Powered wheel attachment for manual wheelchair

Wheelchair is one of the most commonly used assistive device that encourages independent mobility for an individual with any kind of disability, An estimated 65 million people, need a wheelchair to perform day to day activities. A manually driven wheelchair is widely used in developing countries. Manually operated wheelchair requires a lot of effort from the upper part of the body to move. It also becomes difficult for the individual to move on an uneven terrain. Powered Wheelchairs are a costly option but affordability becomes a constraint. Our idea is to design a all terrain universal powered plug and navigate device that will have a navigation monitor, which can be used by the disabled individual. This device can be bought and placed in the offices of corporate house, government agencies, public places so that a disabled person visiting the premises can use it for navigation in the office/premises of the host institutions.

Any individual with an Orthopedic disability spends most of his time on a wheelchair for mobility. A manually driven wheelchair requires energy and strain from upper part of the body, for moving. A powered wheelchair gives freedom from their physical strain when navigating on office / campus premises. The device will feature a navigation monitor that can direct him to different locations in and around the area. The concept looks at providing independent mobility for a wheelchair driven individual in all terrains. The plug and navigate feature of this powered device greatly enhances the mobility of the disabled individual.

We aim at leveraging the potential of our power assist device just like any assistive services that provide accessibility of the area and are available free of cost in an institutional/shopping mall set up. Thereby the end users will be able to access it with no hiring charges. Shopping Malls, Government offices, Institutions and libraries can be made accessible by providing this facility to the wheel chair driven individuals.

DOST is designed for Enablemakeathon event conducted by International committee of Red Cross (ICRC). It is a makers competition to develop affordable assistive devices for persons with disabilities living in rural areas.