I received this email from my brother.

David, what a inspiring and heart filled video, coming from deep within your soul and spirit for life. It's people like you Kirkhams, that makes earth a great place to live. Thank you ! :)

Thanks for all the kind words guys. If we all pull together and do what we can, then the load is easier for everyone to carry. Hope doesn't come to people with magic wands and rainbows. It has to be brought in the door by someone who can make it happen. We just do what we know how to do. There are plenty of areas where we need other people's help and ideas.

Merv,

I have been racking my brain trying to come up with a more durable and cost effective solution. For example, the Church asked me to design an axle that was easy to replace. I said, "Why not make it from a better steel that doesn't need replacement?" It may cost $2 more (and when you are making 60,000 of them $2 is a big deal), but how much does replacing parts cost? Training? Shipping? Stocking?" Someone has to make it, buy it, sell it, replace it; the list goes on. We haven't even mentioned the human cost of lost mobility which is higher than all the others combined.

I think we need to think out of the box completely. I mean completely. Darren called me on the phone earlier (he works with the disabled) and told me, "Please throw out all the wheelchairs you have in your office and start with a new sheet of paper!" I was thinking the exact same thing.

David
:):):)

David,

Your customer service and products are already legendary. I largely lurk on these forums these days while still driving my BDR like a angry rabbit.

I came across this today and couldn't help post it as there seems to be some progressive ideas on wheel chairs.

Good on you for being a champion of humanity and a beacon of reason for the rest of us to try and emulate.

http://www.switched.com/2010/03/19/d...-wheelchair%2F


Hope it helps or adds in any way possible.

All the best,

Sean

Thanks so much for the kind words. Thank you especially for the link to modern wheelchairs. There IS a better way. We just need to find it.

David
:):):)

Sorry to be o/t but I can't see the video:CRY: all I get is a blank box:confused: any help? thanks.

Try this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcHQ8LOdmYM

David
:):):)

David,
Thank you.

David,

Sent you a PM.

- Tim

Another challenge will be how to do it in a cost effective manner in order to reach those without the deep pockets. Not everyone can afford a Kirkham,,, uh, wheel chair?

Now for those who can afford the best, are we talking billet frame and active suspension? :)

God speed David, I'm sure your considering all the options.

Ernie,

Yes, cost is the most serious challenge here. We could spend $1 more for the steel in the axle, but if the Church donates 60,000 chairs/year x 2 axles, that is $120,000 in steel that is not converted into more wheelchairs for more people. The project really is quite a difficult challenge. Anyone can make a million dollar wheelchair (or car). But making it really great--and cost effective--is what occupies my thoughts at 3 am, when I am in the shower, and when I am driving to work.

David
:):):)

David, Lets get technical. -

Ok, so if the axles are enduring abuse, can we "reduce the abuse" >? namely is there a different wheel/tire that we can pull from another line of business I was thinking of a foam filled / airated cast polyurethane tyres with air whipped into the batter of the tire where it would reduce the NVH (noise / vibration / harshness ) on the axle. -- and -- to take the abuse of developing roads etc.

Do you have DWG's of the current units > ? I think an open redesign in Auto CAD/SolidWorks would yield an opportunity to examine stress points and allow improvements in geometry.

In this market, -I am thinking that the frame tubing the current manufacturers are using is "Down -to- a price" as opposed to "up to a standard".

There must be an opportunity to work with the managers, designers and producers of the current product. We could refine that offering in generations ( product update cycles) and with the improvements we ( the royal we) could offer , they could leverage it across their vendor-sphere , and we could leverage if across ours and move them in the right direction.

What we are talking about here is a substantive directional change in HOW these products are designed and constructed. I cant think of anything better some spare brain cycles amongst some cobra guys.

If you need help with this , or want to spread the load of management, part research or prototyping, feel free to call/email.

--Steve

has anyone look at this site?


http://www.switched.com/2010/03/19/d...-wheelchair%2F

Dwight

Steve, is that tire you speak off "solid" for the most part? A low drag and the best rolling wheel/tire is almost a must. Rock hard tires come to mind. As David said, he was winded and tired after just a short run in one of the chairs. Light weight, for the same reason.

Man this is a really complicated exercise. Light but strong, cost effective, easy to mass produce, rolls easy. For such a simple machine it's an enormous task.

David,

Take a look at these web sites. Might help.

http://thebikerack.com/itemlist.cfm?...y&catalogid=78

http://www.spinlife.com/category.cfm?categoryID=8

We don't have any drawings yet. (We don't use DWG, we use Solidworks). All the drawings right now are in our heads as we discuss how to go about this. I REALLY like the collaborative effort. All of us are smarter than any one of us.

A huge problem with tires is the rolling resistance. The hysteresis sucks up energy as you try to move. If any of you have spent any time in a wheelchair, it is amazing how difficult it actually is to move around at all. Rolling resistance is low in a solid tire--until you hit a bump. Polyurethane tires are heavy and so they have a higher i, or moment of inertia, making them harder to wheel around.

There is a reason inflatable bicycle tires have been around for 100 years, virtually unchanged. They work very well.

The main problem I seem to be having is I haven't been able to REALLY find out what the problems actually are. Darren told me he has a bunch of broken wheelchairs as he fixes them all the time. Maybe we need a few pictures to figure out exactly what is going on.

David
:):):)

Yes, I was PM'd with that very site! Great minds must think alike. This really is a great group of guys.

David
:):):)

Ernie,

Yes, it is a real problem to solve all this.

The biggest problem I am facing right now is we are working on housing for Haiti and I haven't had time to really sit down and solve the wheelchair problem.

I have been working with my brother in law to make affordable housing in Haiti and other disaster areas. When we saw the tent cities in Haiti, we knew the real humanitarian disaster was going to be when the hurricane season arrived and devastated the people without shelter. We knew there had to be a better way. My brother in law figured out how to use his concrete panels to make a home that is hurricane and earthquake certified. It is really quite incredible what he has done. I have worked with him for the past couple of months on the metal engineering and design of the structure. We make the metal parts in our shop. Here you can see Brian and I lifting one of his light weight concrete panels.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9991123

We load a container with the first of the homes this week for the doctor in this video. When we get back from Haiti I will focus back on the wheelchairs.

David
:):):)

Dave,

Great work.

You might want to also contact The Wheelchair Foundation to see what their thoughts might be. Looks like they pay $150/chair.

http://www.wheelchairfoundation.org/

Thinking about where these chairs are used, where would a person in a third world country find air to inflate their tires? Are the chairs breaking because the wrong chair is given to a heavy person? (alum vs. steel) Use bigger axles for heavier people in worse conditions?

Wheelchairs has been a big charity item for many Rotary Clubs, and there is an annual November distribution in Mazatlan.

There is air in all countries of the world. There are malls, Mercedes, BMWs, and fancy restaurants too. There is also, unfortunately, a lot of poor in many places as well who can't afford $150 chair. I think the main reason why the chairs are breaking is because of poor design and material selection.

David
:):):)