Last month we added a new exhibit to our Gallery at One Market. Like the Brokk and RKS Guitars exhibits, the Magic Wheels wheelchair came to us from our gallery in Lake Oswego.
Wheelchairs are a crucial assistive technology, but the traditional, single-speed, manual wheelchair design makes it difficult for even the strongest users to get up and down inclines on their own. Using Autodesk Inventor, the Magic wheels team created and tested 250 precision parts that comprise a revolutionary wheel system that features dual gears, brakes, and hill-holding technology. When it's time to go up hill, the user shifts to a lower gear via a lever near the hand-held rim. If the user needs to rest halfway up, he can apply a brake which will keep the wheelchair in place instead of losing ground.
The people
- Magic Wheels // more
The Autodesk software used in the process:
- Autodesk Inventor // more
Getting around in a wheelchair presents its own challenges. We are happy to see that engineering was applied to help in uphill situations. We are proud to have Autodesk software play a role in this endeavor. Carl Bass always says we should be a good, great, and important company: Good in that we are a socially responsible corporate citizen. Great in the return we provide to our stockholders. Important in that our customers make a difference in the world using the software we provide. This one hits the mark.
We are happy to have this addition to our collection.
The gallery is open to the public on Wednesdays from 12 pm to 5 pm, and admission is free. Visit us.
Telling the Autodesk story through the work of our customers is alive in the lab.