Category Archives: Mobility

Concept Designs for Mobility

Wheelchair Basketball Concept for Class 1-2 Players

For years now wheelchair basketball has been around as a sport that has grown in popularity. In fact years ago I remember watching an episode if Saved By The Bell that featured a wheelchair basketball game and a wheelchair using girl who dated Zack Morris. But I’m getting a little off subject here. Like any other sport, new and improved equipment can make the game better, safer, and more enjoyable. Designer Shane Gross of Detroit has proposed a wheelchair concept to improve the performance of Class 1-2 wheelchair basketball players.

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Stapler Inspired Capsule Dispenser Concept

Image: Jon Daniels via Coroflot

Image: Jon Daniels via Coroflot

As we know, the older we get the more likely we are to have a medicine regiment. Whether the medicine be in liquid, pill form, or other. In pill form, they are sometimes packaged into blister packs, especially for over the counter. For someone who is aging and now has limited use of their hands, these blister packs can be a pain to open. Pushing the pill through and sometimes even having to peel back a paper layer takes a certain amount of finger strength and dexterity not everyone has. To help these people British Product Design student Jon Daniels designed the Capsule Dispenser. His concept makes opening blister packs as easy as using a stapler.

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Vampire Winny | Glucometer For Children

Image: Diana Dumitrescu via Behance

Image: Diana Dumitrescu via Behance

For people with diabetes, one of the least pleasant things that needs to be done is the daily pricking of blood. This can be especially true for children. Any way to make the process a little less unpleasant is always welcome. Last year I featured a child friendly glucose meter concept called the Blood Buddy. Today I’m featuring another glucometer for children called Vampire Winny by Romanian industrial designer Diana Dumitrescu  .

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E-Desk | Wheelchair Accessible Computer Desk

Image:  Guy Metcalfe-hume  via Behance

Image: Guy Metcalfe-hume via Behance

A few months ago I toured a new building that an architecture firm had recently remodeled. The building housed a major utilities company that had an entire floor dedicated to trading on the stock market. Even though we toured when no one was there, we could still feel the intense pressure and stress these workers must be under. The desks were in long rows with many of them having multiple computer monitors. If someone using a wheelchair wanted to enter this high risk and rewards career, then this wheelchair accessible computer desk concept might be for them. E-Desk is designed by Guy Metcalfe-hume who is a Product Design student at the University of Leeds in the U.K.

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Murr-ma | Amphibious Lower Leg Prosthetic

Image: Murr-ma

Image: Murr-ma

When we think lower leg prosthetics, we generally think about something to help people walk or run on the ground. Which is of course where we spend the vast majority of our time. But according to a recent U.N. report, over 44% of the world’s population lives within 150 kilometers (93 miles) of oceanic coasts. Which means we also like to spend a lot of time on the beach or in the water. Teams from the U.K. and Australia collaborated on a way to make the beaches accessible to more people. They focused on making an amphibious lower leg prosthetic called Murr-ma that can function on the sand and in the water. Credited designers are Julia Johnson, Thomas Essl, Yuki Machida and Damien Rocca.

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Concept Electric Wheelchair by Ruru Zhuang

Image: Ruru Zhuang via Behance

Image: Ruru Zhuang via Behance

A lot of the concept designs I feature usually have a new functional or theoretical idea. But sometimes concept designs are about giving a differnt look to a product. The new design can be futuristic, retro, cultural, themed, or more. For this concept electric wheelchair, graphic designer Ruru Zhuang went with futuristic along with a luxury automotive feel.

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Espoir Concept Leg Prosthesis for Cambodian Landmine Victims

Image: Yoony Byun

Image: Yoony Byun

In times of war, countries and their people can suffer as the country is torn apart. Even when wars end, casualties can still happen years and decades later. This can happen especially so with landmines that are left in the ground and can still explode. Which is why there are many organizations around the world that work to remove these remnants of war. In Cambodia alone there are millions of active landmines still in the ground. As a result hundreds of people, many children, are injured or killed every year in Cambodia. Compounding the problem is a lack of quality medical services or prosthetics when limbs are lost. Product Design student Yoony Byun of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California has designed a concept to combat this problem. A low cost and durable leg prosthesis made of recycled tennis shoes called Espoir.

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Smart Rollator Monitors Vital Signs

Image: Shayta Roy

Image: Shayta Roy

Yesterday I wrote an article about BioMan which is clothing that can monitor bodily vital signs. But the possibilities of other products giving medical feedback is out there. One such possibility was designed by Toronto industrial designer Shayta Roy while she was still in college. Her Smart Rollator has a built-in system that measures and displays vital signs.

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