Across the globe, millions of people who need wheelchairs don’t have one or don’t have one that’s suitable for their needs. Hack On Wheels is building an online community to fix this problem by creating open source designs focused on the needs of users.
They believe that anyone who needs a wheelchair should be able to access one that is fully customized to their individual needs.
Due to the prohibitive price of traditional design, manufacturing and distribution 8 of 10 people worldwide who need a wheelchair are deprived of this freedom - that is 52 million people.
Inspired by organisations like e-NABLE - who created the first open source functional prosthetic hand that can be 3D printed for less than $50 - Hack on Wheels believe that digital fabrication, open hardware and the maker movement can change this.
They are creating an online library of open source designs and instructions for making fully customisable wheelchairs and their components that anyone can freely use, adapt and develop.
For more information, visit http://www.hackonwheels.org/about/