Special software is required to use some of the files in this section: .xls.
This page includes a list of proposed projects and information on selected projects that were actually developed.
The projects will be undertaken with the following workshops.
| PARTNERS | LOCATIONS | PRODUCTS |
|---|---|---|
| ADPK | Nairobi, Kenya | Wheelchairs and tricycles |
| Disabled Aids and general engineering (DAGE) | Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | Tricycles |
| Kilimanjaro christian medical center wheelchair workshop | Moshi, Tanzania | Wheelchairs |
| Mobility care | Arusha, Tanzania | Wheelchairs |
| UWZ wheelchair workshop | Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania | Wheelchairs |
| Disacare | Lusaka, Zambia | Wheelchairs and tricycles |
This file lists some available components with pricing for Kenya (bicycle, bearings, steel), Tanzania (bicycle), and Zambia (bicycle, bearings). Most steel components listed for Kenya are also available in Tanzania and Zambia; check with your partner contact if you have questions.
Available Components with Prices: price_lists (XLS)
The following projects were defined in collaboration with the Africa community partners. Each addresses a specific need and will greatly enhance the productivity and product quality of the workshops. These projects are not set in stone; new projects can be defined and the existing projects can be modified or combined. Ideally each project will have three to five students, but this is obviously dependent on enrolment. Funded fellowships offered through WDDC will allow students to implement these projects into the African community partners' wheelchair workshops during the summer of 2007.
| PROJECTS | DESCRIPTIONS | PARTNERS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Small business opportunities funded by micro loans | Two of the major problems that affect third-world disabled are the inability to afford a mobility aid and the lack of available jobs. This project will address both issues by identifying small business opportunities that can be run from the back of a wheelchair and/or tricycle and initiated via a micro loan. With this plan, disabled people will be able to buy a mobility aid and earn an income. | All |
| 2. Folding three-wheeler | Three-wheeled chairs are desirable to users because they are kinematically constrained - no matter the terrain, all three wheels are always in contact with the ground. The problem with currently produced African three-wheelers is that their frame does not fold, which makes transporting the chairs in a trunk or on a bus difficult. This project will aim to design a folding 3-wheeler that has all the benefits of three wheels with the portability of a folding 4-wheeler. | KCMC, Mobility care, Disacare, UWZ, APDK |
| 3. Tricycle biomechanics | The tricycles being made within WDDC partner countries vary considerably in usability. Many of the tricycles are geared inappropriately for human power and have the hand crank in an awkward position. This project will aim at first understanding the biomechanics behind hand-pedaling, and then designing an appropriate drivetrain for tricycle propulsion. | APDK, DAGE, Disacare |
| 4. Tricycle redesign | All of the partner workshops producing tricycles have complained about the weight and strength of their products. Current frames have a low moment of inertia in areas with high moments, resulting in frequent frame collapse. Sound mechanical design is also required in the drivetrain and brakes, as both these systems frequently break down. This project will focus on the mechanical design of tricycles and design new devices that are stronger, lighter, and better suited to the user. | APDK, DAGE, Disacare |
| 5. Component and material optimization | Bicycle components have the benefit over off-the-shelf radial bearings because they are: 1)Significantly less expensive, 2) Can be repaired by common bicycle technicians, who are common throughout the developing world, 3) are appropriate for the combined radial and axial loading encountered in wheelchairs, and 4) can be dismantled and cleaned. This project will focus on designing ways to replace all the radial bearings in currently produced wheelchairs with bicycle components. Additionally, available frame materials will be analyzed to find the tubing with optimum strength to weight ratio, which will allow the strongest, light-weight wheelchairs and tricycles to be manufactured. | All |
| 6. Workshop business plans | Many of the partnering workshops expressed a desire to have improved business plans. They feel their organizations do not run efficiently. Students working on this project will investigate the problems with currently operating workshops and propose strategies to improve business. Part of this project will include identifying supplemental sources of business, through activities such as custom metal fabrication or general engineering services. | DAGE, Disacare, UWZ |
| 7. Jig design and symmetric wheelchair frames | Bend corrections account for a large percentage of wheelchair/tricycle manufacturing time. A repeatable bending system would increase product quality and lower cost through decreased production time. This project will focus on designing bending jigs for frames, forks, handrims, and other components of wheelchairs and tricycles. Additionally, this project will included investigating symmetric wheelchair frames, where the right and left side are identical. Symmetric frame design might provide a significant decrease in production time. | All |
| 8. Tricycle frame jig and production manual | Currently, none of the tricycle manufacturers use a jig while making frames. Most of the bends are done by eye, which results in the frame requiring time-consuming correction bends. An assembly and gauging jig system for tricycles would be invaluable to manufacturers. Additionally, a tricycle assembly manual would be a valuable reference to all manufacturers and would help other workshops start building tricycles. | All |
| 9. Workshop manual | TATCOT (Tanzania Training Centre for Orthopaedic Technologists) currently has a series of manuals that discuss principles of wheelchair design, prescription, and workshop safety. A condensed workshop reference of these principles, analogous to the Machinery's Handbook, would be valuable to technicians. | All |
| 10. Marketing plan | Advertising of appropriate technology in developing countries can greatly increase product usage; for example the revenues generated from the "Super Money Maker," which is made by KickStart and advertised all around Sub-Saharan Africa, accounts for 0.6% of Kenya's GDP. This project will include devising advertising material and strategies for selling wheelchairs and tricycles. | All |
| 11. Brake design | All of the tricycles and wheelchairs being produced by partner workshops have problems with brake robustness and reliability. This project will aim at producing better, long-lasting braking systems. | All |
| 12. Manufacturing optimization | Each wheelchair being produced by partner workshops requires three to five man days to complete. This project will aim at identifying the inefficiencies in the current manufacturing practices, and then proposing a streamlined manufacturing plan based on lean manufacturing techniques. | All |
Team: Elizabeth Au, Mario Bollini, Xin He, Lindsay Todman, Katherine Wong
This team designed a 2-speed drivetrain for hand-powered tricycles. The drivetrain works by combining a series of bicycle freewheels to obtain one speed by pedaling forwards and one by pedaling backwards, all without a derailleur.
The project was continued as a summer fellowship by Mario Bollini at APDK, Kenya, and Lindsay Todman at DAGE and Mobility Care, Tanzania. Each student brought the tricycle to a stage where it could be trialed by users. As of Sept. 2007, APDK was in the middle of user testing. Because of such overwhelming positive feedback from users, APDK plans to put the 2-speed tricycle into production within the next six months.