A low cost solar powered vehicle – a boon for physically challenged persons

Abstract

This paper presents a low cost solar powered vehicle for physically challenged persons. Generally, the persons with physical disabilities restrict their movement within a house or building due to their dependence on other people for their outdoor work. The disabled people use their limbs to drive the wheelchairs which physically stress them. There are electrical wheelchairs which are operated by hands, by mouth or any other functioning body part. The high cost and its limitation for outdoor environment restrict its usage for rich people and hospitals. This often makes the poor disabled person to be unemployed and depend on others for their daily life. In this regard, developing a low cost self-driven electric wheel chair can improve the life of the person. This paper presents a low cost vehicle for physically challenged people that can be used as a mobile shop to sell products at any place independently. The self-driven vehicle motivates the persons to become an entrepreneur. A cost effective and user friendly prototype has been developed for the benefit the poor disabled people and the cost analysis is presented. The purpose of developing the vehicle is satisfied as they no longer depend on others for their living.

Implications for rehabilitation

• The movement of physically challenged persons is often restricted within a building due to their dependence on other people for their outdoor work.

• The high cost of the assist vehicles and the difficulty encountered in using the vehicles in outdoor environment decreases their standard of living.

• The developed low cost vehicle can be used by physically challenged people as a mobile shop to sell products at any place independently.

• The self-driven vehicle motivates the physically challenged persons to become an entrepreneur.

Keywords:

• Disability
• mobility
• solar photovoltaics
• physically challenged
• wheelchair

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.