International Journal of Research in Mechanical Engineering

Volume 1, Issue 2, October-December, 2013, pp. 01-10, IASTER 2013

www.iaster.com, ISSN Online:2347-5188 Print: 2347-8772

Conceptual Product Development of Wheelchair for

People Disabled in Legs
Sumedh J. Suryawanshi1, Dr. K. Janardhan Reddy2
1

M-Tech CAD-CAM, SMBS, VIT University, Chennai

Associate Professor, SMBS, VIT University, Chennai

ABSTRACT
People with disability in legs face lot of problems in terms of mobility. They face extra difficulty
especially in transferring themselves to/ from bed. This paper proposes a conceptual design of
inbuilt person transfer mechanism in a wheelchair. This mechanism assists the disabled person to
move easily onto the bed and back again. The development of the concept involved conducting a
survey to understand the needs and requirements of the wheelchair users. The needs of the
customer were prioritized by implementing Forced Decision and DARE (Decision Alternative
Ratio Evaluation) analysis on the inputs gathered from survey. Based on the prioritization, five
concepts were generated and three best concepts were selected using concept screening approach.
These selected concepts were modelled using SOLIDWORKS 2012. Pugh method was used to
select the best concept based on the weightages and ratings acquired from survey. This paper
provides a step by step procedure for conceptual product development of wheelchair.

Keywords: Concept generation, Forced decision, DARE analysis, Inbuilt transfer mechanism,
Product development, Pugh, Wheelchair.

1.

INTRODUCTION

Disability has affected thousands of families in the world. As of today approximately 650 million
people, are suffering from disability [1]. In developing country like India there are almost 21.9
million people with some or the other disability [2]. Regardless of their disabilities, these people
still need to get up each morning and live life. For most, this can only be possible with the help of
a wheelchair. Wheelchair is a device which can empower and enable a person with a disability to
live a normal and independent life. Over the years wheelchairs have evolved rapidly from the
manual wheelchairs to the powered wheelchairs. But still these wheelchairs have not been able to
satisfy the needs of the disabled people. It is therefore critical that the problems of disabled be
understood and accordingly wheelchairs are developed fulfilling their needs.
To rest on bed, the disabled person needs to transfer from wheelchair. This task is normally done
using hands or by assistance from a caretaker. During transfer lot of care needs to be taken in order
to ensure safety of the person, caretaker and the equipment. Transferring using hand may put lot of
physical burden on the person. There are various moving and handling devices available in the
market. But these devices have their own limitations which restrict their use and they need to be
purchased separately, increasing the cost of wheelchair. Though the latest wheelchairs have
different features, they still lack inbuilt person transfer mechanism. Hence there arises a need for
exploring new concepts having transfer devices directly incorporated in the wheelchairs. Today
there is an increase in the use of electric powered wheelchairs in India. These wheelchairs provide
greater comfort and mobility compared to hand propelled wheelchairs. But due to high costs these
wheelchairs are not preferred by the masses.

International Journal of Research in Mechanical Engineering

Volume-1, Issue-2, October-December, 2013, www.iaster.com

ISSN

(O) 2347-5188
(P) 2347-8772

The number of people disabled in legs is very high compared to other disabilities. These people
have difficulty in moving easily and need to depend on their upper body strength for most of the
time. Hence in this paper the wheelchair considered is a wheelchair driven by motor powered by
batteries. This wheelchair can be easily driven by a person disabled in legs using a joystick. The
transfer mechanism incorporated is fully or semi-automatic to provide the user comfort and easy
control. This battery powered wheelchair will give the disabled people freedom and increased
mobility along with inbuilt option of moving to and fro to bed without any assistance from other
person.

2.

