Design and evaluation of a simple, inexpensive, ultralight wheelchair

For the past several years, there has been a documented need for wheelchairs in developing and third world countries. Two of the primary obstacles to the introduction of wheelchairs in these countries have been the complexity of the manufacturing process as well as the high cost of their production. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the design of a simple, inexpensive and ultralight wheelchair frame fabricated with PVC pipe that can be easily produced in third world countries. The cost of the materials for the frame is under $30 and fabrication time is less than 4 hours. The PVC frame has undergone rigorous testing and has passed a substantial portion of the Department of Veterans Affarirs standards.