Welcome to this edition of Perspectives, the e-newsletter of the
Stanford course, Perspectives in Assistive
Technology.
What
is the course? - Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a
Winter Quarter course at Stanford that explores issues surrounding the design,
development, and use of assistive technology benefitting people with
disabilities and seniors. More information can be found on the
course website.
Invitation to attend - You are invited to attend
all class lectures. They will be held in
Building 530, Classroom 127 on Tuesday and
Thursday afternoons at 4:15 to 5:30pm and are free and open to the
public.
Next lecture - Thursday, March 8th at
4:15pm:
|
|
Wheelchair Fabrication in
Developing Countries
Ralf
Hotchkiss
San Francisco State
University |
Abstract: Ralf
Hotchkiss will track the designing of the Whirlwind Wheelchair from its
beginning 30 years ago to the present, and on into the future. From the first
design breakthroughs of barefoot blacksmiths to the high tech testing and
manufacturing methods of today, surprise breakthroughs in basic wheelchair
design have come from the backyard inventors of some 40 developing countries.
These inventors, along with several graduates of the Stanford d.school, form
the Whirlwind Network of wheelchair riders and designers. Their goal is not
only to make wheelchairs available in the poorest of countries; it is to
radically improve the durability and rough-ground mobility so that wheelchair
riders can live and work in environments that they can only dream of visiting
today. Ralf will show unfinished designs that open wide opportunities for new
developments, and he will make a plea for the innovative designers of Stanford
to enter into one of today's most fulfilling areas of invention and
international development work.
Biosketch: Ralf
Hotchkiss is an inventor and the lead designer of the Whirlwind Wheelchair. His
project, Whirlwind Wheelchair International, is a project of San Francisco
State University. Ralf teaches a class, Engineering 620: Wheelchair Design and
Construction, in which students can build a complete wheelchair in a Third
World appropriate shop. Whirlwind Wheelchair International's mission is "to
make it possible for every person in the developing world who needs a
wheelchair to obtain one that will lead to maximum personal independence and
integration into society". Ralf is a graduate of Oberlin College and a 1989
MacArthur Foundation Fellow.
|
 |