LITERATURE SURVEY

To formulate the design problem, extensive research was done on method of systematic design
process and different disabilities in people, wheelchairs, transfer devices and mobility solutions
available in the market. Various wheelchairs available in the market were studied to find out the
feature that needed to be targeted in this design. In this process literature survey was done using
research papers, project reports, product catalogs, patent papers, inputs from wheelchair
manufacturers and finally the consumers.
Chakrabarti discusses the main phases of systematic design process [3]. Data from the Government
of India depicts the statistics of disabled people in India in detail [4]. It also shows that number
people disabled in legs are much more than the people with other disabilities. So, it is necessary to
focus more attention towards these people. In market there is lot of variety and types of wheelchairs
available. Hence it is essential to consider various factors like the type of disability, health status, financial
status, etc. while selecting the wheelchair. The wheelchair website shows wheelchair with their types,
design, operation, specifications and their features in detail [5]. To select the feature to be targeted for
designing, the product catalog of wheelchairs from Pinnacle industrial enterprises was considered [6]. Their
wheelchairs are mainly powered wheelchair with a wide range of variety in terms of design, features and
cost. Using information from above literatures it was decided to design inbuilt transfer mechanism in a
wheelchair. To get some ideas on different wheelchairs and transfer mechanisms available, a patent search
was done. Noonan, Fog developed a patented design of a convertible wheelchair with movable carriages to
transfer the user to/from wheelchair [7]. Denosky developed a wheelchair having a mechanism where
airbags are blown under the patient to lift him up and move him onto the bed using set of guides on the
wheelchair chassis. The main specialty of this mechanism is that it can transfer the person to bed in lying
position [8]. Jayamanne developed a wheelchair with cushioned seat where the backrest slides backwards
and the person can move onto the bed sideways [9]. Website of one of the famous transfer devices
manufacturers describes in detail available transfer mechanism and devices in market [10]. The
most popular being the transfer belts, transfer boards and transfer pivot disc.
The concept development of the wheelchair is done in various steps. To design a product, the
needs and requirements of the customer needs to be understood. This is possible by conducting a
detailed survey. This survey helps in deciding the target function. After feedback is taken from the
customers, the needs of the customers are prioritized. Different concepts are generated with the help of
sketches. Then it is essential to evaluate the concepts and reduce the number of selected concepts to
finally get the best concept. This selection process is done using the Pugh concept selection method
where we narrow down the concepts first by concept screening and then by concept scoring. After the
best concept is selected, the detailed design and specifications is given [11].

International Journal of Research in Mechanical Engineering

Volume-1, Issue-2, October-December, 2013, www.iaster.com

ISSN

(O) 2347-5188
(P) 2347-8772

Very few literatures discuss about battery powered wheelchairs having an inbuilt person transfer
mechanism. Hence we focus on developing this design using the best methods in product
development from above available literatures.

3.

METHODOLOGY AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION

3.1 Flowchart
For developing the wheelchair following were the methods adopted. The flowchart (Fig.1) shows
the steps followed during the development of wheelchair with inbuilt transfer mechanism.
3.2 Conducting the basic survey 01 on wheelchairs
To understand the needs of the wheelchair users a basic survey was conducted among 30 people to
know about their current wheelchair, their expectations and their preferences. This was an online
survey and wheelchair users from different places, disabilities and background participated in it.
The users were asked to rate the different attributes, describe the methods they used to transfer
themselves and the degree of difficulty while transferring [12].
In the survey the people rated the important attributes that need to be focused. Following is the
graph (Fig. 02) showing the rating given by the wheelchair users to different attributes. Ratings
were given in between 1-10 in increasing order of importance.

Fig. 1 Flowchart

International Journal of Research in Mechanical Engineering

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(O) 2347-5188
(P) 2347-8772

ISSN

Fig. 2 Rating of attributes in the initial survey 01

3.3 Prioritisation of the customer requirements

3.3.1 FD (Forced Decision matrix method)
This is the initial method to find out importance of different features in the wheelchair. In this
method, the attributes are compared in pairs. In a pair if the considered function is more important
than the other then it is given rating as one and if it is less important, it is given rating as zero.
Finally the net score is calculated and ranking is obtained.

Attributes
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H

Comfort
Cost
Additional features
Service and
maintenance
Ease of operation
Mobility
Aesthetics
Ease of transfer

Comparative Study
A
B
C
D
1

1
1

0
0
0

0
0

0
1
0
1

0
1
0
1

1
1
1
1

1
1
0

1
1
1
1

E
1
1
0
0

1
0
1

0
0
0
0

1
1
0
0

0
0
0
0

1
1

0
1
0

0
0

T
5
4
0
1

R
3
4
8
7

3
7
2
6

5
1
6
2

3.3.2 DARE (Decision Alternative Ratio Evaluation) analysis

DARE analysis is the method to quantify the degree of importance of the attributes. Once the
priorities have been determined by Forced Decision matrix method, it is easy to compare the
importance of two items that are next to each other in priority. In this method we write first the
attribute highest in priority ranking. The lower attribute is given the factor 1 and the higher priority
is given number greater than 1.The priority factor is derived from the survey 01 by considering the
percentage difference between the ratings between lower and higher ranked attribute. Finally
importance of each attribute in terms of percentage is obtained.
4

International Journal of Research in Mechanical Engineering

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Table 2 DARE analyses

Function
Description
1
2
3
4
5

Mobility
Ease of transfer
Comfort
Cost
Ease of operation

1.16
1

1.05
1

1.10
1

1.22
1

6 Aesthetics
7 Service and
maintenance
8 Additional
features
Total

W (%)

1.16
1.05
1.10
1.22
1.10

3.43
2.94
2.80
2.54
2.08

20.16
17.28
16.36
14.12
12.22

1.34

1.40
1.34

1.88
1.34

10.87
7.47

5.87

17.01

100

1.10
1

1.40
1

3.4 Generation of concepts (Sketches)

3.4.1 Concept 1
In this concept the person can move to the bed using
the leg support pad which is extended by a pneumatic
cylinder.
Fig. 3 End view of concept 1

3.4.2 Concept 2
In this concept the person moves onto bed by a conveyor mechanism which pushes him forward.
The chair has guides and can revolve about itself giving the user 360 degree accessibility. Fig. 4
shows concept 2.
3.4.3 Concept 3
In this concept the wheelchair has a movable and extendable board. The person can transfer
himself from this board to the bed. Fig. 5 shows concept 3.

Fig. 4 End view of concept 2

Fig. 5 Top view of concept 3

International Journal of Research in Mechanical Engineering

Volume-1, Issue-2, October-December, 2013, www.iaster.com

ISSN

(O) 2347-5188
(P) 2347-8772

3.4.4 Concept 4
This wheelchair has the provision of moving
the backrest and resting it onto the bed. The
person can slide over the backrest to the bed in
backward direction.
Fig. 6 End view of concept 4

3.4.5 Concept 5
In this concept the wheelchair seat is supported
by a ball joint and actuator arrangement .So using
this arrangement the person can move his seat on
to the bed and transfer himself.
Fig. 7 End view of concept 5

3.5 Pugh method (Concept screening)

We need to select the top three concepts and model them. This selection can be easily done using
concept screening method. In concept screening a concept is chosen to become the benchmark or
reference concept against which all the other concepts are rated. A relative score of better than
(+), same as(S), or worse than (-) is placed in each cell of the matrix to represent how much the
individual concept rates in comparison to the reference concept with respect to a particular
criterion.
This is a very simple and easy method .We only consider the sketches as they are only a general
notion of the ultimate product and any more detailed ratings are meaningless. TABLE 03 shows
the concept screening.
Table 3 Concept screening

International Journal of Research in Mechanical Engineering

Volume-1, Issue-2, October-December, 2013, www.iaster.com

ISSN

(O) 2347-5188
(P) 2347-8772

3.6 Modelling of concepts using SOLIDWORKS 2012

From the concept screening process we have selected 3 concepts i.e. Concept 1, Concept 2,
Concept 3 according to their nets scores. So these concepts have been modelled in SOLIDWORKS
2012.
3.6.1 Concept 1
In this wheelchair the disabled person can transfer
himself from wheelchair to bed easily using the
modified leg support extended by automatic
pneumatic cylinder. The person can support himself
using the handles on the extended leg support.
Figure 8 shows the rendered model of concept 1.
Fig. 8 Rendered Model of Concept 1

3.6.2 Concept 2
This wheelchair has unique seat having conveyor
belt to move the person forward. The seat can also
rotate easily 360 degrees. When the person has to
transfer himself to bed, he/she can move the seat along the guide and move forward by conveyor
mechanism. The leg-rests are adjustable and can be turned to allow obstacle free transfer. Figure 9
shows the rendered model of concept 2.
3.6.3 Concept 3
This wheelchair has a board similar to the transfer board. When the person needs to move to bed
he can just move the arm rest out and can move the board parallel to the bed using electric motor.
The board can be rested on bed and person can move with cushioned arm rest for back support.
Figure 10 shows the rendered model of concept 3.

Fig. 9 Rendered Model of Concept 2

Fig. 10 Rendered Model of Concept 3

International Journal of Research in Mechanical Engineering

Volume-1, Issue-2, October-December, 2013, www.iaster.com

ISSN

(O) 2347-5188
(P) 2347-8772

3.7 Feedback on developed concepts

A survey 02 was conducted to get the reviews from the people on the three different concepts
generated. The participants were asked to rate the concepts and provide suggestions to improve the
design [13].
Following graph shows the average ratings obtained for each feature for every concept. Ratings
were given in between 1-5 which stand for 1- very poor, 2- poor, 3- satisfactory, 4-good and 5very good.

Fig. 11 Rating on Different Concepts

The results of the survey 02 show that concept 2 is the best concept among the three followed by
concept 1 and concept 3 respectively.

Fig. 12 Selection of concept through survey 02

3.8 Pugh method- Concept scoring

After the three concepts are selected it is essential to select the best concept in order to develop it
into physical product. This was done by concept scoring method. In this method, weightage for
each criterion was assigned according to DARE analysis results. The ratings for each feature for
every concept were taken from results of survey 02 (Fig 11). The scores were determined by the
weighted sum of ratings for each concept.
Concept 2 is being chosen as the best concept for further development as seen from TABLE 4.

