http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/07/electric-wheelchairs-kids_n_7018140.html Toddlers With Muscle Disease Get Tiny Wheelchairs So They Can ‘Just Be One Of The Kids' By Cameron Keady 04/07/2015
[images http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2809856/thumbs/o-BYU-WHEELCHAIR-FOUR-570.jpg byu wheelchair four http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2809848/thumbs/o-BYU-WHEELCHAIR-THREE-570.jpg byu wheelchair three http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/381118/slide_381118_4522886_large.jpg slideshow ] A group of college students have created a custom-sized, zippy new wheelchair for two kids who are unable to walk or crawl -- and it’s one sweet ride. Five students at Brigham Young University (BYU) developed one of the world’s smallest -- and most inexpensive -- electric wheelchairs to help a pair of brothers who have spinal muscular atrophy. The students were inspired to develop the wheelchair after hearing about the family's difficulties, FOX 13 reports. Tanner Jensen, 3, and his brother Skyler, 20 months, both have the genetic muscle condition and use manual wheelchairs that cause them to tire easily. “Neither Tanner nor Skyler have ever walked,” the boys' mom, Esther Jensen, said in a news release. “But they are bright, energetic boys who desire to just be one of the kids.” Motorized wheelchairs are heavy and expensive, and the Jensen family needs two. The chair designed and built by the group of BYU engineering undergraduates weighs just a little over 20 pounds and costs under $495. “It made it really easy because a lot of the wheelchairs, they’re hundreds of pounds just for the lightest ones, so this is very maneuverable,” Justin Jensen, the boys’ father, told FOX 13. “You can take it up and down stairs. You can do anything with it. Take it anywhere in the car.” Designed to hold a child who weighs up to 50 pounds, the chair is controlled by an armrest-mounted joystick. Just one wheelchair has been produced, but the team has plans to build another. They also plan to post instructions for their invention to The Open Wheelchair Project website, which will provide a list of materials needed for other families like the Jensens to build electric wheelchairs of their own. The team of BYU students gave the chair to the Jensens on Thursday as part of their Capstone presentation. Tanner tried it out and was all smiles during his test drive. “This chair could give them so much additional freedom outside our home,” Tanner’s mother, Esther Jensen, said in a news release. “Tanner loves to play with other kids, but he has a hard time keeping up with them. The idea of him having this at the zoo, or at school is so exciting.” [© huffingtonpost.com] http://fox13now.com/2015/04/02/byu-students-design-lightweight-low-cost-motorized-wheelchairs-to-help-two-young-boys/ BYU students design lightweight, low-cost motorized wheelchairs to help two young boys April 2, 2015 [video flash] PROVO, Utah — Some engineering students at Brigham Young University gave two boys a chance at a more normal life Thursday when they presented the children with a specially designed wheelchair, and a second one is on the way. Tanner and Skyler both have spinal muscular atrophy, which is a degenerative disease that affects mobility. The brothers get tired from using manual wheelchairs, and motorized chairs are heavy and expensive. After hearing about the family’s struggles, the engineering capstone program at BYU decided to design a lightweight, affordable motorized wheelchairs specifically designed for kids. “It made it really easy because a lot of the wheelchairs, they’re hundreds of pounds just for the lightest ones, so this is very maneuverable,” said Justin Esther, the father of the two boys. “You can take it up and down stairs. You can do anything with it. Take it anywhere in the car.” The team gave the family one wheelchair Thursday, and they are almost finished with a second. The wheelchair cost less than $495 to build, which organizers said makes it the world’s least expensive motorized wheelchair. - comments Tim Gunsay This wheelchair is open hardware so anyone in need can download the plans and parts lists for free to make their own. The wheelchair plans are scaleable for ages 2.5 to 6 years. As the child grows, the wheel chair can be expanded by adding longer PVC pipes. Plans and the parts list for this wheelchair can be found at http://www.openwheelchair.org April 2, 2015 at 5:35 pm bob Absolute GENIUS, and worthy of a Nobel Prize as far as I’m concerned. April 3, 2015 at 12:39 am [© fox13now.com] http://www.openwheelchair.org The Open Wheelchair Project is a collaborative group of people, working together to make an accessible, easy to build, and easy to operate, motorized wheelchair solution. We want to give people access to the mobility and independence they need, without the prohibitive cost of buying a commercial solution. Our goal is to bring this project to the world so that so any one can experience the joy of mobility; no matter their physical state or economic status. - For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=subject%3Aevln+NOT+subject%3Are&days=0&sort=date http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2015/04/08/denver-city-worker-operating-segway-caught-on-cell-phone/25446989/ Don't Segway&text> cell-phone-engrossed Denver CO meter-maid spied http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2015/04/07/KUSA/KUSA/635640478992940250-Parking-guy.jpg http://cleantechnica.com/2015/04/03/e-floater-solar-powered-electric-scooter-weighing-less-12-kilograms/ E-Floater, Solar-Powered Electric Scooter> Less Than 12Kg http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/business/67616880/Solar-bikes-offer-green-option-in-Raglan Solar-human ELF enclosed ebikes> green option for Raglan NZ https://www.techinasia.com/talinoev-electric-cars-battery-system/ talinoev.com Pay-as-you-drive> cheaper EV ownership,like a cell phone http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150331005225/en/ClipperCreek-Announces-Availability-LCS-20P-Plug-In-Electric-Vehicle ClipperCreek Announces Availability of LCS-20P Plug-In Electric Vehicle Charging Station at $395 Most popular Level 2 EV charging station now available with four NEMA plug styles http://mms.businesswire.com/media/20150331005225/en/459832/4/ClipperCreek_PressRelease_3-30-15-v2_1.jpg?download=1 http://www.wtae.com/news/pittsburgh-international-airport-gas-station-to-close-for-remodeling/32087772 pitairport.com remodel> sunoco.com station to get EVSE,deli-cafe, + http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/morning-edition/2015/03/airport-sunoco-station-closing-for-renovations.html + EVLN: Who Is the World’s Biggest Electric Vehicle Battery Supplier? {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-500-20lb-child-e-wheelchair-So-They-Can-Just-Be-A-Kid-tp4674921.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
