Feedback Needed: One-Handed Foldable Wheelchair Backrest Design

Pleasantlife44

Hi everyone! I'm exploring the idea of a one-handed forward-folding wheelchair backrest. Would you find this feature useful? If so, do you have any specific folding designs or mechanisms in mind that you think would work well? e.g., strap you pull or knob you turn to unlock and push forward.

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Jimm_Scope

Hi @Pleasantlife44, welcome to the community 😊 I am not a wheelchair user but that sounds like it could be useful? Hopefully some of our members who do use wheelchairs can contribute 🙂

Can I just ask, is this for a research or educational project?

egister

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/122067/feedback-needed-one-handed-foldable-wheelchair-backrest-design

Describe in detail why you are doing this. The meaning is unclear, overengineering. A wheelchair should help solve problems, not create new ones.

Pleasantlife44

Thanks Jimm_Scope for the warm welcome 😊 We are a team of postgraduate occupational therapy and design students undertaking a project to design a one-handed folding backrest based of feedback recelved from a wheelchair manufacturer. However, we'd like to really understand from wheelchair users whether they might find such a feature useful e.g., does it make it easier for wheelchair users in the drivers seat to disassemble it and pull it across into the passenger seat or back seat, creating less twisting (as using two hands may cause more of that)? Also, if it wouldn't be so useful - why not?

And, is there a preference for how the seat is locked and unlocked, considering for people with lower hand strength? Would you prefer to press a button (i.e., having to use your fingers) or something larger like a knob?

egister - I hope that also answers your question. We would like to design something quite simple and user friendly.

Thanks in advance for your understanding.

egister

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/905748#Comment_905748

Thank you) As I understand it, you are developing a project for a folding mechanical wheelchair for low-mobility disabled people with preserved arms who drive a standard passenger car? This means your device must work reliably in an outdoor environment every day of the year. Sports type folding four-wheel wheelchairs with a low backrest are already quite advanced. Please clarify if I'm wrong.

It is quite difficult to develop a simple device).

egister

For example, the problem is a person with arms and legs, but it is VERY painful to step on one leg and lean on one hand. How can he independently get out of any bed, not just a specially adapted one in his own home?
And only after that can he transfer himself to a wheelchair.

Pleasantlife44

Thanks egister. You've made some very good points!

The existing wheelchairs require use of two hands to unlock the backrest to push it forward which can put a lot of pressure in other areas of the body to remain stable when folding the backrest, if you don't have one arm holding onto part of the car for support.

Upon further thought, it brings into question the wheels, as if they were to be removed too for transportability then two hands may be required for this anyway... Is that correct or could that operation somehow also be undertaken one-handed?