Improving the mechanical design of new staircase wheelchair
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a new stair‐climbing wheelchair that tries to solve adaptability problems of previous prototypes.
Design/methodology/approach
A new prototype has been built using a new strategy. The climbing process is splint into two subproblems: climbing a single step and positioning the wheels on the staircase.
Findings
An optimized solution has been found for each subproblem, due to this the presented prototype is able to climb any staircase built according to standards, has a high capacity load and its stable equilibrium is always guaranteed.
Research limitations/implications
The presented prototype is able to climb a parallel staircase; future works will try to solve the non parallel staircase climbing problem.
Practical implications
The practical application is to build an industrial new model of wheelchair that allows handicapped people to increase their mobility.
Originality/value
The principal value of the paper consists in using two independent mechanical solutions to solve the subproblems that appear when the stair‐climbing problem is split.
Keywords
Citation
Gonzalez RodriÂguez, A., Morales Herrera, R., Feliu Batlle, V. and Pintado Sanjuan, P. (2007), "Improving the mechanical design of new staircase wheelchair", Industrial Robot, Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 110-115. https://doi.org/10.1108/01439910710727441
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited