The Product Development Technology Station (PDTS) is leading the charge in developing appropriate mobility devices in Africa. African countries such as South Africa face a big problem concerning the mobility of persons with disability in rural communities. To supply the large need, cheap basic folding wheelchairs are imported. This is concerning as these wheelchairs are not intended for the environmental challenges faced in African conditions. These wheelchairs also seldom come with or have available spare parts, resulting in them being discarded once a failure occurs.
The PDTS considered the project from a root problem perspective. South Africa does not have a problem in the shortage of wheelchairs, rather a shortage of appropriate reliable wheelchairs. With this in mind the station provided a sustainable solution to improve the mobility of persons with disability in rural areas. The new wheelchair features an attachable hand cycle or free wheel to help with mobility and reliability in rural areas and during long distance traveling. A person with disability will have a reliable wheelchair to move around indoors, but has a clip on hand cycle or free wheel to improve mobility on rough rural roads and over long distances.
The station developed a flexible manufacturing process that also allows persons with disability to manufacture the mobility device in four standard sizes. The PDTS facilitated the entire product development process, which includes conceptualizing the idea, manufacturing of the product and creating a corporate identity and branding.