Amos Winter: The cheap all-terrain wheelchair

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

譯者: Chen-Han Hsiao 審譯者: Geoff Chen

Living with a physical disability isn't easy

對世界各地的身障人士來說

anywhere in the world,

生活並不容易

but if you live in a country like the United States,

但如果你居住在美國

there's certain appurtenances available to you that do make life easier.

有不少的輔助可以幫忙你生活地容易一些

So if you're in a building, you can take an elevator.

當你在一棟建築 你可以搭乘電梯

If you're crossing the street, you have sidewalk cutouts.

如果你要穿越馬路 你可以使用人行道無障礙坡道

And if you have to travel some distance farther

如果要到遠一點，你無法靠自己力量到達的地方

than you can do under your own power, there's accessible vehicles,

你可以駕駛無障礙車輛

and if you can't afford one of those,

如果你負擔不起

there's accessible public transportation.

你也可以搭乘公共運輸工具

But in the developing world, things are quite different.

但是在開發中國家不是這樣的

There's 40 million people who need a wheelchair but don't have one,

有四千萬人口缺乏輪椅

and the majority of these people live in rural areas,

而他們大多居住在鄉下

where the only connections to community, to employment, to education,

進入社會、取得工作、教育的唯一方式

are by traveling long distances on rough terrain

就是依靠他們自己的力量

often under their own power.

在崎嶇的路面上遠行

And the devices usually available to these people

而他們所擁有的器材不是設計來這樣使用的

are not made for that context, break down quickly,

所以很快地就壞了

and are hard to repair.

並且難以修復

I started looking at wheelchairs in developing countries in 2005,

從2005年起 我開始研究開發中國家的輪椅

when I spent the summer assessing the state of technology in Tanzania,

我花了一個夏天了解坦尚尼亞的現況

and I talked to wheelchair users, wheelchair manufacturers, disability groups,

我訪問了輪椅使用者、輪椅製造商、身障社團

and what stood out to me

實際情況是

is that there wasn't a device available

沒有任何器具

that was designed for rural areas, that could go fast

是為鄉村地形而設計

and efficiently on many types of terrain.

而可以快速且有效率地移動

So being a mechanical engineer,

身為一名在麻省理工學院的機構工程師

being at MIT and having lots of resources available to me,

有很多資源可以取用的我

I thought I'd try to do something about it.

我想試試為他們做點什麼

Now when you're talking about trying to travel

當大家開始談到

long distances on rough terrain,

在崎嶇的路面上移動到遠處

I immediately thought of a mountain bike,

我立刻想到了一台登山自行車

and a mountain bike's good at doing this

登山自行車很適合於這樣的環境

because it has a gear train,

是因為它有一條傳動鍊

and you can shift to a low gear if you have to climb a hill

如果你要爬坡，或是穿越沙土泥地

or go through mud or sand

可以將它切換到低檔位

and you get a lot of torque but a low speed.

以大扭力及低速的移動

And if you want to go faster, say on pavement,

如果你在道路上 想走得快一點

you can shift to a high gear,

你可以切換到高檔位

and you get less torque, but higher speeds.

以小扭力高速地移動

So the logical evolution here

想法上的演進是這樣的

is to just make a wheelchair with mountain bike components,

將登山自行車的元件加入到輪椅上

which many people have done.

而這已經有很多人做到了

But these are two products available in the U.S. that

有兩款在美國已經買得到的產品

would be difficult to transfer into developing countries

因為它們實在是相當的貴

很難將它們導入到發展中國家

because they're much, much too expensive.

And the context I'm talking about is where

而我想談的是

you need to have a product that is less than 200 dollars.

低於200美元的產品

And this ideal product would also be able to go

這個理想中的產品可以走大約 5 公里遠

about five kilometers a day so you could get to your job, get to school,

到你工作、學習的場所

and do it on many, many different types of terrain.

而且要在各種地形上運行

But when you get home or want to go indoors at your work,

當你回到家或是室內環境

it's got to be small enough and maneuverable enough to use inside.

它也要夠小台並具有機動性

And furthermore, if you want it to last a long time out in rural areas,

此外，如果你要在鄉下地區長時間地使用

it has to be repairable using the local tools, materials and knowledge

也要可以透過當地工具、材料

in those contexts.

來修復它

So the real crux of the problem here is,

問題真正的關鍵

how do you make a system that's a simple device

在於如何打造一個簡單的系統

but gives you a large mechanical advantage?

但又能發揮強大的機械優點

How do you make a mountain bike for your arms

如何打造一台適合你手臂操作

that doesn't have the mountain bike cost and complexity?

