Beyond the wheelchair: development of motorised transport for people with severe mobility impairments in developing countries

Abstract

Purpose. In developing countries, lack of over-the-road transportation reduces a vast number of disabled people to a life of begging, dependency and social isolation. Although there have been some excellent efforts to provide low-cost wheelchairs and hand-powered tricycles, little has been done to further provide transport for disabled people.

Methods. To address this problem directly we devised a low-cost motorised wheelchair transporter prototype (the Skeeter) using a combination of bicycle parts, a custom built frame, and an inexpensive small engine for propulsion.

Results. The Skeeter can provide independent operation and travel by a wheelchair user. It is an economically feasible solution to the lack of over-the-road transportation for people with mobility impairments in developing countries.

Conclusions. The Skeeter has the potential to provide a major enhancement in the quality of life for people with disabilities in developing countries around the world.

Keywords:

• Wheelchair
• motorised transport

Acknowlegements

Authors thank the WWAMI Biomedical program at the University of Alaska Anchorage for supporting this project and Ideas at Work and Development Technology Workshop, both located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for advice and guidance.

Note

1. Cambodia was selected as the initial test site for this project because it has the highest rate of disabled people per capita of any country in the world [7,9]. The disabled population that the Skeeter project is designed to serve is present in abundance in this war-decimated country [3,1]. In addition, qualified collaborators exist in Cambodia and are ready to begin manufacture and dissemination. Future efforts will focus on other regions of the world where similar conditions exist.