Guatemalan Wheelchair features Mountain Bike WheelsPopular Mechanics Magazine recently recognized a wheelchair invention as one of the Top 10 Innovations of 2008. The wheelchair was invented by some engineers from California who were brainstorming with students and professors from Guatemala. Utilizing wheels from mountain bikes, their wheelchairs are less expensive and more durable to withstand the potholed streets and rugged roads in Guatemala.
They have formed a nonprofit organization called Intelligent Mobility International, which designs, produces, and distributes affordable and durable wheelchairs to help people with disabilities find sustainable employment, and new hope in their lives. They have also partnered with Transitions, a Guatemalan charity, who employs mainly wheelchair-bound people to build the chairs.
What do you think of this wheelchair, created for the developing world?
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It looks like a great design except for the front casters. How is it possible that a chair that is fitted with mountain bike tires would have such small front caster wheels? If you are on uneven terrain or terrain that would require mountain bike tires, it seems to me that you would need front caster wheels that are not going to disappear into a little crack or dip in the road. That’s just my take on it. I’m all for developing a sturdy folding inexpensive wheelchair. The world needs it. But I sure would like to hear how this chair performs with such small caster wheels.
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