http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/small-business/71564647/otaki-entrepreneurs-awardwinning-wheelchair Otaki entrepreneur's award-winning wheelchair SUSAN TEODORO August 31 2015
[images http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/6/m/0/9/l/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620x349.16lvmv.png/1440977541122.jpg Kevin Halsall's award-winning wheelchair / Supplied http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/6/m/0/9/k/image.related.StuffPortrait.238x286.16lvmv.png/1440977541122.jpg Kevin Halsall with his 2015 Innovate trophy and award-winning wheelchair / Supplied ] An Otaki entrepreneur who came up with a groundbreaking wheelchair design has beaten 10 finalists in an innovation competition. Self-employed product designer and mould-maker for the plastics industry Kevin Halsall won first prize and $10,000 in the 2015 Innovate competition. Halsall said he designed the OGO wheelchair with others in mind. The wheelchair blends electronics and battery technology with an intuitive hands-free control system, allowing users to do things like mowing the lawn or taking a cruise on the beach. Kevin Halsall with his 2015 Innovate trophy and award-winning wheelchair. "My main driving force is to make a difference in people's lives," he said. He got the idea for the seat because he has a good friend who is a paraplegic. "With him in mind I set about adapting a Segway and used him for testing," he said. A Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered electric vehicle. Halsall is trying to keep the price down so that more people can benefit and said disabled people had welcomed the product. "The more disabled people you meet the more you understand their situation," he said. "The feedback I'm getting from disabled people around the world has been quite heartwarming." [© stuff.co.nz] For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Heartwarming-feedback-for-hands-free-Segway-based-e-Wheelchair-tp4677463.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
