A wheelchair for Africa

Why are off-road wheelchairs like London buses? Because you wait ages for one and then two come along at once.Over the past few weeks, two very similar - but independent - projects have emerged. Both involve converting old bicycles (with the addition of a few extra parts) into off-road wheelchairs suitable for use in the developing world.Apparently the old wheelchairs donated by hospitals and individuals in the developed world just aren't up to the task - the flimsy chairs quickly fall apart on dirt roads, and a sturdier design is urgently required.You can see the two wheelchairs in action in the videos below.The first, produced by a team of engineering students at the University of Nottingham, UK, certainly looks robust enough to operate in tough conditions.But the second wheelchair, produced by students at Imperial College London, UK, is arguably the more impressive. Although superficially similar to the Nottingham design, the emphasis here is on boosting local economies. The wheelchair is assembled with nuts and bolts rather than expensive welding equipment, and so it could be manufactured in local communities in just a few days.The Institute of Mechanical Engineers in London are impressed too. They awarded the Imperial College students the Orthofix Prize for Best Medical Engineering Project in the 20th Annual Medical Engineering Student Project Competition.When I spoke to Peter Njuguna, a member of the Imperial College team, he was surprised to learn that there was a rival group tackling the same problem. Here's hoping that the two teams manage to get together in the future. A design combining the best elements of both wheelchairs could make a real difference.Colin Barras, online technology reporter