Design agency Layer has revealed the first official pictures of its 3D printed wheelchair that could potentially give a new lease of life to disabled people around the world.
We recently featured the design project, led by Benjamin Hubert, to create the world’s first 3D printed consumer wheelchair. He wanted to strip weight and complication out of the traditional wheelchair, while providing a tailored chair that is more comfortable, practical and efficient.
The GO prototype looks to have lived up to its potential and the first pictures are simply stunning. This is not a facsimile of a traditional wheelchair. It’s a complete ground-up redesign that really could change lives.
Tailored, cost effective and efficient
A tailored seat is moulded to the individual. That means you can do away with padding and still have a more comfortable chair for extended periods. A custom foot bay should help quadriplegics avoid embarrassing ‘pigeon toe’ and high friction rims mean it will make the most of every push to help the user conserve energy.
The team is now looking for commercial partners to put the lightweight chair into limited production so that a selection of people can test the chair and prove its potential in the real world.
After seeing the first pictures, we’re sure this one is going to happen.
