Contribute to a Senior Capstone Project in Power Wheelchair Technology

By Alexander Hoppe, Olin College of Engineering

CCurrently 1 in 5 persons in the United States are living with a disability. In the coming decades, populations of people with ambulatory disabilities are likely to continue to increase.

Toyota Motor North America's Social Innovation division seeks to make mobility a source of inspiration and a way to improve quality of life for everyone. As part of this goal, Toyota has partnered with a team of five engineering students from Olin College of Engineering in Needham, MA.

Students working with power wheelchair technology

College Seniors Seek to Improve Maneuverability for Power Chair Users

The five senior engineering students are spending the academic year working with Toyota to add sensing and control functionality to power wheelchairs. They are collaboratively designing a solution with power wheelchair users to increase their independence in indoor environments.
 
If you or someone you know is a power wheelchair user and would like to contribute to this research project, please follow this link to take their survey.

If you would like to be considered for future collaborative design, please contact the team here: [email protected]

Pre-Register for Abilities Expo Today...It's Free!

Sign up for the Abilities Buzz

Stay in the know on disability news and info.