Portable folding/travel powerchair round up

[Burgerman]

Arms look pretty uncomfortable! Needs some foam pipe lagging and a few zip ties.

[Irving]

http://www.openwheelchair.org

The electronics aren't up yet. It doesn't folding but could be built to come apart. Not sure how well it works outdoors.

Its also a child's chair made from PVC tubing... not really scalable!

[Burgerman]

http://www.openwheelchair.org/

And watching the vid, its got about 7 days delay in the steering response! Then goes whoosh.

Even with that sorted out its more like sitting on a kids toy than a serious wheelchair. But its functional, customisable and cheap. You could build a stronger bigger one, but bigger batteries, bigger controller, bigger motors, mean the price will be much more. At which point you may be better off with a "real" powerchair. For what it does though it sort of works.

[LROBBINS]

and as a university student project it's certainly more valid than yet another stair climbing or track chair. There are a lot of kids out there who have no independent mobility and no funding for a "standard" powerchair. Just as an electric toy car is not a real automobile, this is not a "real" power chair, but it could mean quite a bit to someone. If nothing else, here in Italy it could be used to prove to the health service that the child is able to drive a chair - important because they won't fund one, at least not in Tuscany, without that proof.
Ciao,
Lenny

[Burgerman]

They havent finished yet. The stair climbing attachment is still to be added.

[Irving]

They havent finished yet. The stair climbing attachment is still to be added.

Oh you cynic, you

[Burgerman]

Only 2 things wrong as I see it other than the arms.

1. steering has a ton of delay, and is far too fast once it does turn.
3. its hobby / portable drill can brushed motors (and gearboxs) will be lucky to last a month outdoors.

What I do like is that finally it is a chair for kids that is kid sized. Normally they use 2 ton full sized chairs with massive lead batteries and put a smal seat on and sit a child too high and too far from the sides... And its easy to reshape, change design, make bigger as they grow.