Winter Quarter 2013

ENGR110/210
 Perspectives in Assistive Technology 

David L. Jaffe, MS and Professor Drew Nelson
Tuesdays & Thursdays   4:15pm - 5:30pm
Thornton Center - Classroom 110

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Thursday, March 7th

photo of Ralf Hotchkiss

Wheelchair Fabrication in Developing Countries
Ralf Hotchkiss
San Francisco State University

Abstract: Ralf Hotchkiss will track the designing of the Whirlwind Wheelchair from its beginning 30 years ago to the present, and on into the future. From the first design breakthroughs of barefoot blacksmiths to the high tech testing and manufacturing methods of today, surprise breakthroughs in basic wheelchair design have come from the backyard inventors of some 40 developing countries. These inventors, along with several graduates of the Stanford d.school, form the Whirlwind Network of wheelchair riders and designers. Their goal is not only to make wheelchairs available in the poorest of countries; it is to radically improve the durability and rough-ground mobility so that wheelchair riders can live and work in environments that they can only dream of visiting today. Ralf will show unfinished designs that open wide opportunities for new developments, and he will make a plea for the innovative designers of Stanford to enter into one of today's most fulfilling areas of invention and international development work.

Biosketch: Ralf Hotchkiss is an inventor and the lead designer of the Whirlwind Wheelchair. His project, Whirlwind Wheelchair International, is a project of San Francisco State University. Ralf teaches a class, Engineering 620: Wheelchair Design and Construction, in which students can build a complete wheelchair in a Third World appropriate shop. Whirlwind Wheelchair International's mission is "to make it possible for every person in the developing world who needs a wheelchair to obtain one that will lead to maximum personal independence and integration into society". Ralf is a graduate of Oberlin College and a 1989 MacArthur Foundation Fellow.

Contact information:
Ralf Hotchkiss
6505 Farallon Way
Oakland, CA  94611
415/338-1290
whirlwind -at- sfsu.edu

Whirlwind Wheelchair International
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Ave.
San Francisco CA  94132
Lecture Material:
Pre-lecture slides - 328 Kb pdf file
Slides - 1.13 Mb pdf file
Video - 5:25 - link
Audio - 8.30 Mb mp3 file
Photos - 322 Kb pdf file
Links:

Updated 03/08/2013

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