EXTREME WHEELCHAIR

SENIOR THESIS
ADAM SILVERSTEIN - IDUS431 - PROF. DAVID RINGHOLZ
 TABLE OF
CONTENTS
INITIAL PROPOSAL 3

PROBLEM AND GOALS 4

RESEARCH 5 - 12

DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES 13

IDEATION 14 - 15

COMPONENT DESIGNS 16 - 27

FINAL DESIGN 28 - 32

UNIVERSAL APPLICATION 33

NEW PERCEPTION 34

SPECIAL THANKS 35

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INITIAL
PROPOSAL

Emphasizing design’s ability to change lives, this project will give users restricted
to a wheelchair, a chance to experience an extreme sport similar to skateboarding,
rollerblading, and bmx riding. The project calls for a redesign of the manual wheel-
chair, modified to take on the ramps and rails of a skate park. Through contextual re-
search and extensive user testing, the crucial aspects required for this redesign will be
identified. I will attempt to contact riders with experience in the sport, as their insights
will further solidify the key opportunities for this wheelchair. Material application will
be stressed as weight, durability, and price will all be key factors to a successful de-
sign. The new design should have aesthetics that parallel the loud, fun, and exciting
extreme sports culture. A retrofitted wheelchair will be made to test the results of the
redesign at local skate parks. Once finalized, a detailed 3-D model will be created, and
a 1:3 scale model will be printed. The end result will be a compelling design that will
provide a unique opportunity and new inspiration for handicapped extreme sports fans.

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 PROBLEM
STATEMENT

To design a product that would enable physically handicapped users

to partake in an extreme sport, they would otherwise not be able to.

GOALS

-Design a wheelchair that allows users to experience a unique ex-

treme sport.

-Change perception of wheelchair users

-Develop new technology for this extreme condition, that can be

universally to all wheelchair designs.

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TARGET
USERS
The point of this project is not to
create a product for mass consump-
tion. The physical requirments for an
extreme sport like this will only allow
for a rather select number of target
users. However, it is my hope that
through their use of the product, that
everyone can be effected. The ideal
user for this product is as follows:

-Active and outgoing wheelchair users

-T1 to S5 spinal cord injuries

-Born with mobility impairing diseases

such as Spina Bifida

-Male and Female

-Ages 10 - 35

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 USER
BACKGROUND
“It’s estimated that there are more than 10,500 spinal cord injury cases per
year in the United States, the majority of which (78%) involve males between
the ages of 16-30.”

“There is a huge suicide rate, nearly 50% (of males), in the first five years of
a new injury.”

“there are also subjective factors influencing the integration of wheelchair

users into the labour market. These include employers’ attitudes towards
wheelchair users and the passivity of disabled people themselves or their
reluctance to get involved in working life.”

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CHANGING
PERCEPTION
For many wheelchair users, self-perception can mean
the difference between life and death. For people re-
cently injured, the transition in lifestyle can be beyond
devastating and lead to the loss of motivation to live.
Evidence has shown that physical activities can lead to
a significant increase in the confidence of wheelchair
users. With the rapidly expanding popularity of the X-
games, wheelchair skating is sure to attract the atten-
tion of many extreme sports fans. For some, it may be
a unique opportunity to take part in a sport they have
always connected to, while for others, seeing it may be
just the motivation they need to keep on going.

“The biggest scores in wheelchair hockey

come in confidence”

“Research suggests that confidence is the

most important predictor of future behavior.”

“the development of lifetime physical fitness

behaviors, which can improve the overall
quality of life and increase longevity”

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 USER
RESEARCH

In the design of a successful product, it

is imparative that the designer has a thorough
understanding of the people who will be using
it. How the product interacts with their wants
and needs is the true test of the design’s value.
Because the target market for this prod-
uct is rather specific, getting in touch with
these users required a different apporoach than
I had used in the past. Rather meeting with
users face to face, I was fortunate to find an
enthusastic online community of target users
to provide me with feedback throughout the
process. Among this group was an especially
helpful person. Christiaan Bailey, was a pro-
fessional surfer and skateboarder. After a fall
he took skating 5 years ago, he found himself
paralyzed from the waist down. Unwilling to
give up on what he loved, he pioneered the
sports of adapted surfing and wheelchair skat-
ing. Today he continues to surf professionally,
and is on tour chairskating. Christiaan consiti-
tently provided me videos and feedback and in
many ways helped to sculpt out the final design.

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FIRST HAND
CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH
Inorder to gain an even
greater understanding of the
requirments for this design, I
decided to get some first hand
experience. I was able to get a
hold of an older wheelchair, and
take it to the local skatepark
to give it a roll around. Though
painstaking at times, I was able
to identify a significant number
of design opportunities.
As the project progressed,
I continued to modify the wheel-
chair and test the usability of my
concepts. This was especially
important in sorting out my vast
amount of initial concepts.

