Open Source Mobility Device For Children with Disabilities

Powered wheelchairs are integral to the development of children with disabilities. However, commercial wheelchairs are too expensive, typically costing over $10,000, to be widely incorporated into physical therapy and rehabilitation programs. In 2017-18, two Union seniors designed a low-cost power mobility device (Version 1.0) by retrofitting a Fisher-Price children toy called the Wild Thing. This device was delivered to The Kevin G. Langan School in the spring of 2018. To make this one-time project accessible to a wide range of clients, this senior capstone project improves the existing prototype and creates an easily replicable open-source product.