Professor Choi's research team from Keimyung University has developed the Desorption Portable Electric Wheelchair. This is affordable and changeable between electric-powered and hand-operated. Also, this solves the electric wheelchair’s problem that it can’t be loaded into a car because of its weight and volume.
The wheelchair was made by three students who have worked on it since July 2012. The research team made two test products funded by the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation and donated one to our university and one to Dongsan Hospital.
The benefit of this is the total weigh is less than 10kg. Also, it is very convenient because the battery is detachable. Last, an electric wheelchair costs over 3 million won, but this can be produced for only one tenth of an electric wheelchair’s price.
Yoon Seong-cheol, (Senior, Department of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering) who participated in the development, explained, “The wheelchairs are not perfect products. We have to lower the weight of the battery and need to develop a joystick and the handle that someone pushing it uses. In a few months, the completed product will be made. Disabled people’s convenience will get better because of the wheelchair.”