但花費較少、較簡易的登山自行車

So as is the case with simple solutions,

這樣條件下的簡易解決方案 經常就在你眼前

oftentimes the answer is right in front of your face, and for us it was levers.

我們想到了槓桿

我們經常使用槓桿 在工具、門把、自行車元件上

We use levers all the time, in tools, doorknobs, bicycle parts.

And that moment of inspiration, that key invention moment,

這個關鍵的靈感

was when I was sitting in front of my design notebook

是當我坐在我設計的筆記型電腦前

我想像有人抓著槓桿

and I started thinking about somebody grabbing a lever,

and if they grab near the end of the lever,

如果他們抓著槓桿的末端

they can get an effectively long lever

他們可以使用較長的力臂

and produce a lot of torque as they push back and forth,

產生較大的扭力

and effectively get a low gear.

有效的得到低檔位

And as they slide their hand down the lever,

當他們向下握住槓桿

they can push with a smaller effective lever length,

使用較短的力臂

but push through a bigger angle every stroke,

每次出力可以轉動較大的角度

使得輪子旋轉得更快 就像是高檔位一樣

which makes a faster rotational speed, and gives you an effective high gear.

So what's exciting about this system

令人興奮的是

is that it's really, really mechanically simple,

這個系統的構造是如此簡單

and you could make it using technology

你可以利用已經存在數百年的科技

製造出這項產品

that's been around for hundreds of years.

So seeing this in practice,

來看看實際運行狀況

this is the Leveraged Freedom Chair that,

在數年的研發後

所打造出來的槓桿式輪椅

after a few years of development,

we're now going into production with,

我們正要進入量產階段

and this is a full-time wheelchair user --

這是一位在瓜地馬拉的癱瘓人士

he's paralyzed -- in Guatemala,

他全天候使用輪椅

and you see he's able to traverse pretty rough terrain.

他現在可以走在很崎嶇的路面

Again, the key innovation of this technology is that when he wants to go fast,

這項科技的關鍵創新在於

he just grabs the levers near the pivots and goes through a big angle every stroke,

當他想走得快一點 他可以握住靠近軸心的位置做大角度的推動

and as the going gets tougher, he just slides his hands up the levers,

當進入較糟的路面 他只需要握住握桿的上緣

creates more torque, and kind of bench-presses his way

就可以推動較大的扭力

out of trouble through the rough terrain.

將他自己推離顛簸的路面

Now the big, important point here is that

重要的是

the person is the complex machine in this system.

操作者是整個系統中最複雜的

It's the person that's sliding his hands up and down the levers,

使用者移動他自己的手

so the mechanism itself can be very simple

所以機械本身可以非常簡單

and composed of bicycle parts you can get anywhere in the world.

自行車元件你到處都可以取得

Because those bicycle parts

這些自行車元件

are so ubiquitously available, they're super-cheap.

很便宜，到處都買得到

They're made by the gazillions in China and India,

它們在中國及印度製造

and we can source them anywhere in the world,

我們可以引進到世界各地

build the chair anywhere, and most importantly repair it,

可以到處製造這輛輪椅

even out in a village with a local bicycle mechanic

更重要的是可以透過當地的自行車店家

who has local tools, knowledge and parts available.

以它們的工具、知識、元件來修理它

Now, when you want to use the LFC indoors,

當你要在室內使用槓桿式輪椅時

all you have to do is pull the levers out of the drivetrain,

只要把槓桿從駕駛鍊抽出來

stow them in the frame, and it converts into a normal wheelchair

收到支架內 它就變成了一般的輪椅

that you can use just like any other normal wheelchair,

像一般輪椅的操作方式

and we sized it like a normal wheelchair,

我們把大小設定的與一般輪椅一樣

so it's narrow enough to fit through a standard doorway,

讓它的寬度可以通過一般的走廊

it's low enough to fit under a table,

也可以推進桌子內

and it's small and maneuverable enough to fit in a bathroom

它的機動性也足以進入浴室

and this is important so the user can get up close to a toilet,

這重要性在於使用者可以靠近馬桶

轉坐過去

and be able to transfer off

just like he could in a normal wheelchair.

就像他在一般輪椅也能做到的

Now, there's three important points that I want to stress

這項計劃能成功

that I think really hit home in this project.

有三件我想強調的部份

The first is that this product works well because

首先，這項產品能夠成功

we were effectively able to combine

是因為我們有效地結合了

rigorous engineering science and analysis with user-centered design

嚴謹的工程科學及著重使用者的設計

focused on the social and usage and economic factors

聚焦在社群、可用性、經濟等因素

important to wheelchair users in the developing countries.

