Roughrider Wheelchair

The Roughrider Wheelchair is an amazing demonstration of filling a need that has been overlooked for a long time with a GreenZoneSolution. Whirlwind is a San Francisco based company that, according to their website, designs wheelchairs for production and use in developing countries to empower people with disabilities through independent mobility and sustainable economic development. And through a collaboration with Project H Design, is making a difference to people around the world everyday.

Simply put, human power is renewable, therefore a wheelchair is a vehicle running on a sustainable energy source.

According to the designers, "The Roughrider wheelchair is a rugged, long wheelbase design optimized for the unique needs of the physically impaired in the developing world. The design, which has been in use for decades, has specific durability and usability requirements that must be considered during production, fitting, and ongoing use. The San Francisco chapter of Project H has partnered with Whirlwind to develop an anti-tip bar and quick-release axle for the Roughrider that will increase user maneuverability and allow medical professionals to more easily adjust the Roughrider for each user. Additionally, Project H is helping Whirlwind to transform their long wheelbase model into a US market version with an adjustable base. This adjustable length would provide the sturdiness of a long wheelbase model and the maneuverability of a short wheelbase model."

The Roughrider is remarkable on so many different levels.

It is more than simply clever design principles providing a stable platform for individuals requiring a wheelchair on uneven terrain.  The smooth, curving lines that were created by a team of San Francisco designers at Project H Design, a charitable organization that supports, creates, and delivers life-improving humanitarian product design solutions. Project H Design lives their tagline: WE BELIEVE DESIGN CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.

And to back up that position, Whirlwind chose to make the unique design open source and non-proprietary - in other words, encouraging others to build off the idea without paying licensing fees. This generosity and truly innovative approach encouraging collective intelligence demonstrates the motivation behind this project. They also brought the production knowledge to Vietnam where the wheelchairs are desperately needed using locally available materials and inexpensive labor, a decision that not only keeps costs down but reduces transportation necessary once they are completed, not to mention empowering people in need by providing skills and industry - it's a win-win-win. The project was featured earlier this year on the PBS television show Frontline.

Whirlwind and Project H Design - Renewable, Reliable, Remarkable - and adding Accessible to create a GreenZoneSolution to those truly in need.