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# Building an Automatic Standing Wheelchair♿

## The Problem and Need

Most physically handicapped people face a serious problem when it comes to their movements as well as difficulty in reaching heights smoothly. They need someone to push their wheelchairs so that they can attain smooth movement. If they find nobody to help them, they are required to push their wheelchairs themselves by wheeling the chair with their hands. The conventional wheelchairs consume their breath when wheeling/pushing the chair as they push their bodies. With this new Automatic Standing Wheelchair upgrade, it solves not only the movement problems by using hands but provides greater freedom and independence to persons with mobility impairments.

## Giving Someone the Ability to Stand
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Standing – even without the possibility for walking – will make a significant difference for those who have lost or never had this ability, and who, by way of technical aids, once again are able to do so. In this project, the focus is on integrating the ability to stand into a wheelchair. This provides an easy way to obtain a standing position without the need to transfer to a standing frame, and it provides a more functional reach when performing activities in daily life. Giving people the ability to stand improves their independence, makes activities more efficient, slows down osteoporosis and increases self-confidence. For wheelchair users, this is no small deal - even being able to talk with others at eye level is something that many non-disabled people may take for granted.

Think of it as an update. We all love getting new updates of our favorite gadgets like phones, and we pay a decent amount for it too. But more often than not, we don’t necessarily use the updates in the phone and it wouldn’t matter much if we kept the older version. What I am making is an update of the wheelchair already in use, but this particular update is life-changing, it can completely change a person’s life and open to them doors they couldn’t possibly think exist, and that is giving them their independence back.

The upgrade comprises mechanical, electrical and computerized systems into what is known as an Automatic Standing Wheelchair.

## The Making


The wheelchair comprises lots of engineering principles, but here were a few steps I performed to reach the final product I would like to share for easy understanding.

### 1. Mechanics

Involvement of mechanics comprises the whole skeleton of the chair. Mechanical structures hold the batteries, motors, tires and the seating place of a person. See the pictures below of the earlier stages.


### 2. Power Source

This section is an essential part in the Automatic Standing Wheelchair since it provides the movement of the whole chair by the rotation of electric motors and actuation of linear actuators by a battery power source and a well-designed motor power drive circuit.


For the movement of the wheelchair and position adjustments the best electric parts used were, including: electric DC geared motors and linear actuators (for position adjustments).

### 3. Electronics

The part is the heart of controlling movement of the wheelchair. All the electronic drive circuits were constructed and were embedded into the system of my upgraded Automatic Standing Wheelchair. A few embedded circuits were programmed to achieve the potential goal of my project


### More Benefits

My modern upgrade of the Automatic Standing Wheelchair contains lots of physical benefits to the user, for example: improved breathing, better blood flow, enhancing bladder and bowel functioning, increased bone density and a reduction of spasticity and contractures.

Other Benefits of an Automatic Standing Wheelchair include:
* Provision of Independence as it lessens the need of home adaptations eg reaching shelves)
* Easier and safer transfers
* Social participation and engagement. It can give power-chair users more confidence when it comes to engaging in social activities