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A $1k Wheelchair

newmobility.com

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Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#151

Post by enneff »

joe_the_user wrote: post #97
rtkwe wrote: post #26

It's odd seeing the number of dismissive comments missing that there are whole categories of wheelchairs for different purposes. It's like asking why XPSs exist when there are Chromebooks, something most people commenting here would immediately realize as a silly question because they suit different needs and functions but the idea doesn't come up because it's an unfamiliar problem.

I think the dismissals come because wheelchair users are already painfully aware of the options. Yes, there are different kinds of wheelchairs, there's no reason a premade, presized wheelchair has to cost thousands and they don't. The premade chairs certainly serve a need - for those who can sort of walk but need the chair to go distances (etc). But the reason for custom wheelchairs is they are for people who spend a…

If you look at the dismissals in this HN discussion you’ll find none of them are coming from wheelchair users or even people familiar with wheelchairs.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#152

Post by andybak »

nothercastle wrote: post #122

The BOM for this wheel chair is probably 200-300 of just wheels and bearings maybe more. People who say this can be bought for 200$ are completely out of touch. You can’t even buy a decent bike for much under a grad new and bikes have much better scale.

My bike cost £75

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#153

Post by bluGill »

changing1999 wrote: post #100
bluGill wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mostly the machines the factory uses. You can cut tubes by hand and drill those holes, but the machines are more accurate and faster. However those machines will cost you in the million range each in some cases. (the $1000 Chinese versions for home use are kits that will cost you $10k to make accurate and the quality means they will wear out fast so while find for building a couple they are more expensive than the mi…

Fascinating. I assumed that most manufacturing machines can be reconfigured to build anything that machine can handle physically (i.e. not a particularly specialized machine) and, therefore, can be bought for cheap, or used. Coming from software I don't have a frame of reference for manufacturing cost.

Reconfiguerable is common but high cost. most jigs are custom made one offs at high cost. every bit of flexibility will cost you tens of thousands at minimun and millions on the high end. The parts are at most $100, it the engineering and skilled machinist time that adds up.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#154

Post by hinkley »

rtkwe wrote: post #149
hinkley wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On a bike you have a little bit of flexibility due to the way the seat post works. Both in how the seat attaches and adding curves to the post, particularly for triathletes who like to favor their hamstrings over their quads, and sit considerably farther forward than any 'normal' cyclist would. I know I've seen wheelchairs where the back was a tube that went into a tube. If you put the curve in the replaceable part y…

They've done a lot of work it looks like to put in user level adjustments everywhere they can but to tweak the parameters on the frame page I don't see a great way to replace that. The curve it's tweaking is setting the angle between the legs and the seat already.

Yeah I went through the build your own UI after your last reply and it looks like a pretty complex bracket there for adjusting the angle of the seat back. From the look of things it's an adjustment versus another bracket.

It looks expensive, but I suspect that not being able to change your mind after you order is awful. Anything from muscle gain to tweaking your back probably makes you want to adjust your seat a bit. So maybe it's worth however many dollars that takes out of the $1k budget to be preserved in the design.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#155

Post by jeanlucas »

tredre3 wrote: post #148
jeanlucas wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meh, lots of people call him Jerry for a while now. I know you're not aware because you're not a fan and just wants to one up on HN. He said already he chose Jerry in honor of his grandfather who was a fixer. On an interview with MKBHD (btw, I know MKBHD is not literally that guy's name) he said he just rolls with it when someone calls him Jerry.

I know you're just trying to gotcha me, but as a fellow fan you probably already know that he prefers when people call him by his given name.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eG4PZaf7QxY

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#156

Post by acyou »

If it pans out, looks like an OK way to get a backup chair. But we still need the mainstream way, which is the seating specialists and therapists to accurately spec, size and adjust the chair with the user in it.

Curious if they will go get FDA approval, so that they can get the chair properly funded. I suspect that the same people who don't have health insurance also won't have $1000 lying around. If the chair is funded, they should be able to access a larger market and help more people going that route.

For power wheelchairs, FDA application process is a huge reason they have limited competition and are so expensive. For those who love to wave their hands and cut red tape, I think it mostly has to do with people not dying because they are set on fire by power wheelchair battery fires, or getting crushed by their wheelchair actuators.

I am just curious about this from a safety perspective. The FDA approval process covers a lot of ground. Who makes sure the chairs are safe? Who checks the pinch points? Who crash tests the transit tie downs? Who does fatigue testing? Who does tip-over testing? What happens if someone is using the chair and gets hurt due to a material or design flaw? Who makes sure the chair fits properly and users don't get repetitive stress injuries? Who tests the upholstery to make sure it is fire retardant? Who checks the chair with the user in it to make sure they have posture that doesn't lead to severe long term problems?

I, for one, would not consider sidestepping FDA in order to ethically and legally answer for all of those risks. But despite all of that I admire the sentiment of this project, it certainly seems to be done with the best of intentions.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#157

Post by unreal6 »

andybak wrote: post #152
nothercastle wrote: post #122

The BOM for this wheel chair is probably 200-300 of just wheels and bearings maybe more. People who say this can be bought for 200$ are completely out of touch. You can’t even buy a decent bike for much under a grad new and bikes have much better scale.

My bike cost £75

was it new?

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#158

Post by max-ibel »

gibrown wrote: post #43
fotta wrote: post #16

Custom fit lightweight wheelchairs are expensive. My Ti-Lite (one of the most popular lightweight chair brands) Aero Z starts at $3k and goes up quickly with wheels and backrest and casters and various other options that I need for sitting 16 hours a day without creating more problems. Insurance covers this for me every 5 years, but of course that's not a luxury every one has. Most plans don't cover DME 100%. What Za…

Ya, I was expecting to see something not very impressive at that link, but was pleasantly surprised. My chair is about $7k and while this one doesn't look like it would work for me, it is definitely much better than the cheap hospital chairs.

Are the hospital chairs cheap? Genuinely asking...

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#159

Post by anotheruser13 »

m463 wrote: post #28
rtkwe wrote: post #26

It's odd seeing the number of dismissive comments missing that there are whole categories of wheelchairs for different purposes. It's like asking why XPSs exist when there are Chromebooks, something most people commenting here would immediately realize as a silly question because they suit different needs and functions but the idea doesn't come up because it's an unfamiliar problem.

I sort of think of left-handed people. I am right handed, but overused it and switched to a left-handed mouse. There are basically infinity right-handed mice, but basically zero left-handed mice, most of which are hedged ambidextrous mice. so looking at office chairs and standing desks and all kinds of ergonomics oriented towards healthy sitting, it seems amazing that there isn't more competition for people who sit m…

Elecom makes a nice left handed trackball. Employers don't often provide ThinkPads, so I usually use a standard mouse on the left side without swapping the buttons.

Re: A $1k Wheelchair

#160

Post by blargey »

rtkwe wrote: post #26

It's odd seeing the number of dismissive comments missing that there are whole categories of wheelchairs for different purposes. It's like asking why XPSs exist when there are Chromebooks, something most people commenting here would immediately realize as a silly question because they suit different needs and functions but the idea doesn't come up because it's an unfamiliar problem.

Nevermind that the article is clearly written by a wheelchair-user, for a publication about wheelchairs / related assistive implements, and clearly explains the pros/cons of the pricing and direct-to-consumer sales model, and includes their positive impressions on having used the chair in question as a daily-driver.
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