Parameterize instead of manually remodeling
Tube variation made one fixed geometry insufficient, so the workflow reduced customization to two controlled diameters.
Designing a lower-cost connection between manual wheelchairs and standard scooters
A $25 first prototype became a parameterized mobility-product system, a three-person TOM project, and the seed of Motion+.
The market’s default answer replaced an entire system.
Specialized powered attachments can cost thousands of dollars. Standard consumer scooters are widely available. The product opportunity was the connection between two systems people already owned.
The first question was not how to make a more elaborate wheelchair. It was whether a removable, customizable clamp could add the missing mobility capability without permanent modification.
That constraint became a broader product principle for Motion+: retrofit, do not replace.
Build the cheapest honest version that can teach something.
Connect existing equipment without permanent modification.
Use a low-cost, open-source, 3D-printable first architecture.
Initial prototype built with approximately $25 in materials.
Prove safety, repeatability, broader fit, and real setup performance.
Human-centered design becomes useful when it changes the engineering.
R-01
Fit different wheelchair and scooter tube diameters
Required
R-02
Remain removable and avoid permanent frame modification
Required
R-03
Support low-cost, 3D-printable iteration
Required
R-04
Make setup understandable while treating dexterity and safety as engineering constraints
Required
A working one-off bracket was not a repeatable product.
Use a guardrailed range instead of claiming universal fit
The generator accepts only the dimensions represented by the current source workflow and rejects inputs outside them.
Keep maturity visible instead of marketing past the evidence
Prototype, filing, award, partnership, pending pilot, and adoption remain separate states.
Two measurements drive a complete print-ready variant.
- 01 · InputWheelchair 18–32 mm
Scooter 12.7–33.02 mm - 02 · Design tableTwo controlled variables
Millimeters or inches - 03 · RebuildParameterized assembly
SolidWorks regeneration - 04 · Output19 STL files per variant
Named and packaged
The artifact has to leave the screen.
External recognition advanced the work. It did not finish the engineering.
Achieved · individual
Built the first QuickClamp prototype using approximately $25 in materials
achieved
Achieved · team
Three-person TOM team won the 2025 Global Innovation Challenge Daily Living Grand Prize and $2,500
achieved
Reported · company
Motion+ reports four provisional patent applications; preserved receipts directly corroborate three
reported
Pending · team
UA Adapted Athletics pilot commitment is confirmed and contingent on required safety testing
pending
Selected mobility upgrades share the same retrofit thesis.
The next stage is a test program, not a stronger adjective.
OPEN-01
Attachment-time and repeatability data
Not yet proved
OPEN-02
Braking and crowded-navigation performance
Not yet proved
OPEN-03
Broader chair/scooter fit matrix
Not yet proved
OPEN-04
Formal safety evidence, manufacturing handoff, and commercial adoption
Not yet proved
The claims should survive leaving this page.
The person does not need replacing. The barrier does.