Combining “soft robotics technology” with mobility devices like scooters, wheelchairs, and motorcycles, Poimo aims to offer soft, safe, and lightweight rideable creations that can be easily carried around as necessary. Their latest offering, created in collaboration with Kawahara Lab/Niiyama Lab of the University of Tokyo and Mercari R4D, is a scooter that weighs just 5.5 kilograms and can be folded into a reasonably-sized backpack.

The scooter’s inflatable body is made of a durable thermoplastic polyurethane attached to an electronic and mechanical base which includes the electric motor, handlebars, battery, front and rear wheels, and a wireless controller. It takes just five minutes to get it ready to ride. The Poimo’s creators have already tested it in Tokyo, and for now it at least seems like it actually works.

They explain that “this mobility [scooter] aims to support the first mile / last mile and connect public transportation and destinations seamlessly. To reduce the weight of its body along with its inflatable structure, we have developed a wireless / battery-less powering system suitable for this mobility in cooperation with the wireless power transfer group.”

Poimo’s other equally weird and cool creation is a customizable inflatable vehicle that acts as both a manual wheelchair and an electric motorcycle. In this case, even the wheels are inflatable. They’re definitely a few steps beyond folding bikes in terms of portability, but one wonders just how long they’d last in real-world conditions on the road. Info about this particular model has disappeared from the company’s website, but you can still see how it works in the YouTube video above.

The creators add that they “developed the personal mobility Poimo with a balloon structure that can be designed to suit each individual simply by taking a riding pose. We have prototyped an electric motorcycle type and a manual wheelchair type that can be completely folded when the air is removed. By developing a new vehicle whose body and wheels are made of balloon structure, it has become possible for the first time to customize each vehicle one by one. Newly developed design software makes it easy for anyone to design personal mobility.”

“The light and soft Poimo, which can be deflated and folded, opens up a new field of personal mobility. Taking advantage of being custom-made for each individual, we will contribute to the realization of an inclusive society where everyone can acquire the means of transportation that suits them.”

This invention in particular seems to present an intriguing potential step forward in accessibility: allowing a wheelchair user to seamlessly transition from indoor use to outdoor commuting, going just as fast as anyone else on the road. Whether “Poimo” is really the answer is up for debate, but it’s a great example of thinking outside the box that could lead to more practical innovations in the near future. For more details on how it works, check out the press release from Mercari.

The post Poimo: Inflatable Wheelchair Transforms Into an Electric Motorcycle first appeared on Dornob.

The defense is often that there’s no money for an elevator and no room for a ramp. And in crowded urban spaces, building a ramp with the gentle grade required to make it usable can, indeed, take up quite a bit of space — but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s impossible. A recent project called “Song House” by AZL Architects demonstrates a smart approach to exactly that problem.

In China, many rural villages have high populations of elderly people living in places that aren’t well-equipped to meet their needs as they age. Meanwhile, younger generations flock to bigger cities to find work and raise their families. AZL explains that the past 40 years of rapid urbanization in China have caused a “hollowing-out” of millions of old, culturally significant villages. But these rural places still have something to offer all generations of families.

The architects state: “The natural humanistic values of rural settlements need to be reactivated through new production cycles and lifestyles. Shanghai, having the highest GDP in China and being a world-famous metropolis, is also facing difficulties and conflicts between its urban and suburban [populations]. Those living in the city are constantly under the pressure of high living costs, [while] the declining of rural communities and human settlements in suburbs is happening at the same time.”

The answer might lie in redeveloping these suburban and rural communities in a way that makes them appealing and accessible to people of all ages, says AZL. Their client for “Song House,” retired electrician Lao Song, needed to take in his elderly mother, but his apartment in Shanghai just wasn’t designed for it. He and his wife dreamed of moving back to their hometown of Nanson Village to demolish their dilapidated family home and build something new “suitable for both the elderly and the young.”

“In order to help relieve the living pressure of their daughter and son-in-law, Lao Song and his wife thought about inviting the parents of their son-in-law, who are in bad health conditions, to return to the Fengxian countryside together with them and take care of each other in their old ages. For this to happen, the families almost spent all of their savings as normal working-class [people]. This house also embodies the beautiful imagination and anticipation of a relaxed rural life for these families of eight.”

The architects’ solution was a multi-story concrete home arranged around an atrium —an update to the traditional Chinese courtyard house that’s fallen out of favor in recent decades. An external ramp visibly wraps around the outside of the house, reaching each of the three stories so the oldest generation of both families can get around while maintaining a sense of privacy and independence for everyone.

