This document proposes the design of a car that is accessible for people in wheelchairs. It identifies issues with current transportation options for disabled people and aims to design a vehicle that allows independent travel. Key features would include a ramp or lift to aid entry while seated in a wheelchair, controls that can be operated with hands alone, and locks to secure wheelchairs safely inside. The proposed design would be safer, more sustainable and practical than previous models by being electric, accommodating additional passengers, and providing true freedom and accessibility of mobility for wheelchair users.
2. The Problem
The world, over the past few
years, has evolved to be much
more accessible for people with
disabilities. However, there is
still a lot we as engineers have
to work on in order to make
everyday life easier and more
efficient.
4. Introduction
• The purpose of this reverse engineering
project is to ensure that the needs of the
disabled are met when it comes to the
issue of transportation.
• This will be solved by designing a
vehicle that is constructed to enable
handicapped people to travel around
more independently.
5. Introduction Cont.
• We really wanted to stress a ‘green’ design when creating our
product. So, by using electric motors, the car’s eco efficiency
increases drastically. The vehicle reduces the amount of greenhouse
gases emitted, reduces smog forming pollutants from about 39%-
99%, decreases the dependence on fossil fuels etc.
6. Introduction Cont.
• The reason behind choosing this project we saw this gap in
transportation methods for the disabled population which we
knew we could fill in.
• Our design is a product of reverse engineering as it has taken apart
a normal vehicle and what would be the unnecessary components
to the use of the handicapped population, and instead incorporated
into the vehicle, components such as wheelchair lifts that would be
more beneficial to the handicapped population.
7. Statistics (Bureau of transportation statistics)
• the majority of people with disabilities (62 percent) leave the home
five to seven days a week.
• In the handicapped population, manual and powered wheelchair
users make up 22 percent and 10 percent of the population
respectively.
• The population that has access to no or limited public transportation
is 33 percent
• According to the disabled population, 17 percent find transportation
hard to use and another 12 percent have no one to depend on to
provide them with transportation.
8. Background
• When we where creating our design we analyzed many previous
technologies and attempts on creating a vehicle for the
handicapped population.
• This analysis let us scope out the key features and many drawbacks
of various designs so that we are able to design the best possible
vehicle for our costumers.
10. Previous Designs
• Add onto current car
• Cost effective
• Practical
• Same controls
• No easy entrance
• Mobility issues
11. Background Cont.
In order for our design to appeal to our target market and succeed it
needs to do the three following things:
• Provide the handicapped person with an easy way to enter the
vehicle, such as a ramp with a low incline or a lift.
• Provide a practical way for the user to operate the vehicle without
the use of their legs.
• The vehicle must be practical and have the ability to seat more
people that just the driver.
12. Target Population
• Our target population is the
handicapped population.
• Especially the ones with an inability
to use their legs no legs at all.
13. Application Details
Creating a car that is suitable for people in wheelchairs requires
some key components to enable them in operating the vehicle like
any other able bodied person. This includes:
• Physically getting into the car
• Being able to operate it without the use of legs
• Making sure that it is safe and good for the environment
14. Getting into the vehicle
As we can see in this video,
the Ricon wheelchair lift
takes a long time to come
down and still requires the
assistance of another
person. We need to make
this system more efficient
and operable by one
person.
15. Getting Into The Vehicle
One way that we can build on the previous
idea is by applying the system that is used to
get grocery carts from one floor to another.
The way that the system works is by securing
the wheels of the shopping cart onto the track
and carrying it to the next floor.
16. Final Solution For Entering Vehicle
By putting the two systems that
where just seen together, we can
create an ideal system which will
be much more efficient. By using
hydraulics like Ricon we can
bring the track( like the shopping
cart track) down. after which the
track will carry the person in the
wheelchair into the car.
17. Operating The Vehicle
After the person is in the car, he/she needs a safe
way of operating the vehicle without the
assistance of others.
One way we can bring this to reality is by placing
a system that allows the person to drive without
the use of their legs.
18. Operating The Vehicle
To remove the need for legs in
the operation of a vehicle, we
decided to equip the automobile
with a steering wheel that can
be easily used with a single
hand, and a throttle / brake
lever that will be used with the
other hand.
19. Safety
Most importantly we must make sure that the vehicle is
safe. There must be an adjustable seatbelt to fit around the
shape of various wheelchairs.
Locks must be installed into the floor of the car so
that the wheelchair can be locked into the ground
securely. The design concept for these locks has
to maximize security, while being simple enough
to fasten easily for the disabled driver.
20. Sustainability and Ecological Footprint
• As future engineers, it is our responsibility to take sustainability metrics
into serious consideration when we're engineering our projects.
• We must strive to have the smallest ecological footprint we possibly can.
• To do this we will be using recycled
materials such as recycled aluminum and
plastics when building our vehicle.
• We will also make sure our factories make
use of green energy sources to minimize
pollution.
21. Green Design
The vehicle runs on electric power which
will greatly reduce the emissions and help
battle against pollution and global
warming.
In the design of the vehicle it is very
important to also consider the
aerodynamics. Having a high air resistance
means that the car will travel through the
air more efficiently, therefore making the
vehicle more efficient.
22. Results
• The key aim of this project was to design a vehicle that can be driven by
the physically disabled.
• First, we decided to install an electric engineer as they are 39%-99%
more carbon efficient than regular engines.
• The design and the materials used to build this vehicle were carefully
selected so as to reduce the cost of the vehicle. Other vehicles have been
priced at around $20,000 - $80,000 which is very expensive.
• Unlike other vehicles designed for the disabled, our vehicle will also
have the capability to accommodate for three to four passengers other
than the driver.
• Finally, our vehicle will be very easy to operate as the driver will only
require to use his hands to navigate the car.
23. Future Work
There are many key aspects that could be improved when it comes
to our wheelchair accessible vehicle.
-To improve the functionality there could be sensors that are
mounted the doors and trunk of the vehicle which allow the doors
to be open by a gestures of wave.
-A door with a passcode or finger security system would also be
ideal for accessibility
24. Future Work cont.
Filling the vehicle’s gas tank can be a tiresome and difficult for a person in
a wheelchair let alone anyone during the colder and harsher seasons. By
implementing renewable and more convenient ways to power a vehicle the
person will have more time to spend otherwise whiling reducing the
carbon footprint on the environment.
25. Marketing the product
-Directly Approach the source
-Marketing in the disability industry
-Through our social media
-Word to mouth
-Mainstream Marketing
26. Advantages of a car for wheelchair users
-Handicapped person doesn’t have to rely on anyone to get around
-It is a very safe; extra precautions taken
One of the main points of our marketing
campaign will be to stress the freedom
that this vehicle will bring into their lives.
27. Resources
To make this project a reality, we have done excessive research in
the market of wheelchair accessible vehicles.
There are many products that allow for a wheelchair to gain access
into a vehicle through lifts that use a hydraulic system, or ramps.
However, these options do not fully give people with disabilities the
freedom of going where they want, when they want and in an
efficient manner.
28. Resources Cont.
Upon further research we began to look for vehicles that give control to a
disabled consumer. One product that failed to do this effectively is the
Kenguru EV.
Continuing our research into the wheelchair-accessible
market, we found another product that allows a person in a
wheelchair to drive the same car as an able bodied
person. However it has no way for the driver to get
inside the vehicle in his
wheelchair.
