Leveraged Freedom Chair
The Leveraged Freedom Chair (LFC) is an all-terrain wheelchair designed for rural areas of developing countries. The key innovation behind the LFC is its single-speed, variable mechanical advantage drivetrain. The user propels the chair by pushing on the levers; gasping high increases torque, while grasping low increases speed. The drivetrain geometry was optimized considering human power and force capabilities, user physiology, and terrain types found in the developing world. This simple system achieves a 3:1 change in mechanical advantage, enabling LFC users to travel 80% faster and produce 50% higher peak wheel torque than they could with a conventional wheelchair. All moving parts on the LFC are made from bicycle parts found anywhere in the world, making the LFC locally repairable and comparable in price to other wheelchairs available in developing countries. The LFC is in production in India and can be purchased through Global Research Innovation and Technology (GRIT).
Partners
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Engineering Reverse Innovations
Winter, A. & Govindarajan, V., Harvard Business Review (Jul-Aug 2015)
Developing World Users as Lead Users: A Case Study in Engineering Reverse Innovation
Judge, B., Hölttä-Otto, K., & Winter, A., Journal of Mechanical Design (2015)
Helping the Disabled Get Off-Road and On with Their Lives
Winter, A., DEMAND: ASME Global Development Review (2013)
Peer-Reviewed Conference Articles
Stakeholder and Constraint-Driven Innovation of a Novel, Lever-Propelled, All-Terrain Wheelchair
Winter, A., 25th International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology, ASME IDETC/CIE (2013)
Stakeholder-Driven Design Evolution of the Leveraged Freedom Chair Developing World Wheelchair
Winter V, A.G., Bollini, M.A., Judge, B.M., Scolnik, N.K., O’Hanley, H.F., Dorsch, D.S., Mukherjee, S., & Frey, D., ASME IMECE (2012)
Case Study: Leveraged Freedom Chair
Winter V, A.G., Childs, J., Tak, J., Core 77. (2011)
The Design, Fabrication, and Performance of the East African Trial Leveraged Freedom Chair
Winter V, A.G, Bollini, M.A., DeLatte, D.H., Judge, B.M., O’Hanley, H.F., Pearlman, J.L., & Scolnik, N.K., 15th Design for Manufacturing and the Lifecycle Conference, ASME IDETC (2010)
Theses
Developing World Users as Lead Users: A Case Study in Engineering Reverse Innovation
Judge, B., Master's Thesis (MIT, 2014)
Press
Building the mountain bike of wheelchairs, on MIT News
GRIT Freedom Chair Launches on Kickstarter
Born to Design: The Leveraged Freedom Chair, in SolidWorks
Off-road wheelchair offers freedom for disabled poor, on CNN
Amos Winter's TedX talk, on TED
Global Research Innovation and Technology (GRIT) wins $100k Diamond Prize Winner at Mass Challenge startup competition
Fast Company Magazine Innovation by Design Award, Concept Category, for Leveraged Freedom Chair, on Fast Company
Leveraged Freedom Chair named one of the Wall Street Journal's Big Innovations of 2011, in The Wall Street Journal
Leveraged Freedom Chair wins a Red Dot Design Award, with Continuum Innovation
Leveraged Freedom Chair wins an R&D 100 Award, given by R&D Magazine for the 100 most technologically significant products of the year, on R&D World
Leveraged Freedom Chair wins an R&D 100 Editors’ Choice Award, given to the three favorite R&D 100 award winners by the magazine’s editors, on R&D World