Leveraged Freedom Chair

The Leveraged Freedom Chair is an all-terrain wheelchair made from bicycle parts.[1][2][3]

The chair is developed by a group called Global Research Innovation & Technology. Amos Winter, a PHD graduate from MIT travelled to Tanzania during his work, and found that conventional wheelchairs are inadequate in areas without wheelchair accessible roads and buildings. In addition to a normal wheelchair pushrim, the wheelchair has a lever drivetrain that lets the user grip the lever far from the wheel for high torque on rough terrain.The levers can be removed and stored on the chair, allowing it to be used like a normal wheelchair indoors.[4] The wheelchairs are designed to be produced at low cost from commonly available bicycle parts, and to be repaired and maintained at local bicycle shops.

The chair is sold at around US $250 to NGOs, less than the price of common wheelchairs.[5]

The chair won first place at the MIT IDEAS Global Challenge, won a Wall Street Journal 2010 Technology Innovation Award, won an award at the 2012 MassChallenge and the Patents for Humanity award in 2015.[6][7]

Freedom Chair

The GRIT Freedom Chair is an off-road sports chair designed for the developed world. The product launched on Kickstarter with a lowest price point of US$2,195, which sold out.[5]

See also

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