You’ve probably heard of origami, the Japanese art of folding paper, but have you heard of kirigami? It’s a lesser-known variation on origami that adds cuts to expand the range of possible designs, and research engineers at the University of Pittsburgh’s Human Engineering Research Laboratories hope it can revolutionize affordable design for custom wheelchairs.
Led by wheelchair user and award-winning engineer Rory Cooper, the HERL team has built a sleek-looking, customizable wheelchair that can be cut and built from a single sheet of aluminum.
“The driving motivation of kirigami chair “It’s making something that’s cheaper and easier to make,” says research engineer Jessica Steinberg. “The goal is that any prototype ends up becoming a product, that it is covered by insurance and that we essentially have a higher quality wheelchair that adapts to the person and their individual dimensions, and basically provides that higher quality of life to people who would otherwise be stuck in a chair that causes shoulder pain or [is] heavy and difficult to move.”
Steinberg says his team can already cut and assemble a wheelchair in about four hours, and he plans to reduce that time as they refine their processes.
Right now, the kirigami wheelchair is just a prototype, but many of Cooper’s innovations are commercially available. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest mobility product news and reviews.
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