What is Digg?Sponsored by Virgin America
Virgin America. Fly in style from $49. view!
virginamerica.com - Fly fabulous with WiFi, movies, on demand food and drinks, and more.
47 Comments
- Speedy7, on 11/28/2009, -0/+46Ignore the spelling you dweebs, read the article.
+1 for the inventor. - twiztidsinz, on 11/28/2009, -4/+36Aren't all inventors 'self-taught'?
I've never seen or heard of "Inventors School" - TheBSG, on 11/28/2009, -1/+15My $20K piece of ***** was designed by someone who didn't have to use it beyond testing, if they even did that. Problems include but are not limited to: impossible to clean because of cheap metal and one size fits all adjustable parts, screws come loose and cheap plastics warp because none of them are intended for wear and tear, pleather that rips and disintegrates weeks after getting it, exposed wires that are unshielded and can be ruptured very easily, sharp edges on outer surfaces that cut, rip, and snag things, no rain protection for the electronics or the passenger ever at all, ancient electronics with mind blowingly stupid limitations, and the inane clicking of the break disengaging that has terrorized me for the 10+ years I've lived in power chairs. Most wheelchairs didn't have strap-down hooks until manufacturers recently started including them, but an astonishingly number are not attached to the frame at all. Before I used an actual rivet gun, the "button" that held my seatbelt loosened and fell out only 2 months after owning the chair. These kinds of things would be unacceptable in a car, yet those cost a fraction.
The parts in my chair cost roughly 6000 dollars 5 years ago when it was made. Somehow labor, R&D and their legal costs justify a price 4 times as much. The reason power wheelchairs lack innovation is because it is a small market run by a handful of providers that don't compete with eachother, but with the insurance companies paying for patients' chairs. The high price ensures this relationship, since a 6000 dollar wheelchair could be leased or financed. Dealing with insurers allows manufacturers to haggle a price usually around 10-15K, well over what an individual could pay for something that deteriorates so quickly.
I'd like to live in California or some place with community machine shops so that I could play with making my own wheelchair like this man did with far less. Sure it might not have the highest standards on parts I take for granted in my current chair, but at least I'd be able to control elements of the design that are important. I suppose I am a rather high functioning power chair user so my needs might be greater, but I'd bet paraplegics don't like their chair being dirty either. - michirican123, on 11/28/2009, -0/+13+1 for you too
- james188foster, on 11/28/2009, -1/+11An english comedian Paul Merton made a TV series about his travels in China "Paul Merton in China". He met a Han (Chinese) peasant farmer called Mr. Wu who made robots out of old discarded electronics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4LIThTB8Ww - digggggggggg, on 11/28/2009, -3/+12Well, gotta hand it to the Chinese. They manufacture a lot of straight-to-landfill garbage, but they sure can be resourceful. Something an american company can make for $22k (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30929301/) they can do for about $1.5k. That's not bad at all.
- jrm125, on 11/28/2009, -1/+10MIT might foster it, and teach them some things giving them the tools...but those kids are inventors going in. They just need some molding to help bring their brilliance to fruition.
- kingofinternet, on 11/28/2009, -1/+9holy *****, this guy is amazing.
- mikeyc252, on 11/29/2009, -0/+8Self-Taught Speller Creates Homemade Word
Sorry couldn't resist. - jrm125, on 11/28/2009, -0/+7Hoveround can't do that.
- govtdoesnotwork, on 11/28/2009, -0/+6Not wheelchairs that climb (or gracefully go down) stairs, though.
- sanman, on 11/28/2009, -0/+6but they don't have any werewolves in china
- Ryoshima, on 11/28/2009, -0/+6You would be right, but come on, it's cool that he made it from scrap.
- grbruner, on 11/29/2009, -0/+5engineering can be taught at school.
ingenuity is another thing. - daliminator, on 11/29/2009, -0/+5+1 all around, I say! Jolly good, chaps.
- Phoyo, on 11/28/2009, -0/+5Has produced 30 and has a backlog of 300 orders? Strange that somebody in China is having a hard time with manufacturing.
- InGenUse, on 11/28/2009, -4/+8You sir, are an idiot.