這對發展中國家的輪椅使用者很重要

So I'm an academic at MIT, and I'm a mechanical engineer,

我是一名在麻省理工學院的研究員，一名機構工程師

so I can do things like look at the type of terrain you want to travel on,

我可以檢視你們所要穿越的環境

and figure out how much resistance it should impose,

計算應該施加的壓力

look at the parts we have available and mix and match them

度量我們手上有的元件

to figure out what sort of gear trains we can use,

來決定我們所要取用的傳動鍊

and then look at the power and force you can get out of your upper body

並且計算人們上半身所能推動的力量

to analyze how fast you should be able to go in this chair

來分析人們在這輛輪椅上下推動握桿時

as you put your arms up and down the levers.

能夠走得多快

So as a wet-behind-the-ears student, excited,

這些菜鳥學生們很興奮

our team made a prototype,

我們的團隊製做了一個樣版

brought that prototype to Tanzania, Kenya and Vietnam in 2008,

在2008年將它帶到了坦尚尼亞、肯亞、越南

and found it was terrible

發現它並不合用

because we didn't get enough input from users.

因為我們沒有獲得足夠的使用者回饋

So because we tested it with wheelchair users,

於是我們與輪椅使用者、輪椅製造商

with wheelchair manufacturers, we got that feedback from them,

一起進行測試、了解他們的反應

not just articulating their problems, but articulating their solutions,

不只說明他們的問題，也說明他們的解決方法

and worked together to go back to the drawing board and make a new design,

然後我們回來重新畫設計圖

which we brought back to East Africa in '09

在2009年帶回來到非洲西部

that worked a lot better than a normal wheelchair on rough terrain,

它在顛簸的路面上運作得比一般的輪椅更好

but it still didn't work well indoors because it was too big,

但它太大了以致於在室內環境不適合

it was heavy, it was hard to move around,

它太重 不容易隨意移動

so again with that user feedback, we went back to the drawing board,

得到了使用者的回饋 我們再次回到製圖板上

came up with a better design, 20 pounds lighter,

做更好的設計 也減輕20磅重量

as narrow as a regular wheelchair, tested that in a field trial in Guatemala,

也有如同一般輪椅的寬度 並在瓜地馬拉進行測試

and that advanced the product to the point

於是這項產品

where we have now that it's going into production.

進展到現在我們要開始量產的狀態

Now also being engineering scientists,

身為科學工程師

we were able to quantify the performance benefits of the Leveraged Freedom Chair,

我們也量化槓桿式輪椅的優點

so here are some shots of our trial in Guatemala

這是幾張我們在瓜地馬拉做試驗的照片

where we tested the LFC on village terrain,

我們在農村裡測試槓桿式輪椅

and tested people's biomechanical outputs,

也測量人們的生物力學輸出

their oxygen consumption, how fast they go,

及氧氣消耗量、行進速度

how much power they're putting out,

及他們推動的力量

比較一般輪椅以及槓桿式輪椅

both in their regular wheelchairs and using the LFC,

and we found that the LFC is about 80 percent faster

我們發現在這些環境裡

going on these terrains than a normal wheelchair.

槓桿式輪椅比起一般輪椅快了百分之八十

比起一般的輪椅，也多了百分之四十的效率

It's also about 40 percent more efficient than a regular wheelchair,

and because of the mechanical advantage you get from the levers,

也由於槓桿的機械特性

you can produce 50 percent higher torque

你可以多產生百分之五十的扭力

and really muscle your way through the really, really rough terrain.

讓你可以走過非常崎嶇的道路

Now the second lesson that we learned in this is that

第二 我們學到了

the constraints on this design really push the innovation,

設計上的限制也推進了創新

because we had to hit such a low price point,

因為我們必須壓低價格

because we had to make a device that could travel

因為我們要做出一樣可以在很多很多種地形行走

on many, many types of terrain but still be usable indoors,

但又能在室內使用

and be simple enough to repair,

也要夠簡易地修理

we ended up with a fundamentally new product,

我們最後發明了全新的產品

a new product that is an innovation

一樣新產品

in a space that really hasn't changed in a hundred years.

過去一百年從未出現的創新

And these are all merits that are not just good in the developing world.

這些優點不只能套用在開發中國家

Why not in countries like the U.S. too?

也可以帶到像美國這樣的國家

So we teamed up with Continuum,

我們與 Continuum 合作

a local product design firm here in Boston

這是一間在波士頓當地的製造商

打造了一款高階版本

to make the high-end version, the developed world version,

that we'll probably sell primarily in the U.S. and Europe,

我們會在美國及歐洲

but to higher-income buyers.

