Not a Wheelchair [video] • Hacker News Board

Re: Not a Wheelchair [video]

#51

Post by Spare_account » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:35 PM UTC

a-wu wrote: post #44

Spare_account wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>my power wheelchair costs north of $50k What kind is it? Here in the UK the typical price I'm finding is ~£1000, with high end models ~£3000 https://www.uk-wheelchairs.co.uk/electric-wheelchairs-power-... https://www.careco.co.uk/cat-wc09/powerchairs.htm

I use a Permobil F3 with a lot of additions. The price I mentioned is the insurance price in the US and in many cases self-pay will bring it down but it's often still prohibitively expensive. I had to self-pay for an add-on on my current chair and that was $2400 itself. Oftentimes in the US, manufacturers will only sell products through a licensed DME so you have to pay a markup there too.

Yes, I was clearly looking in the wrong places. I can see the Permobil F3 listed in it's base spec for ~£10,000 over here.

Re: Not a Wheelchair [video]

#52

Post by Abishek_Muthian » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:37 PM UTC

jcims wrote: post #40

throw7 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He got very political some years ago (trump/clinton stuff) and I unsubscribed.

Does Facebook have a patent on their snooze feature? It would be a nice addition to YouTube and Twitter.

There was a discussion in my problem validation platform regarding 'saving offer notifications'[1] for later use. If that is implemented, perhaps we could have snooze feature for any notification on it.

[1]https://needgap.com/problems/77-saving-offer-notifications-o...

Re: Not a Wheelchair [video]

#53

Post by ansible » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:41 PM UTC

pkulak wrote: post #11

mdasen wrote: post #3

I think e-bike technology is going to get adapted to all sorts of new uses like this. I think there's a lot of opportunity to create great vehicles for people that will offer a good accessibility. https://rootedinrights.org/video/disabled-bikers/ This video shows bikers of many different abilities using many different kinds of bikes and it shows how versatile bikes can be for different people. I'm kinda curious why i…

Far more stability, right? I assumed that's why 3-wheel ATVs are banned pretty much everywhere.

> Far more stability, right? I assumed that's why 3-wheel ATVs are banned pretty much everywhere.

Those were single-wheel in front, two wheels in back. I guy from my high-school rolled one and broke his wrist, back in the day.

Re: Not a Wheelchair [video]

#54

Post by sebazzz » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:42 PM UTC

me_me_me wrote: post #35

throw7 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He got very political some years ago (trump/clinton stuff) and I unsubscribed.

what? I occasionally watch his videos. The only thing political i heard him say was about rights to repair, apple fighting repeatability, or small rants how apple designs for anti repairs.

He approaches things with humor and uses the current news. For instance in one of his smartphone videos "And this phone has a xyz mAh battery, and also if you look close you can read Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself."

This is without taking a stand in the matter - which is good.

Re: Not a Wheelchair [video]

#55

Post by ansible » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:43 PM UTC

woriuweflksdncn wrote: post #50

kube-system wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably just fine. It seems they intend this mostly for use on soft surfaces, where the lack of a differential isn't really an issue, even on large vehicles, because the surface itself is compliant enough to make up for the lack of differential action. But even on a hard surface it might work just fine, because the turning radius looks pretty shallow. The advantage is that a solid axle is simple, cheap, reliable, an…

I mostly agree about the advantages, but two motors would be arguably simpler from a mechanical standpoint.

Yes, I might have gone for two smaller hub motors, rather than a solid rear axle. But maybe they tried that too.

Re: Not a Wheelchair [video]

#56

Post by mrfusion » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:47 PM UTC

Did he say there’s no differential? Solid read axle? That could be hard to turn on non dirt surfaces?

Re: Not a Wheelchair [video]

#57

Post by imglorp » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:48 PM UTC

Zenbit_UX wrote: post #20

Can anyone point me in a good direction to start making something like this myself? I've dabbled with arduinos but never really large electric motors and battery packs. I think it would be a lot of fun to make myself an ebike or whatever this thing is.

If I were doing this, and it looks like a load of fun anyway, I'd start with go-kart frame designed for a lawnmower engine. You'd get a roll cage, 5 point seatbelt, brakes, hand controls for throttle. Just add batteries, electric motor, and electronics. Like this one:

http://wesellit.ca/m/image/catalog/products/gokart200cc-roll...

Re: Not a Wheelchair [video]

#58

Post by mrfusion » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:48 PM UTC

Any idea how to start building and selling this kind of stuff? It’s my dream job. But I’m not charismatic enough to make videos.

Re: Not a Wheelchair [video]

#59

Post by lmilcin » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:51 PM UTC

Shows simple is sometimes most effective.

While a device with bunch of features would be better, most people with disability don't need features, they need something reliable to move around that doesn't require huge fortune to keep running.

From what I see this thing is so simple nobody will have trouble repairing it with regular tools and off the shelf parts so most people will be able ask family member to get it repaired.

Re: Not a Wheelchair [video]

#60

Post by Skunkleton » Wed, Jul 01, 2020, 4:51 PM UTC

a-wu wrote: post #32

Someone1234 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And one might argue, it isn't a usable product without assistance. Per the video, she couldn't even lower the handle without him to exit, and it certainly isn't getting in/out of even wheelchair converted vehicles by itself. Not to mention electrical power (Vs. gas in the competition) definitely could result in the user being stranded, even if it has a power-usage monitor (given how environmental factors can impact n…

I mean, speaking for myself mainly here, but I wouldn’t really feel comfortable in _any_ off-road situation without a buddy with me. And most of my friends who handcycle regularly generally always have someone with them. But then again I don’t want to exclude the population who are capable of doing this independently.

Able or not, it is usually a good idea to have a buddy when you do this sort of thing.