Wheelchair Electric Assist
NC State University students collaborated to design and build a prototype electric transport chair to fill this need.
Students at NC State collaborated to design and build a prototype electric transport chair to help individuals with mobility impairments. This chair is light and easily transportable, making it suitable for loading into a vehicle. The electric assist helps in both small inclines and uneven pavement, and it is offered at a low cost. This chair is an ideal solution for caretakers of those with mobility impairments, as it is light enough for them to transport, yet with the added electric support.
Sponsor
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Incorporated (IEEE)
The grant—running from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023—is for a total of $3,750.
Principle Investigators
Jeremy Edmondson
Rachana Gupta
More Details
Transport wheelchairs are available for the mobility impaired for low cost and are light and easy to transport in the trunk of a car. Often caretakers of the mobility impaired do not have full mobility themselves and struggle to push the transport chairs on anything other than hard flat ground. Electric wheelchairs are considerably more expensive, but, most importantly, are too heavy for the caretaker to load into a vehicle. What is needed is a light weight, low cost transport chair with an electric assist to help on small inclines and uneven pavement and still be able to be loaded into a vehicle by a caretaker.