Adjustable Wheelchair Base and Seat for Terrain Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wheelchair designs fail to provide stable transportation on varied surfaces and terrains, posing hazards to users and not adequately addressing medical issues such as poor circulation, while also being unaffordable and limited in accessibility.
Innovation Solution
A mobile wheelchair with adjustable height and base length to vary the center of gravity and footprint, allowing for enhanced stability and comfort through motorized or manual operation, featuring a seat that can pivot and leg rests that extend to support users in different positions, accommodating both indoor and outdoor use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the wheelchair uses a fixed compact design, then it is easy to maneuver indoors, but it provides insufficient stability on uneven outdoor terrain
Solution Approach 1:
The wheelchair employs dynamically adjustable components including an extendable base that can lengthen the wheelbase from a compact configuration for indoor maneuverability to an extended configuration for outdoor stability. The seat height is also dynamically adjustable, allowing the center of gravity to be lowered when extended for enhanced stability on uneven terrain while maintaining a higher position for compact indoor navigation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the wheelchair base is extended to increase stability, then stability on uneven terrain improves, but the footprint increases making indoor maneuvering difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The base of the wheelchair is designed as a dynamic structure that can extend and retract. When extended, it provides a larger footprint and enhanced stability for outdoor use on uneven terrain. When retracted, it returns to a compact configuration with a smaller footprint that facilitates easy maneuverability in indoor environments. This dynamic adjustment allows the wheelchair to adapt its footprint to the specific operational context.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the seat height is lowered to decrease center of gravity and improve stability, then stability increases, but access to elevated surfaces becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The seat member is designed with adjustable height capability, allowing it to pivot between a lowered position and an elevated position. When lowered, the center of gravity decreases, providing enhanced stability for outdoor terrain. When elevated, it restores accessibility to elevated surfaces and improves ease of transfer. This dynamic height adjustment resolves the contradiction between stability and accessibility by allowing optimization for each specific operational scenario.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile vehicle or wheelchair has the ability to provide stabilized transport to at least one individual on a variety of surfaces, slopes and/or terrains. The mobile unit or wheelchair may travel across smooth and very rough surfaces, slopes of varying or different angles and various outdoor terrains (including grassy, rocky, sandy, muddy and/or hilly terrains). In one aspect, the height of any part of the unit or the overall height of the device may be adjusted preferably to raise or lower the center of gravity. For example, the height of the device may be lowered to provide more stable transportation. In another aspect, the device may be adjusted to increase or decrease the size of the footprint (or any part of the footprint) of the device. For example, the footprint of the device may be enlarged to provide more stable transportation. Preferably, both the height of the device (or any part of the device) and the size of the footprint (or any part of the footprint) may be adjusted preferably to provide more stability.