More than 20% of Australians use a wheelchair regularly or
occasionally. Many wheelchair users need several different chairs in
their daily life: a normal chair, a commode chair, a shower chair and
occasionally a travel chair. This is expensive and inconvenient. The
Freedom Wheelchair meets all these needs.
 | | Nanotechnology enabled Freedom Wheelchair |
Launched at the University of Western Sydney’s
Macarthur campus by Pat Farmer, MP for Macarthur, on November 9th, the
new chair uses an ultra light, ultra strong, nanotechnology-enhanced
stainless steel tube to solve the problems. This tube is many times
stronger than titanium steel tube and much lighter.
The Freedom wheelchair has no axle between the wheels, which
are independently sprung. That means it can roll over a toilet bowl. It
is highly corrosion resistant so it can be used in the shower. At 5.1
kg without wheels and upholstery it is lighter than any chair available
now. It is highly manoeuvrable. It has shock absorbers on each wheel.
Unlike all other chairs it folds like a book. Without wheels
it can fit in the overhead baggage compartment of most planes.
The chair is made using Sandvik NanoFlex® s/s tube,
polymers with nano-fillers, nylon and carbon fibre. The design can only
be manufactured by using these very advanced materials. Lu Papi had to
develop a special process to bend the NanoFlex® which had never
before been bent successfully any where in the world.
Lu
Papi & Associates have finished the first prototype
and are in discussions with other parties regarding setting up the
manufacturing facility. The Freedom wheelchair should be available for
sale by the end of 2008.
Lu Papi & Associates is a small, flexible, widely
networked, engineering consulting company that specialises in new
product development and the introduction of new processing techniques.
We work with companies, individuals and universities to create new
products from good ideas, improve existing products and solve
manufacturing problems.
Posted 19th November 2007
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