MOTUS: Automotive Interior for Active Paraplegics: Gold, Student Designs

Contact: Katherine Bennett, Art Center College of Design, USA, 310 392-6081, kbid@earthlink.net

Credit: T. Jon Mayer, Eugene Bae, John Caswell, Ryan Dickman and Morgan Wise, Art Center College of Design

MOTUS is an automotive interior concept for an active paraplegic user. The team's approach eliminated the time consuming and awkward transition from the wheelchair to the car required by current systems. Their solution includes a wheelchair design that integrates directly into the vehicle's interior. The seat from the wheelchair is used as the seat for the driver. Once the seat is locked into place it is automatically detached from the rest of the wheelchair, which is easily collapsed and stored in a triangular storage space directly behind the driver. The car is also on hydraulic lifts so it can be lowered to give the user access to the rear seat and storage area.

"Where design interfaces with human needs at their most demanding is often a neglected area for the design profession. Taking a wheelchair and car interior as an integrated whole for use by paraplegics has resulted in a challenging and much to be encouraged proposal that demands the development of a further model for production line cars. Given the enormous profits made in the automotive industry, such a research development program should be a required objective throughout that industry." -Natascha Drabbe, I/IDSA, Project Manager, Premsela, Dutch Design Foundation