Wheels Up

Amanda Gelb

A suite of low-cost offerings that enable those in wheelchairs to climb between one and five steps autonomously

https://itp.io/thesis/ag4288/

Description

We have put man on the moon but many storefronts in urban and rural environments are still inaccessible due to a few pesky steps. I have been working to imagine possible fixes for this problem for the past six months.

This project was a quest for mechanism and material- from geometric folding algorithms, hydraulics, and 3D printing to modular furniture design.. It ultimately presents a few different solutions for wheelchair users- 2 possible manual wheelchair options and one for power chairs. Specifically, these tools will enable powerchairs to ascend one step and manual wheelchairs to ascend a few steps without assistance.

Design for disability is fraught by designing on behalf of. Often adaptive devices look geriatric and dull. This project was privileged to design hand-in-hand with the input of 100+ wheelchair users. It also aims to bring a unique aesthetic approach to a meaningful need.

Device Features: lightweight, portable, low-cost, minimal time to set up, adheres easily to the chair with minimal footprint.

Classes

Ability Lab, Making Pop-Up Books and Paper Engineering, Mechanisms: If It Moves It Breaks, Mechanisms: If It Moves It Breaks