Grant: Idea to Innovation

Wheelchairs are a widespread and successful assistive technology for people with disabilities, with evolved designs that enable activities of daily living and promote participation in the community. Modern ""ultralight"" rigid wheelchairs, that weigh about 20 lbs. or less, offer the latest in performance to many people who are independent and active in their community. The Elevation wheelchair, developed by the principal applicant, was recently introduced to the market as an alternative to conventional ultralight wheelchairs. The Elevation design provides substantial usability benefits by offering user-adjustable seat positioning during normal usage, albeit at the cost of additional frame weight. Wheelchair frame weight has an impact in terms of wheeling performance and usability (e.g. a lighter wheelchair eases the burden when lifting the frame into a car after a person transfers). We recently developed a novel wheelchair frame technology utilizing cable tension elements that could reduce the weight of various wheelchair frame designs. This technology, if incorporated into an Elevation-style wheelchair, would not only significantly reduce frame weight, but also enable a greater seat adjustment range, and improve manufacturability. Such improvements would allow many more people to benefit from the unique dynamic seating features that beneficially impact health and activity. The objective in this proposal is to build and validate fully functioning prototypes of Elevation-style wheelchairs built with the new tension frame technology. In particular, we need to fully assess a complete prototype wheelchair for overall weight, frame strength and durability, and performance. To accomplish this, we will perform engineering modeling, frame design and fabrication, and strength and durability testing of various design iterations. Finally, engineering validation and basic user feedback will be collected - necessary steps before our potential industry partner moves forward with the commercialization of this new wheelchair technology.