Process Book

You can view my full process book by clicking here. The book was made to be a final deliverable for my class. It outlines all my research and strategies, as well as detailed descriptions of every wheelchair component, many of which were never featured on the blog. It has a lot of images I never posted and a lot more content.

Give it a read and let me know what you all think.

P.S. thank you aaronfotheringham.com and christiaan bailey for the images!

Click here to view

(also please note that viewing the file on scribd will show some of the pages messed up. Click download file to view the book correctly.... thanks)

All together

As the end of the quarter jumped out of nowhere, the final rush to meet the deadline didn't leave me a lot of time to update the blog. Here are a couple final renderings of the chair, with all the components put together. In the next day I will upload the process book, which has all the details of the chair. There is alot to still explain, but this is just a little peek.

As always let me know what you think.

Seat Cushions

This is the cushion design for the wheelchair. The hybrid cushion uses a quarter inch layer of impact gel at the base to dampen vibrations and protect against heavy impacts from landing. Above the gel is a layer of memory foam over an inch thick. The foam allows for the cushion to form to the users body increasing comfort and securing the user's position. The seat can be wrapped in a variety of materials, from nylon, to neoprene, even leather depending on the user's preference. Simple snaps quickly and securely, attach the seat to the frame for easy removal and cleaning. The cushion could be used on any type of wheelchair, and would be perfect for users suffering from constant backpain and discomfort.

Let me know what you think.

Frame Design

Here is an intial concept for the design of the wheelchairs frame. The form is relatively conservative, but implements the unique tubular shape of the Dahon bicycle frame. The use of internal butting allows for thinner wall thicknesses and increased strength. The suspension has been moved to the outside allowing for easier acces to the adjustment dials as well as the ability to implement the suspension compression levers.

This is still just the first design, so please leave any and all feedback. It is 100% open to change.

Front Casters

(Heavily) Based off of the frog leg casters, this new design specifically fits standard skateboard wheels (48-70mm). The main reason for doing this is to connect the sport to the roots from which it has been based. It allows users to the ability to customize with the fun wheel designs of skateboard companies, which are more readily available. Also, it gets extreme wheelchair users into the skate shops, exposing their sport even more.

The elastomer suspension system will dampen the vibrations from impact and allow the rider to flow smoother over any rough terrain. The new design is shorter and relocates material to make for a more durable design and aesthetic.

Impact Gel

I was able to get my hands on a pretty large sample of impact gel. This soy-based gel, has recently been featured on infomercials for it's application in footwear insoles. It has also been used in hockey pads as well as saddle pads. I'm currently doing some testing to see the benefits of incorporating it into the seat cushions. Hopefully it should be able to dampen impacts even more.

Check out the infomercial here.

Frame Materials

Very detailed descriptions of a variety of materials used for bike frames. Check the website out here.