utilized just as well by people with no handicap as by the disabled, without the kitchen labeling the person as is often the case with similar projects.

Easy Food is a system in stainless steel for the kitchen, designed to reduce work during food preparation. It is extremely innovative in terms of ergonomics, safety and technical solutions and has been designed to be very accessible to the advantage of anyone using the kitchen. The stainless steel top has been made from a single mould. This technology avoids welding and built-in elements that would increase costs and imperfections.

Food is prepared, chopped, cooked and drained from the same workstation. All this without moving pots and pans. A self-cleaning system makes the water flow away from the user, conveying it directly to the service sink. The top can be fitted with dish-drainer racks and removable and transportable sinks.

This worktop has been completed by Valcucine by adding wall-hung units, corner units with accessories that are completely accessible even by someone on a wheelchair, and by the Libera hood in stainless steel and curved tempered glass that is perfect for any ergonomic solution and the top-notch of Valcucine design.

Designer : Marco Miscioscia via Dom ShowRooms via HomeTone

Push Your Limit with Adventure Wheelchair

TheFuture — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 13:14:00 +0000

Don’t let limited capabilities stop you from enjoying your adventure hobby. Just like John Davis said from the film The Chariot Races : “It’s part of breaking down the barriers. Showing we can crash. Showing we can push our limits, find the edge of our capabilities, fall sometimes and pick ourselves up.”

Designer : Jonathan Hewison