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 PRODUCT
RESEARCH
As the medical industry is one that has always
been at the forefront of innovation, it was
important for me to familiarize my self with
everything that is already on the market to-
day. Understanding these products strengths
and shortcomings would be essential in the
development of the new design.
Here I looked at:

Existing wheelchairs

Specialized Chairs

Suspension Systems

Seating and Cushions

Frame Designs and Materials

Front Castors

Wheels and Tires

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RELATED
PRODUCT RESEARCH
It was also important to look at products used in
sports that will parallal chairskating. As all ex-
treme sports put their equiptment through exces-
sive abuse, these products all implement unique
ways of withstanding it.
It was also important to note the aesthetics of the
equiptment and how the reflect their sports cul-
ture.

The products I looked at include:

Aggressive Rollerblades

BMX Bikes

Skateboard Components

Skateboarding Footwear

Snowboard Bindings

Decrease Weight
Increase Durability
Dampen Rider From Impacts
Increase Control of Rear
Wheels
Improve Ability to Gain and
Maintain Speed
Establish Aesthetics to Re-
flect Extreme Sports Culture
DESIGN
OPPORTUNITIES
These design opportunites are
the foundation for the design to
be built of off. It is essential for
these aspects to be addressed if
the final design is to be success-
ful. From here I entered the ide-
ation stage to attempt to solve
these problems.
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IDEATION
14
REAR WHEELS
AND PUSHRIM Solid Rubber
Tires
Silicone
While testing the chair, I immediately Pushrim
noticed problems with the design of
the pushrim. As I rolled, I would con-
tinuously get my fingers caught in the
attachment rods. The stainless steel
material was also slippery when my
hands were sweaty, giving me less
control over the chair.

The redesigned pushrim is a more er- Elastomer

gonomic form that eliminates any con- Coating
nection gaps that might trap fingers.
It is extruded in a rubberized silicon
which would allows for better comfort
and control while eliminating stress to
the fingers palms and wrists. An anod-
ized steel “crash guard” is inserted on
Anodized
the outside to protect the rim from the
Hub
abuse of the park.

The wheel’s unique, woven spoke

design allows for it to flex under the
constant impacts of skatepark usage.
An elastomer coating around the cen- Tri-Flex
ter hub assists in dampening harmful Carbon Fiber Anodized
vibrations from rough surfaces. Wheel Crash Guard

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DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES:
-Increased Durability
-Decreased Weight
-Dampen Impacts
-Extreme Aesthetics
-Increased Control

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FRAME

Though the form is relatively conser-

vative, it implements innovative and
unique manufacturing techniques
to create a frame that is exception-
ally rigid and strong, while remain-
ing lightweight. The tubing is custom
extruded into an original shape found
in high performance bicycle frames.
Though more expensive then, the
standard oval tubing typically used
in wheelchair frames, the specially
placed bends of the tubing allows for
stress to be redirected for maximum
efficiency. Internal butting, another
manufacturing technique common
in bicycle design, further eliminates
weight by thinning the tubing wall
thickness in areas of lease stress and
thickening it only at the joints where
it is needed. The suspension has been
moved to the outside allowing for
easier access to the air spring’s ad-
justment dials.

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DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES:
-Increase Durability
-Decrease Weight
-Dampen Impacts
-Extreme Aesthetics

SEAT
AND CUSHIONS
The hybrid cushion design uses a
quarter inch layer of impact gel at the
base to dampen vibrations and protect
against heavy impacts from landing.
Above the gel is a layer of memory
foam over an inch thick. The foam
allows for the cushion to form to the
user’s body, increasing comfort and
securing the user’s position. The seat
can be wrapped in a variety of mate-
rials, from nylon, to neoprene, even
leather depending on the user’s pref-
erence. Simple snaps quickly and se-
curely attach the cushion to the rigid
seat for easy removal and cleaning.

The rigid seat attaches securely to the

frame thanks to the flat geometry of
the tubing. Sculpted of either polyeth-
ylene plastic or higher performance
carbon fiber, the seat features an
aggressive aesthetic with anodized
aluminum mesh inserts, and an ad-
justable back.

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 DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES:
-Dampen Impacts
-Extreme Aesthetics
Memory Foam -Increase Control

Imapct Gel

FOAM

IMPACT GEL

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GRIND PLATES
AND FOOTREST
A significant aspect of nearly every
extreme sport, from bmxing to snow-
boarding, is grinding. Grinding is a
trick where the rider uses their board,
bike, or skates, to slide across a rail-
ing or curb. Wheelchair skating is no
different, however as the pioneers of
this sport have began to experiment
with techniques to get their chairs
sliding, they have found the wear and
tear it puts on their expensive frames
detrimental.

