Forum Summary

The design of the typical wheelchair has not changed significantly for decades, and many people in wheelchairs develop shoulder injuries because the mechanics of the traditional wheelchair place unnatural stresses on the body.  Hoping to prevent some of these overuse injuries, a team of students at MIT is redesigning the traditional wheelchair.  The students have designed a transportable, lightweight, and customizable chair made from replaceable parts.  The chair is similar to a traditional wheelchair except that it includes a lever mechanism that allows the user to power the chair using the major muscles of the chest and back.  The lever mechanism includes disc brakes to stop the chair and to assist in steering, and the chair also includes an anti-rollback mechanism.  Because the maneuverability of a traditional wheelchair is often desirable in tight spaces, the MIT students built their lever system with a clutch that disengages the system, allowing the chair to be operated like a traditional wheelchair.    

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