TV - My Perfect Wheelchair

Chorlie

Did anyone see this program on BBC2 yesterday, just wondering what people thought of the Wheelchair and if you were in the market for a light weight wheelchair would you spend £10k on that one....?

Personally I think he may of designed and made 'HIS' perfect wheelchair, but IMHO it's far from perfect for most wheelchair users and I wonder how much customer research in what wheelchair user really need & want from a high end light weight wheelchair, rather than what he wants.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/bigscreen/tv/episode/b01hrb10/

Sewsosew

Yes, I saw it and when it was on before. Like you, I thought that he'd designed something HE wanted.

I can't imagine spending that amount of money on a chair even if I had that amount to spare.

pauliboo

I'm about to purchase my first wheelchair, and there isn't really a great choice out there for my budget (less than £300).

I hope the programme will kickstart compaines to start making different styles of wheelchair at affordable prices.

Torry_Quine

I saw it when originally on and although very interesting agree that he was making a wheelchair that fitted his requirements.

rogerblack

It's not a very novel product technically speaking.
'take this object, make it out of CF'.

There are clearly engineering issues, but making a wheelchair primarily of CF is pretty simple.

He's basically vastly underestimated the design process.

It is possible that he's been doing the proper structural calculations, and these have been neglected to be shown.

To do it 'right' - to ensure that there are no unexpected issues, and to get it light, you need to do all sorts of instrumentation to work out what the required loads are - what's the load when you bang it into a kerb - how does this interact with the stiffness of the chair, and what are the failure modes.

For example, if you smack it into a kerb at 10mph, a castor smashing is acceptable.
The frame failing and impaling the user isn't.
CF is very brittle, and tends to fail in brittle ways that metal doesn't.

POPPYOSCAR

Yes, I thought it did him no favours.

I saw him earlier, on I think it was the breakfast show, and I watched because of it.

I was a bit surprised as he came across as a bit arrogant. To be on I think it was his 5th engineering company, due to falling out with them, must say something.

I also think he made a big mistake not taking up the ex 'dragon' on his offer. Better to have 50% of something than 100% of nothing!

Chorlie

rogerblack wrote: »

It's not a very novel product technically speaking.
'take this object, make it out of CF'.

There are clearly engineering issues, but making a wheelchair primarily of CF is pretty simple.

He's basically vastly underestimated the design process.

It is possible that he's been doing the proper structural calculations, and these have been neglected to be shown.

To do it 'right' - to ensure that there are no unexpected issues, and to get it light, you need to do all sorts of instrumentation to work out what the required loads are - what's the load when you bang it into a kerb - how does this interact with the stiffness of the chair, and what are the failure modes.

For example, if you smack it into a kerb at 10mph, a castor smashing is acceptable.
The frame failing and impaling the user isn't.
CF is very brittle, and tends to fail in brittle ways that metal doesn't.

Having been in a chair all my life and using the higher end light weight chairs he is competing with I see so many issue with he chair due to how he uses his every day chair. He pushes holding the tyres, why because he has big fat tyres on his chair so it's hard for him to grip the hand rims; he also doesn't seem to lean back in his chair so the back rest on his designed chair isn't an issue for him but for most people it will be. I also don't see his issue regarding the weight of the chair (granted a NHS chair weighs to much) but does a Kg or two really make a major issue, it depends how you get it into your car but for me I take the wheels off, cushion etc so I'm lifting less. He weighs his who chair so for him the weight issue is for keeping the chair intact or for pushing, so ok I can just about see the reasons for weight if intact lifting, but for pushing that goes out the window because most people have cushion, pouches under their chair, bags on the back etc also the barring in the wheels, if the tyres are pumped up hard and if the wheels pins are clean and oiled; all these really make a bigger difference to pushing a chair that a Kg or two and lastly the weight of the user is the main issue :rotfl:


Than there is the Carbon Fiber, it's strong in one direction, to make it strong in another it has to be layered or wove, but that make it strong in two direction, a chair as to be strong in all direction, it always twisting and bending, the more active the user the more it happens and every user make it twist a different amount, a different pressure and in different places. IMHO CF is not a good product to make a chair from, his test chair was dropped and chipped, I drop my chair often getting it in/out the car if I had his chair it would be chipped and crack within a week.


I've had CF wheels on my chair for 10yrs but had to change the set up of my chair because I'd shatter a CF wheel due to the amount of camber on my chair, the weight wasn't going straight down the wheel & the wheel twisted when I turned....I shattered in within 10mins, I changed the setup of my chair and they have be fine. So his chair maybe fine for him and his setup of his chair, but since he uses he chair different to most user then I can see design problems.

Chorlie

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

Yes, I thought it did him no favours.

I saw him earlier, on I think it was the breakfast show, and I watched because of it.

I was a bit surprised as he came across as a bit arrogant. To be on I think it was his 5th engineering company, due to falling out with them, must say something.

I also think he made a big mistake not taking up the ex 'dragon' on his offer. Better to have 50% of something than 100% of nothing!

Yep agree with him being a bit arrogant with his I'm a wheelchair user so I know what's needed in a wheelchair & my needs are the same as everyone's. I thing the ex 'dragon' may of done a little research on chair and saw some faults that could become costly, after all if I spent £10k on a chair I wouldn't expect the back to break, castor house to break getting up a curb or it to crack if dropped from a few inches.

Chorlie

pauliboo wrote: »

I'm about to purchase my first wheelchair, and there isn't really a great choice out there for my budget (less than £300).

I hope the programme will kickstart compaines to start making different styles of wheelchair at affordable prices.

To be honest £300 will only get you a basic NHS style wheelchair, you'd be better seeing if you can get your GP to refer you to wheelchair services or if not get a wheelchair company out with a few chair to try, find what you need and the measurements, then once you know this look on the like of eBay for that type of chair with those sizes.

SailorSam

I saw that man on Bbc Breakfast one morning and while i thought his new chair did 'look the part' when they mentioned the price i wondered how many people would go out and buy one. You could almost buy a brand new small car for the same amount.

intranicity

Just watched the programme, admire his tenacity, but hope he doesn't end up bankrupt! I'm really not sure that £10k for a chair every 2 years is realistic for 200 people a year, somehow, he needs to get the price nearer £2.5K to have a chance, and then a slim one IMHO.

I'm looking for a new chair at the moment, and luckily have a very decent budget, but I'd still be £5k short of his chair that appears to be fragile and with an expected life of less than 2 years!!!!

I'll be having CF bits on my chair, but think i'll stick to Titanium for the frame, and get a few sets of wheels, hopefully I might even get 5 years out of it.

Pauliboo, agree with Chorlie, £300 for a chair is a tiny budget, unless it's just to sit in and be pushed around? Decent cushions cost that alone or more.... Good luck though, whatever way you go