Inspired by the grind plates of aggres-

sive rollerblades, this design utilizes
replaceable polyethylene inserts
placed under the footrest and axel to
take the substantial abuse of grind-
ing, rather than the frame. Not only
will this save the chair from irrepa-
rable damage, but their Teflon coating
will allow for smoother and quicker
grinds than ever before. As the poly-
ethylene begins to wear away it will
also great a groove to help keep the
rider locked in place.

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DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES:
-Dampen Impacts
-Extreme Aesthetics
-Increase Control

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PUMPING
THE RAMP
The essential aspect of almost every extreme sport is ability to pump. This action uses the redistribution of your weight
to generate momentum, maintaining or increasing your speed. As seen in the diagram, bending of the knees is used to
redistribute the riders weight, which proved to be a limitation in the wheelchair.

Push
Push
downward
down
over rear
again on
truck at
inclined
the point
transition
of greatest
Momentum is amplified as your bodies weight
moves in the natural direction of the boards
movement at the point of greatest slope
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 PUMPING
THE CHAIR
The final design uses a 4-point hinge and lever system to manually compress the chair’s suspension. This action causes the
chairs seat to move downward over the axel, shifting the riders weight and “pumping the ramp.

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INERTIAL
SUSPENSION TECH.

Handles sit in between the side pan-

els and the rear wheels, in a position
easy to grab, while unobtrusive to the
rider.

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 Handles
position
increases
leverage al-
As the handle is pushed lowing for
the spring is compressed, the strut to
shifting the riders weight be fully
and “pumping” the rider compressed
on the ramp.

DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES:
-Improve ability to
gain and maintain
speed.

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 DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES:
-Increased Durability
FRONT CASTERS

-Dampen Impacts
-Extreme Aesthetics

Based off the engineering of sus-

pension front casters already on the
market, this new design specifically
fits standard skateboard wheels (48-
70mm). The main reason for doing this
is to connect the sport to the roots
from which it has been based. It al-
lows the users to customize their chair
with the fun and readily available
wheel designs of skateboard com-
panies. Also, this will give extreme
wheelchair users a reason to shop at
their local skate shops, further expos-
ing this new sport and encouraging
new social interactions.

The elastomer suspension system

helps to dampen the vibrations of
impacts and allows the rider to flow
smoother over any rough terrain. The
new design is shorter than other avail-
able casters and relocates material to
make for a more durable design and
aesthetic.

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 PUTTING IT

DE
TOGETHER

F
IA
NCE
....... 28
DEFIANCE
WHEELCHAIRS
FINAL
SOLUTION

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Each component comes
together to create a final
wheelchair design unlike
any other on the market. It
successful addresses ev-
ery design opportunity in a
variety of ways, some more
convential than others. The
overall aesthetic stands out
from all other chairs on the
market, and compliments
the established extreme
sports culture that exists
today. Whether you use the
chair to skate or just get
around, it is sure to attract
any active, or adventurous
wheelchair user.

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UNIVERSAL
APPLICATION
While the initial intent for the wheel-
chairs components was to fulfill the
needs an extreme sport, the benefits
of their design can be seen in more
universal applications.

-The shock absorbing sport cushion

is perfect for anyone at high risk of
spinal injury

-Ergonoic pushrim gives users greater

control of their chair, while elimi-
nating stress to the fingers, plams,
wrists, and forearms.

-Tri-flex wheel dampens the constant

bumps and vibrations of urban travel-
ing, helping to eliminate chronic back
pain.

-Advanced manufacturing techniques

allow for lighter and stronger wheel-
chair frames that can be enjoyed by
everyone.
 A NEW
PERCEPTION
With the introduction of the “Defiance”
wheelchair, wheelchair skating can now grow
further than ever ever. The chair’s design al-
lows for athletes to go faster, take on bigger
gaps, and fly higher than ever before. Anybody
can try the sport as the store-ready design
allows for anybody who wants one to get
one, without any custom building required.
As the sport gains publicity, our percep-
tions as to what is possible, shift drastically.
Never before did people imagine someone in
a wheelchair dropping in next to a bmxer in
the X-games. Never before people imagine
someone in a wheelchair ignoring the wheel-
chair ramps to gap the set of stairs outside
their school. And as fans watch their favorite
atheles back -flip their wheelchairs on tv, they
can feel proud to sit in the same chair as their
inspiring heroes. They now know, nothing is
impossible.

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 SPECIAL
THANKS:
Aaron Fotheringham.com for the images
Christiaan “Otter” Bailey and
the entire Apparelyzed.com Community
for their endless help and feedback

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