Beyond Boundaries

MIT Student Designs All-Terrain Wheelchair for the Poor

Matt McCambridge, a designer for Whirlwind Wheelchair International, designed the all-terrain wheelchair you see above to address the needs stated below by the MIT News Office:

by Morgan Bettex, MIT News Office

“The U.N. Development Programme estimates that less than 1 percent of the need for wheelchairs in developing countries is met by local production, partly because small workshops can’t exploit economies of scale to be profitable. Moreover, the wheelchairs that are available aren’t designed for people who must push themselves over rough roads and muddy walking paths often encountered in the Third World. As a result, millions of people must rely on others to carry them or be stranded inside their homes.”

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2010/amos-wheelchair-0218.html

Comments

Beyond- A Discussion

I started this blog as a place to watch and showcase the contributions of those looking for ways to continue and push what Design can be in today’s society. I see that Design has great potential to positively impact our world, and a large part of this move forward requires us to examine our ideas and roles from every angle.

Throughout my observations, I plan to especially keep an eye out for students who are looking to participate in this conversation. I hope this can be a forum that is not only devoted to capturing and disseminating the work that is breaking traditional boundaries of disciplines, problem solving, and design thinking, but to also be a place where current works and ideas can be discussed, critiqued and developed.