Author: Michal Cymbalisty

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Making Things!

We finally got around to making things! And it happened fast. This week was focused on design methodologies and thinking about the design challenge specifically. On the surface, it appears that there are endless use cases of 3D printed things for wheelchairs. However, it is crucial to take the mechanics into account. Wheelchairs are currently constructed from a set list of components, which are typically some sort of metal, and most of the time, the wheelchairs already come assembled. This way the user is never truly able to understand all the components that make up his or her wheelchair, causing issues when it comes to maintenance and repair. Our initial idea of an IKEA styled wheelchair was unfortunately discarded due to the lack of feasibility. We do not possess the resources or ability to rebuild a wheelchair from the ground up in this fashion.

After some deliberation, we ultimately decided that it will be best to narrow in our focus on personalization of wheelchairs. Currently, most wheelchairs come quite standard and can only be customized through the purchase of accessories. We then thought about which user group to target and decided to target younger wheelchair users. Obviously, it can be quite difficult as a child in a wheelchair because of how many activities become more difficult or even impossible to partake in with your peers. Hence, we are now looking to 3D print wheelchair accessories catered towards kids. It will allow them to add individuality to their wheelchair and express themselves through a new medium.

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Milestone Labs Reflection

Week 3 had a much different look to it as we were iced in due to abnormally horrible winter conditions, but fortunately Milestone Labs and Professor Sachdev were still able to get together and video stream the course. All in all, it was a very enlightening experience which forced us to think about how to approach the design thinking process in accordance with the scope of DRES. This directly tied in with the videos we watched on human centered design.

Milestone ultimately pushed to make decisions – which is huge. Ideation can be an everlasting process, but if there is no action taken, then it will be difficult to see the fruits of your labor. Our collaborative activity brought an additional level of clarity to our project scope. It forced us to brainstorm and prioritize our ideas based on feasibility and look at the impact each could make. We do not want to make flashy devices; we want to make utilitarian products.


Ultimately, I think we moved from the design challenge phase and began planning early stage research methods. Through the guidance and discussion, our group decided that it would be best to pursue the IKEA styled model for wheelchairs. We figured that the best entry point would be to find whichever component is either most frequently or most expensive to replace as this will provide the most lucrative business opportunity while having the biggest impact.

After the online seminar, we are now more confident going forward and can delve right into our work next week. Ron will need to help us in discussing the consistency of wheelchair parts, however if we can find a component which is consistent throughout all models, then that will probably be the better we will attempt to model and 3D print.

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DRES Reflection

Our visit today to the DRES facility was very enlightening as far as design thinking for the wheelchair industry. I think the overarching takeaway I had was that there is not a lack of innovation or even accommodation. Many of today’s problems are centered around accessibility, and mainly affordability. We were poised with the challenge of thinking how to have wheelchairs and components inexpensively find their way into Africa while accounting for the harsh terrain found there. The make this a cost-effective solution requires a lot more than simply donations. The cost to ship and transport the chair make this sort of effort almost not worth it.

Through my discussions with Ron, we ultimately concluded that there are 2 overarching possible projects I’d like to explore. An IKEA styled wheel chair could be the solution to both accessibility and affordability problems. If the components were able to be sustainably reproduced, then the locals would easily be able to repair and edit the wheelchairs however they would like to. The IKEA styled mechanics would also allow the chair to be compactly shipped in a box or a small container on a largo cargo. If the local regions received the wheelchairs could then be exposed to technologies such as 3D printers, then they could maintain the wheelchair themselves for the remainder of its longevity. Creating this solution would eliminate the issue shipping heavy and preassembled items.

The other solution we thought was creating tracs for the wheelchairs, so they could more easily traverse terrains like snow, sleet, dirt, and sand. Many transportation vehicles already possess this ability so drawing inspiration from something like a bulldozer could lead to a possible solution. Early issues we saw was the installation and removal of these tracs. The wheelchair user would have to easily be able to ride up onto the tracs and then somehow safely attach them to the wheels. Although this may not be feasible to focus on in this course because it would be quite difficult to engineer such a device using 3D printed materials or Arduinos.

Although I also came to realize that the most feasible business case would be to gather data on which component of the wheelchair is most prone to repairs and simply 3D print those parts. In low-income areas, we can simply send the software file, so they are able to print it themselves locally. Innovating simple solutions to large problems is what we’re striving for – especially for a demographic which is oftentimes so overlooked.