Most wheelchairs are designed using bent and welded tubing. There are a few composite wheelchairs on the market that are based on plates and shells to take advantage of the material properties. The design of wheelchairs for adaptive sports have evolved incrementally over the past decade. There is need to change to create new design tools and alternative designs to take advantage of emerging methods in aerospace engineering design, advanced materials, and flexible manufacturing technologies. This could provide higher quality and lower cost wheelchairs for adaptive sports the better meet user needs and reduce costs. The target population is manual wheelchair users, and the engineers who design adaptive sports wheeled mobility devices and the companies that manufacture them. The concepts and prototypes that we will create will also have broader applicability to other forms of adaptive sports technology.
The primary target population is people who wish to participate in wheelchair racing, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, and hand-cycling. Consumers will benefit by having a new method for design and manufacture that results in high quality devices at an affordable price. The goal of this project is to maintain light weight, reduce waste during production, and lower cost as compared to traditional methods of adaptive sports wheelchair design while increasing their availability to people with disabilities and to adaptive sports programs, and to lead the way for new design methods.
Specific Aim 1 – To test tools for Kirigami design of adaptive sports wheelchairs and hand-cycles. We will design and fabricate racing wheelchairs, rugby wheelchairs, basketball wheelchairs, and hand-cycles. Specific Aim 2 – To validate the designs through testing to RESNA Wheelchair Standards and specific design criteria. We will test one prototype of each type of chair (racing, rugby, basketball, and hand-cycle) using a modified version of the RESNA static, impact, and fatigue strength standards. Weight of devices will be within 2-pounds of commonly available comparable devices. Less than 5% of the base flat stock will be unused in the process. Cost to manufacturer based on bill of materials and labor time will be lower the commonly available comparable devices. Specific Aim 3 – To evaluate the designs and prototypes with intended end-users. Focus groups and concept and prototype reviews will provide improvements to the design, fabrication, and finishes that advance the development. Intended end-users and coaches will provide positive responses to the devices as reported with the Quebec user evaluation of satisfaction with assistive technology (QUEST). The devices will be suitable for a more thorough arms-length evaluation to be conducted in project R3.1 – Usability of Low-cost Adapted Sports Equipment.