The atrium offers “a center of space and daily activities,” and off of it five bedrooms are splayed, each facing a different direction. Wheelchair accessible restrooms are located next to some of the bedrooms, though all parts of the house have their own small sitting areas. The interiors are designed to promote intergenerational contact and assistance while offering the refuge of private spaces when they’re desired.

This home may be located in a rural area, where there tends to be more space for such constructions, but it’s a beautiful example of thinking outside the box to be more inclusive of anyone who might want to enter. More than that, it turns an accessibility feature into an integral part of the design, and it looks fantastic to boot.

The post Accessibility Gets Graphic with a Cool Wraparound Wheelchair Ramp first appeared on Dornob.

Internationally recognized and beloved by people of all ages, LEGO bricks have earned their reputation as creatively stimulating toys. The possibilities of what can be built with LEGOs are virtually endless, and that’s exactly what makes them so fun. Of course, these little plastic blocks are useful well after playtime is over, whether they’re being incorporated into modern furniture designs or colorfully filling in damaged patches on a building’s exterior. Now, one of the most unexpected LEGO creations is giving disabled animals a new way to get around.

When an injured turtle was brought into the Maryland Zoo’s hospital, doctors patched up damage to the underside of his shell, but they weren’t sure how to keep him off it as he healed. Turtles tend to heal slowly because of their slow metabolisms, so the shattered fragments needed extra time to fuse back together.

“They don’t make turtle-sized wheelchairs, so we drew some sketches of a customized wheelchair and I sent them to a friend who is a LEGO enthusiast,” says Garrett Fares, veterinary extern at the zoo.

The result is pretty brilliant. Not only does the turtle’s new LEGO ride help him cruise around during the healing process, but it also preserves his ability to perform crucial turtle tasks, like fully retracting into his shell whenever he feels threatened. The external frame elevates and stabilizes the turtle’s shell and sits on four LEGO wheels. The clever assistive mechanism is held in place using plumber’s putty, so it doesn’t hurt the turtle at all.

Believe it or not, this little guy isn’t the first animal — or even the first reptile — to get a LEGO wheelchair. Previously, a tiny tortoise named Blade got a shiny LEGO wheelchair of his very own when a growth condition weakened his legs, hindering his mobility. This chair’s three-wheeled design is a lot simpler than that of the last one, since Blade didn’t have a specific injury to protect. Elsewhere, Schlildi, a pet turtle living in Germany, was the lucky recipient of an awesome LEGO prosthetic after losing a leg.

A tiny hedgehog named Chappi was beginning to experience difficulty walking due to the adorably named Wobbly hedgehog syndrome, a degenerative disorder that can cause loss of muscle control. Upon realizing that she could no longer use her feet, Chappi’s owner built her a custom LEGO wheelchair that made a big difference in her quality of life.

Another toy commonly used to build DIY wheelchairs for animals is K’NEX, a construction set that was widely popular in the 1990s. In 2013, a Florida veterinarian named Dr. Len Lucero fashioned a K’NEX wheelchair for a piglet named Chris P. Bacon, who was born unable to use his legs. Having since grown absolutely enormous, Chris now prefers to crawl around.

In Massapequa, New York, an abandoned kitten with temporarily paralyzed back legs graduated from a LEGO wheelchair to a K’NEX one as he got bigger. As an adult, “Mac N’ Cheez” — named after the box he was in when he was delivered to the vet — regained full control of his legs.

The post When Animals Need Wheelchairs, LEGO Delivers first appeared on Dornob.

Still, it never hurts to put the ability to traverse the steps, squares, and hills of a city in the hands of the city dweller themselves — which is exactly why innovative devices and machines tend to be at the forefront of empathetic design. One recent prototype is looking to do just that by giving wheelchair users the freedom to tackle all kinds of challenges in the urban landscape. Meet Scewo, a wheelchair that allows its user to ascend staircases in a surprising new way.

Scewo bills itself as a “wheelchair for the 21st century.” The company’s mission is “to combine the new technologies and an aesthetic design to develop a new generation wheelchair. It will give enjoyable and flexible mobility to those in need and lets them engage wherever life takes them.” More specifically, this wheelchair is designed to allow users to navigate urban obstacles in an independent and fluid manner, helping them avoid the shocks and bumps that standard wheelchair usage so often entails.

When faced with a flight of stairs, the chair releases a set of ergonomic rubber tracks that provide a smooth and safe ride to the top. The tracks are released from the underside of the seat and are made from rubber so they can properly grip the ground surface below. The width of the tracks means they can also be used on spiral staircases. The user can automate each ascent with the push of a button, meaning they can be confident in the chair doing all the heavy lifting for them.