- Wrangler76, on 11/29/2009, -1/+4What's your point? His design is still unique, he did this without formal education in the area, and he made it out of scrap metal. Therefore, he's a badass.
- FattyMagee, on 11/28/2009, -2/+5Step 1: Climb stairs.
Step 2: Adjustable gas cylinder blows up into the anus of user. - EmailAddress, on 11/29/2009, -0/+3"Self-Taught Inventer"
... classic. - partrow, on 11/28/2009, -0/+3Inventor, maybe?
- GeorgeTirebiter, on 11/28/2009, -0/+3I hope they remember to wet the sponge.
- digitalArtform, on 11/28/2009, -0/+2Homemade electric chair?
:O - inactive, on 11/28/2009, -2/+4Stair climbers have been around for a long time. They are often used to move heavy loads up stairs. This is not a new idea!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql0R8QsfobE - anthropodeus, on 11/28/2009, -0/+2Hoverowned.
- linagee, on 11/29/2009, -0/+2s/molding/business sense/
- jeff777, on 11/29/2009, -0/+2As a wheelchair user myself, I prefer the manly way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP-gMQ3V4Ok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRgiz2a3Njs
But seriously, there are other stair-climbing wheelchairs out there, albeit more expensive:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik286spRM1w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt-1tZwUZL8 - Greg2k, on 11/29/2009, -0/+2No video about something awesome happening in China is complete without Police and/or Government suspicion.
- inactive, on 11/30/2009, -0/+1Here's the first stair climbing wheelchair
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/583027/stair_climbin ... - antdude, on 11/29/2009, -0/+1Video was posted on April 03, 2009 according to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUt3QVcg84s ...
- Super6, on 11/29/2009, -1/+2I agree that this is very cool, this man possesses far more skill than me, however it's unfair to compare it to Dean Kamen's chair that can wlk up and down steps and and "stand" on it's wheels and say that the one made from scrap is superior due to its price.
- megablue, on 11/28/2009, -1/+2Even a bot can correct spelling mistakes... Why can't you?
- l2izwan, on 11/29/2009, -0/+1I agree, +1 to the inventor.
It will take him almost 2 years for 300 wheelchairs (Assuming he still makes them by hand), but it'll make him $450k richer. - ihtfp10, on 11/29/2009, -0/+1How strong are patent laws in China? If someone thinks of copying that idea (which doesn't seem to be that hard to copy, to tell you the truth), would it be easy? Some businessman can come and make a ton of $$ off of this guy's idea, no?
I hope he hires some competent lawyers soon - Super6, on 11/28/2009, -2/+3Dean Kamen's wheelchair is far better, and I'd venture to guess much more robust and reliable than these Chinese one made from scraps. You also have to consider that "scraps" by their very nature are free, if you removed the materials cost of Kamen's wheelchair then you'd have a much closer price.
- l2izwan, on 11/29/2009, -0/+1From scrap. This guy is the Tony Stark of China.
- inactive, on 11/29/2009, -1/+1He obviously copied the design from that of a simple stairclimbing dolly; this is not original. I doubt anybody is actually going to be buying these either
- wendyheyworth, on 11/30/2009, -0/+0Very impressed. Going up and down stairs is absolutely amazing
- zarcu, on 11/29/2009, -1/+1...most anything costs next to nothing if you remove the material expenditure XD He practically built that thing in a cave.
- bryon, on 11/29/2009, -0/+0And Li Rongbiao's wheelchair still looks like it works better
- Wrangler76, on 11/29/2009, -1/+1Show me the original design. He had 300 orders already by the way.
- michirican123, on 11/28/2009, -10/+4MIT?
- maxisthelaw, on 11/28/2009, -7/+0Christ, this is the next step towards the mech from "Alien".
- inactive, on 11/28/2009, -10/+3Yeah they do it cheaper by offering no support or warranty on their product; and by cloning all of our North American ideas.
- MasterPain, on 11/28/2009, -13/+2They already had electric wheel chairs.
- tgc1, on 11/28/2009, -24/+9Spelling fail.
- julesx, on 11/28/2009, -23/+6i accidentally inventer
