8 replies to this topic

[bkid23]

Hi,

I am a student at San Diego State University and I am doing a project to better understand wheelchairs and wheelchair users. The purpose of this is to design a new type of manual wheelchair that will make the experience of using a wheelchair as enjoyable as possible.

San Diego State University is currently pursuing initiatives to stimulate economic growth in the economy. They are encouraging students to start companies and are providing support for student teams with good ideas.

Our team is investigating ways to make wheelchairs easier to use and more comfortable for their users. The team is currently doing 20-30 minute phone interviews to better understand the benefits and drawbacks of current wheelchairs.

If you are available to participate in the phone interview please contact me at bkidwell@rohan.sdsu.edu and after the phone interview you will receive three entries in a drawing for a $50 Visa gift card. Otherwise, please visit https://sdsubusiness...aXofnDkgLdWV0wY to participate in a short ten minute survey and you'll automatically receive one entry in the drawing for the $50 Visa gift card.

I sincerely appreciate your time and any help you can provide for this cause.

[Tetracyclone]

there are already great chairs to be had.

[bkid23]

There are already a lot of great things out there... yet we keep innovating and improving them

[LSB]

i'll tell ya for $50...

[Tetracyclone]

bkid23-
You get not useful responses here, I suspect, because every few months someone comes on the forum asking this same question. People in chairs figure out what works and if they get a really good idea they develop their own chair or sell their idea, or just give it away cuz they care.

Too many students come on here asking for help with their homework.

Similarly, when I was in rehab, once a week they would send in a student to practice the ASIA test on me. i got pissed after awhile and when a new kid walked in and asked "may I do a few tests?" i said, "NO!"

[greybeard]

If yoU want to better understand wheelchairs, buy a dirt cheap one off eBay. Live in it for a couple of months (full time - no cheating, no putting your weight on your feet when you get on the can etc). Then come back and ask some sensible questions you still have, based realtime experience.

Edited by greybeard, 04 March 2012 - 05:41 PM.

[edlee]

Doing as GB suggests might make the questions on your survey, more realistic, too/
ed

[Ratticis]

Ever notice how 90% of people asking questions like this never return, they just post a link to their "survey" and carry on to the next random website to do the same thing

[bkid23]

I understand that I have not lived in a wheelchair and so I do appreciate all of your advice. Some have emailed me with more suggestions and I appreciate that too. I'm not doing homework, I am creating a company and we already have a wheelchair prototype. We are looking to further develop the idea to mold it around what wheelchair users want.

My partners and I have had discussions about living in a wheelchair for a month or so this summer and I think that will really help us understand it further. If anyone has any more suggestions that they are willing to share with me I will be checking this forum regularly so I am not one of those 90% that never return because this is not a short term project. Once again, I appreciate your help and if any of you have any questions for me I would be more than happy to answer them.