International Journal of Research in Mechanical Engineering

Volume-1, Issue-2, October-December, 2013, www.iaster.com

ISSN

(O) 2347-5188
(P) 2347-8772

Table 4 Concept Scoring

Attributes
1
2

Mobility
Ease of
transfer
3 Comfort
4 Cost
5 Ease of
operation
6 Aesthetics
7 Service and
maintenance
8 Additional
features
Net Score
Rank
Continue?

4.

Weight
%
20.16
17.28

Concept 01
Rating Weighted
score
3
0.604
2.96
0.511

Concept 02
Rating Weighted
score
3
0.604
4.07
0.703

Concept 03
Rating Weighted
score
3
0.604
2.48
0.428

16.36
14.12
12.22

2.93
3.31
2.81

0.479
0.467
0.343

3.78
2.23
4.30

0.618
0.314
0.525

2.42
3.65
2.04

0.395
0.515
0.249

10.87
7.47

3.04
2

0.330
0.148

3.67
4

0.398
0.298

2.44
4

0.265
0.298

5.87

0.117

0.176

0.176

2.999
II
No

3.631
I
Develop

2.848
III
No

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Final product with its part list

Since we have selected the best concept we need
to develop it. Before this concept is sent for
prototyping detailed design with its specifications
needs to be done. In this paper only the rendered
model of SOLIDWORKS 2012 and the part list
are presented.
Fig. 13 3D model of concept 2

Table 5 Part list

Part No.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Part name

Cushioned back rest

Seat with conveyor to move front
and back
Cushioned seat
Movable leg rest
Chassis
Caster wheels
Rear drive wheel
Motor to drive the wheels
Battery
Arm rest with joystick

Quantity

1
1
1
2
1
2
2
2
2
1

International Journal of Research in Mechanical Engineering

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5.

ISSN

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CONCLUSIONS

This paper provides a step by step procedure to develop any product. Different methods like FD,
DARE analysis and Pugh concept selection method for converting the needs of the customers into
a conceptual product are discussed in detail. The role of feedback from the wheelchair has played
an essential role in the development process and helped in developing the product satisfying their
needs. This wheelchair developed can easily help the people disabled in legs to transfer themselves
to bed without any assistance.
This wheelchair concept selected has lot of advantages. The conveyor belt can easily transfer the user
to the bed and back again. Due to 360 degrees movement of wheelchair seat the user can transfer
from any side. The cushion on the seat and leg-rest ensures comfort ride for the user. The easy
movement of leg-rest ensures obstacle free transfer. This wheelchair with some further improvement
can provide the wheelchair users the complete sense of freedom and a comfortable ride.

6.

FUTURE SCOPE OF APPLIED RESEARCH

There is a huge scope for this research in order to improve the design. Selected concept need to be
worked out with detailed design specifications. DFMA (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly)
principles may be utilized to refine the product design. Prototype may be generated and tested in real
time environment. Work may be extended to transfer on to toilet seat and car seat on similar lines.
For designers it is essential to develop wheelchairs which can be afforded by masses providing
comfort, safety and complete mobility. Lot of efforts need to be put in order to develop wheelchairs
which will give the user the complete sense of freedom and a chance to progress in life on their own.

7.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors would like to thank the people, organizations who have given their valuable feedback
and suggestions to develop a better product.

REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]

http://censusindia.gov.in dated February 04, 2013.

http://www.disabledworld.com dated February 05, 2013.
A. Chakrabarti, T. Bligh, T. Holden, Towards a decision support framework for embodiment
phase of mechanical design, Artificial Intelligence in Engineering 7 (1992) 21-36.
S. Das, Government of India, Manual on disability statistics, Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation, March 19, 2012.
http://www.1800wheelchair.com dated February 15, 2013.
Pinnacle Industrial Enterprises product catalog, January 2010.
M. Noonan, S. Fog, Convertible wheelchairs with movable carriages for transferring patients to/from the
wheelchairs, United States patent application publication, US 2012/0292883 A1, November 22,2012.
J. Denosky, Patient transfer device, United States patent application publication, US 7,487,559 B1,
February 10, 2009.
D. Jayamanne, Patient transfer chair system, United States patent application publication,
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http://www.agilelifebed.com dated March 06, 2013.
K. Ulrich, S. Eppinger, A.Goyal, product design and development (4th Edition, Tata
McGraw Hill Education Private Limited, New Delhi, 2009).
Survey 01 link : http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MVR79ZK March 25 , 2013.
Survey 02 link : http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7MNF68S April 6, 2013.
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