Wheelchair Design in Developing Countries
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this project-based engineering course on designing wheelchairs and tricycles for use in developing countries. Lectures cover operating environments, social stigma against disabled users, and local manufacturing constraints, then connect that context to engineering fundamentals like biomechanics modeling and hardware design. Multidisciplinary student teams complete term-long projects that can include manufacturing optimization or business plan development for local production. Guest lectures from MIT faculty, community partners in the developing world, and US wheelchair organizations tie the coursework to real implementation. The course grew out of an MIT Alumni Sponsored Funding Opportunities grant with backing from VentureWell, the MIT Public Service Center, and the Edgerton Center. Materials include lecture notes and project assignments, free to access through MIT OpenCourseWare with no certificate offered.