When the Scewo isn’t climbing stairs, it’s providing its user with a safe and smooth journey over rough and unstable terrain like slick ground or gravel. The user controls the chair by either using a joystick or shifting their bodyweight in the direction they’d like to go. The chair is self-balanced, allowing the user to orientate themselves easily on the spot without having to engage in complex maneuvers to turn around.

On top of all of that, the Scewo’s tracks can also be angled and elevated to provide leverage to the chair. This puts the user in an elevated position and gives them better views the area they are in. This will also come in handy when trying to reach things at a height, and it could even could help make standard home designs (which are often tailored to people who have the ability to stand) more manageable. The width of the chair is also designed to fit through most standard door frames and corridors. Since the chair is so much more compact than most standard wheelchairs, it’s capable of navigating more efficiently both at home and in public.

Check out the company’s crowdfunding campaign here.

The post Scewo: The Innovative New Wheelchair That Can Take Its User Up Stairs first appeared on Dornob.

Accessible design is a lot more than just a building trend: it’s a necessity. Making sure that everyone can access spaces regardless of their physical abilities is just a no-brainer. Proponents of “universal design,” as it’s called, are calling for architects, urban planners, builders and interior designers to adhere to a set of seven principles that could help make accessibility a reality, including eliminating unnecessary complexities and making sure the design can be used efficiently with minimal physical effort.

Building brand-new interiors or spaces that work for people of all abilities, like a modular kitchen that accommodates wheelchairs, is a lot easier than retrofitting a space, like adding elevators to homes with stairs. One concept by designer Chan Wen Jie hits on an interesting solution to the problem of stairs in older buildings, though it’s not exactly perfect.

The idea is quite brilliant: an add-on that converts stairs to a ramp reduces the amount of space that needs to be dedicated to either function, letting the same footprint serve both needs. There’s no need to demolish the existing stairs or segregate disabled users with a separate entrance.

In theory, a switch flips from ramp to step mode and back, allowing someone in a wheelchair to change it as needed. In practice, we see the first problem: if the ramp is kick-activated, it is not exactly wheelchair-friendly.

The larger issue, though, is one of slope – a typical wheelchair ramp needs to be much shallower than a normal staircase. Still, you could imagine extending the ramp out past the stairs to ease that slope, or evolve the design in different directions. As a starting point, it does raise good design questions, even if it doesn’t present all of the answers. It’s great to see people thinking about accessible design and how it can be incorporated into spaces all around us.

The post Stairs Convert to a Ramp on Demand first appeared on Dornob.

Morph is the world’s first folding wheelchair wheel. When in the open position, the wheel takes up 22 liters of space. But when folded, it only occupies 12 liters of space. The folded wheel is small enough to fit into an easily carry-able bag, and at 7.5 pounds each they are light enough to be carried by most people.

The folding wheels use a standard rubber tire on their outer rims, requiring no special order parts when the tire treads get worn. The lightweight composite material used for the wheel itself is tough enough to afford a pair of the wheels a 300 pound weight limit.

The wheel was originally designed for folding bikes to allow the bikes to have larger wheels. But once the project gained attention, the wheelchair community embraced the idea and the Morph was redesigned for wheelchair users. And finally, people who have been using “folding” wheelchairs for years will have a chair that can easily and quickly fold up small enough to go anywhere. The wheel will be manufactured by Maddak.

“At Maddak we are dedicated to developing innovative products to help the daily lives of the disability community, and we could not be more proud to announce the launch of Morph Wheels. After years of product testing and extensive conversation with the community, we were able to develop a product designed for active, on-the-go wheelchair users. I truly believe that once someone has a set of Morph Wheels they will be amazed at how they simplify travel and enhance storage options.” said Kathleen Hanek, Director of Operations and Product Management at Maddak Inc.

The post Brilliant Folding Wheel Rolls in a Wheelchair Revolution first appeared on Dornob.

There is usually an extra step (no pun intended) involved when you want a door to hold itself open. This design combines science, ergonomics and intuition to develop a built-in handle solution, integrating a traditional door-opening device with a new door-stopping method.

First, the designer considered optimal angles and actual patterns of use. Specifically, a typical range of motion was used to determine a range of up-and-down motion most people employ when approaching and opening a door.

Second, an additional range was added to the mix, going beyond 90 degrees and automatically providing some resistance (to alert you to the change in purpose) before deploying a doorstop from the bottom of the door.

For a normal user, this is simply convenient. For someone in a wheelchair or with difficulty bending down or using their legs, this would be a welcome relief from using feet to do what hands could accomplish just as well. Design by Yu-Jin Kim, Jong-Chan Mun, Joon-Ki Park & Eun-Ji Yoo.

The post Right Angle: Foot-Free, Hand-Deployed Doorstop Invention first appeared on Dornob.