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The extended use of a wheelchair is a reality for over one hundred million folks across the globe on account of disabilities brought about by sickness, accident or superior age. Among the challenges faced by this large and various group are; lack of access to enough wheelchairs on account of poverty, the risk of great and even life threatening damage on account of wheelchair roll-away or wheel pinning, and impediments to journey attributable to the cumbersome nature of standard wheelchairs.

Fortuitously, there are innovators at work who’ve lately addressed these points by some really wonderful wheelchair inventions.

Don Schoendorfer, a mechanical engineer from Orange County, California, was aware that most of the poorest folks all over the world reside on less than $2 a day, and that when they have been needed, normal wheelchairs were financially out of attain at several hundred dollars per unit. Schoendorfer had a purpose; to create the world’s most cost-effective wheelchair for the benefit of poor people with disabilities.

Tinkering for three hours every morning in his storage workshop, Schoendorfer struggled to create a design for a wheelchair that will measure as much as harsh terrains and climates at a fraction of the price of standard wheelchairs. Finally inspiration got here in the form of the ever present white plastic garden chair. The inventor used this low cost item as the centerpiece of his design, equipping his cheap chair with sturdy bike tires and a customized chassis.

The consequence? A durable, low price wheelchair that can be shipped anywhere in the world for underneath fifty dollars. Schoendorfer’s nonprofit group, Free Wheelchair Mission, has delivered more than 75,000 to people in Angola, India, Peru, and Iraq. His mission? In line with Schoendorfer, “I’ve a small goal. Twenty million chairs given away free by 2010.”

In Minnesota, farmer turned inventor – Jerry Ford, was approached by his son Zack who labored in a nursing house and had seen the hazards of aged residents forgetting to set the brakes on their handbook wheelchairs before trying to stand. The consequence was typically a foul fall as the wheelchair would roll-away from the resident as they applied weight to the chair’s arms when making an attempt to rise. An issue encountered by elders in other areas as effectively, particularly among those that endure from senility, Alzheimer’s illness or simply forgetfulness.

U.S. Congressman Gil Gutknecht of Minnesota has drawn consideration to the issue, pointing out that a fall of this type is “dangerous for the elderly, especially these in nursing houses, who are sometimes fragile. Only one fall can be a painful demise sentence.”

Ford set to work almost instantly and in just some hours, and with simply $19 price of spare elements, turned a psychological image of a brand new wheelchair automated braking system right into a reality. Ford’s invention is a revolutionary wheelchair safety system that allows the wheelchair to maneuver when an affected person is onboard, but which auto-units a brake as soon because the user rises. The system does not compromise affected person comfort or security by inflicting stress factors and allows the wheelchair to function usually including regular folding.

Based on Ford, “our automated wheelchair brakes and wheel locks assist stop falls, liberate staff and enhance high quality of life. and that’s gotta make a guy feel good.”

On the opposite facet of the world in Australia, Nick Morris is also innovating with an eye fixed toward lowering wheelchair associated injuries. His invention, the Vulcan Wheel, is an ergonomically designed one-piece extruded aluminum wheelchair wheel to be used typically journey and sport. The unique Vulcan design has streamlined each the push rim and wheel rim of a traditional wheelchair wheel and provides the consumer with elevated floor space to propel the wheelchair.

Morris was injured in a bike accident at age sixteen and credits his involvement in sport as the important thing to his rehabilitation. Nick’s passion for sport led him to design an improvement on the standard wheelchair wheel, at the side of co-inventor David Goding.

Standard wheelchair wheels have a base building made up of wheel rim, a push rim and quite a lot of adjoining items connecting the rims together. As a way to apply power to maneuver a wheelchair, the consumer grips the push or wheel rim to propel the wheelchair forward. The wheel rim and push rim are joined together by five joins around the wheel inflicting an enormous potential for fingers to get caught or jammed in the gaps. This causes trauma and harm to the hands and fingers, usually leading to friction burns, dislocation of the fingers, and pores and skin abrasions. It is usually not unusual for elements of clothing, or objects similar to sticks and debris, to get caught in the gap. Secondly, there’s inadequate room for putting the palms of the hand on the push rim, as there is not enough surface space between the wheel rim and push rim.

Morris and Goding’s ergonomic design compliments using palm and fingers and reduces the risk of trauma to the hand as there isn’t an area for fingers, thumbs or external objects to get jammed in between the 2 rims.

The brand new wheel also weighs less due to a decreased number of parts, and is less prone to break down. Its one-piece construction additionally offers the push rim with an extra diploma of stability, making it much less prone to buckle and flex when pressure is exerted throughout pushing, making it superb for wheelchair sports.

Elsewhere the wants of those that travel with wheelchairs have been reviewed with an eye towards innovation. An Augusta Georgia firm offers a “wheelchair in a bag” that folds and unfolds in seconds and weighs in at simply 17 lbs. The lightweight chair is made potential due to the use of plane aluminum, which supplies the necessary power with a fraction of the burden of steel. These compact chairs can be bagged and carried with a deal with or shoulder strap and include options resembling flip back armrests, folding footrests and adjustable wheel locks. Everything you would count on in a full weight chair.

Don Schoendorfer, Jerry Ford, Nick Morris and David Goding have made significant contributions via their innovations, which have improved access, effectivity and security for wheelchair customers all through the United State and throughout the globe. And with the 21st Century nonetheless in its infancy there’s each motive to imagine there are more wheelchair improvements in store.

For information about women inventors, drop by Hazel Laritgam’s Site in a jiffy.