Student Engineering Group Creates Affordable Wheelchair and Construction Manual for Capstone Project
BioE Capstone Mobility Independence Foundation Project. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
One engineering Capstone group created a low-cost wheelchair out of wood and bicycle parts, also creating a step-by-step manual of the construction, making this wheelchair a more accessible solution to others who cannot afford a traditional wheelchair.
This article originally appeared on Northeastern Global News. It was published by Cesareo Contreras.
Student engineers share with the world instructions on making this wheelchair with wood and bike parts
Building a functional wheelchair requires fewer materials than you might think.
Ask Northeastern fourth-year student Christopher Shih and his bioengineering capstone classmates.
This semester, they have been hard at work in the bioengineering capstone makerspace in Richards Hall developing a wheelchair prototype constructed from 12 pieces of wood, bicycle parts and some bolts and screws.
They’ve also been meticulously documenting their work, and have created a free, do-it-yourself instruction manual – pictures and all – so that anyone can build a wheelchair.
Through this capstone project, the students said, they are hoping to make an impact in parts of the world, like rural Kenya and areas of South America, where access to commercial wheelchairs can be limited, according to Shih, one of the team leads.
“Since traditional wheelchair parts can be so expensive, we are trying to make an alternative,” he said. “We want to create a very low-cost solution that is easily modifiable and modular.”
Capstone courses are project-based classes designed to showcase students’ mastery of concepts and lessons learned while pursuing their degree. They are often taken after students have fulfilled the course requirements for a major, and can be one of the final courses they take before graduating.
The wheelchair project group will present their final iteration of the wheelchair and manual on April 17 on Capstone Day at the Cabral Center on the Boston campus.
The group is sponsored by the Mobility Independence Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit that hosts open-source hardware and software designs that make it easier for people to build and access their own wheelchairs.
The organization will take the wheelchair and manual, and after some internal testing, will release the schematics and instructions on its website for the public to download, according to Thomas Quiter, the organization’s founder and president.
“These designs will be able to be made where they are and easily,” he said, noting that the organization regularly receives emails from people from around the world looking for help in obtaining more affordable wheelchairs.
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Photos by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
Read full article on Northeastern Global News