COLLAPSIBLE CARBON FIBER WHEELCHAIR
EVERYWARE WHEELCHAIRS
Understanding the end user to create an easier to store wheelchair while staying within the client spec.
EveryWare’s vision is to create a lightweight, collapsible wheelchair that can easily be handled with only one hand for storing the chair when not in use. Entrepreneur Michael Avery wanted to refine the design of his handmade metal pipe prototype using carbon fiber as his main material while still using his original patent.
I was the Technical Lead and Mechanical Engineering Lead. The foldability and portability of the design was essential. The client (who is a wheelchair user himself) described air travel to be extremely frustrating, as staff can lose and damage his chair when checking it in, so it was important that the wheelchair could be stored in an overhead compartment.
The updated version integrated carbon fiber tubes with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components to minimize costs and weight, all within the client's spec. The final design also heavily considered DFA, as the client wanted to be able to make a wheelchair himself.