販賣給高收入的顧客

And the final point I want to make is that I think

最後我想說的

this project worked well because we engaged

這項計劃能成功

all the stakeholders that buy into this project and are important to consider

是因為我們結合了所有參與計劃的人

in bringing the technology from inception of an idea

將這項科技從概念

through innovation, validation, commercialization and dissemination,

到創新、驗證、商用、推廣

and that cycle has to start and end with end users.

這鏈結與使用者緊密相扣

These are the people that define the requirements of the technology,

他們有對這項科技的需求

and these are the people that have to give the thumbs-up at the end,

最終他們舉起大姆指稱讚

and say, "Yeah, it actually works. It meets our needs."

並且說「這很合用，剛好符合我們的需求」

像我一樣在學術界的人

So people like me in the academic space,

我們可以做一些像是創新、分析、測試

we can do things like innovate and analyze and test,

create data and make bench-level prototypes,

建立資料、設計實驗階段的原型機種

but how do you get that bench-level prototype to commercialization?

但你要如何將原型機種帶入到商業產品

So we need gap-fillers like Continuum that can work on commercializing,

我們需要像 Continuum 這樣可以幫助我們跨越屏障的公司

and we started a whole NGO to bring our chair to market --

我們成立了一個非政府組識 "Global Research Innovation Technology"

Global Research Innovation Technology --

來將我們的輪椅帶到市場上

and then we also teamed up with a big manufacturer in India, Pinnacle Industries,

並與印度的大型製造商 Pinnacle Industries 合作

that's tooled up now to make 500 chairs a month

每個月製造500台輪椅

下個月

and will make the first batch of 200 next month,

which will be delivered in India.

第一批將在印度推出

And then finally, to get this out to the people in scale,

最後 為了將它大量的提供給人們

we teamed up with the largest disability organization

我們與全球最大的身障組織

Jaipur Foot 一同合作

in the world, Jaipur Foot.

Now what's powerful about this model

這個模式的好處

is when you bring together all these stakeholders

是當你結合所有

that represent each link in the chain

參與這個鏈結的人

from inception of an idea

從概念的發想

all the way to implementation in the field,

到現實中的實作

that's where the magic happens.

神奇的事發生了

That's where you can take a guy like me, an academic,

你可以找到一個像我一樣

but analyze and test and create a new technology

做分析、測試、設計的人

and quantitatively determine how much better the performance is.

並且量化它的性能有多好

You can connect with stakeholders like the manufacturers

同時也連結從中賺錢的製造商

與他們面對面

and talk with them face-to-face and leverage their

整合他們的製造程序、客戶

local knowledge of manufacturing practices and their clients

and combine that knowledge with our engineering knowledge

再與我們的工程知識結合

to create something greater than either of us could have done alone.

做出一個比我們各自單獨能做的還要好的東西

And then you can also engage the end user

你也必須拉進使用者一起參與設計過程

in the design process, and not just ask him what he needs,

不只是問他們所需要的

but ask him how he thinks it can be achieved.

也問他們認為什麼是行得通的

And this picture was taken in India in our last field trial,

這是我們最後一次在印度做試驗時拍的照片

where we had a 90-percent adoption rate where people

有九成的人從一般輪椅

更換到使用我們的槓桿式輪椅

switched to using our Leveraged Freedom Chair over their normal wheelchair,

and this picture specifically is of Ashok,

特別的是 Ashok

and Ashok had a spinal injury when he fell out of a tree,

Ashok 從樹中掉下來後脊髓損傷

and he had been working at a tailor, but once he was injured

以前他是個裁縫師 但自從受傷後

he wasn't able to transport himself from his house

他沒辦法坐在一般輪椅上

over a kilometer to his shop in his normal wheelchair.

從1公里遠的家裡移動到市集

The road was too rough.

路程太顛簸了

But the day after he got an LFC, he hopped in it,

但從他拿到槓桿式輪椅的那天

rode that kilometer, opened up his shop

他走過那一公里 開始營業

and soon after landed a contract to make school uniforms

很快地拿到學校制服的合約

and started making money, started providing for his family again.

並且開始賺錢 再次養家活口

Ashok: You also encouraged me to work.

Ashok: 你鼓勵我去工作

I rested for a day at home.

我在家休息一天後

The next day I went to my shop.

隔天我就去工作

Now everything is back to normal.

現在一切都恢復正常了

Amos Winter: And thank you very much for having me today.

Amos Winter: 感謝你們來聽我演講

(Applause)