I built the fastest wheelchair

Very hyped to finally share my new design with you guys!
I go very fast in this video, which may distract from other features of this design. This electric drive gives me much more possibilities and independence.
Me going fast in this video is just a proof of concept.
Check out my instagram for some more content
nschinacher
Here is the link to the CAD files and some details
github.com/nicoschinacher/wheeldrive
0:00 Intro
1:03 Design
1:38 Building parts
3:32 Electronics
4:25 Assembling
6:12 Testing
8:14 Testing with Handcycle
9:31 Usability
10:35 Outro

[@JerryRigEverything]

Nice work!! That turned out awesome.

[@EDPistons]

We need some sort of teardown of this

[@YusufIslam1]

Don't do any deeper grooves on this. 😉

[@nexusyang4832]

Let's get started. :)

[@DisabledEngineer]

Thank you! Finally a simple and more reliable solution :) Also thank you for sharing!

[@imafridi]

show how you fixed the pully to wheel@@DisabledEngineer

[@hacksmith]

This is awesome! Nice work!!!

[@sfsrocketengineer2492]

woaaaa

[@nexusyang4832]

You know you're about to trend when multiple large and verified KZbinrs drop enter the comments section. :) PS Will you mount a light saber to this wheelchair? 😅

[@DisabledEngineer]

Thank you!!

[@Pryside]

Absolutely love it. Even the welding was so clean. Hope this video blows up! :)

[@nexusyang4832]

Dark humor but him being a paraplegic actually gives him an advantage. But seriously though, seeing him crusing at such high speed is pretty bananas!!!! Great work!!! :)

[@TheRedshirt]

I mean if you're going to have to adjust to being wheelchair bound. This is a fantastic way to approach that challenge.

[@patomahony9747]

My wife uses a storm 3 for past 20 odd years. One down side has been the inability to go off road or on a beach. Your design has given me the idea to build this design using a sports style wheel chair as a donor and fit wider wheels more suited to soft conditions. Thank you FYI I weld as a hobbyist but never cracked welding aluminium For a second attempt on aluminium your welds look as good as many professional welds I have seen.

[@Walldeck]

Hey, was für eine coole Kiste! Immer das Beste daraus machen, nach vorne schauen und sich an dem erfreuen was man noch kann. Dies ist mein Motto. Meine Nerven machen die Nutzung Deiner Technik für mich nicht möglich aber ich habe Freude daran, zu sehen was Du so machst! Klasse! The English text, see below 👍 Hey, what a cool box! Always make the best of it, look ahead and enjoy what you can still do. This is my motto. My nerves don't make using your technique possible for me but I do enjoy seeing what you are up to! Great!

[@LiveOverflow]

Amazing work :)

[@iamagi._]

Nice work

[@maxcinta5760]

I'll take one. I want mine to go back and forth to the Grocery stores.

[@adaptdefy]

Good one! Thanks for the share!

[@matthewnelson5293]

That's badass! You should absolutely get a wheelie bar, lol. That's a lot of torque

[@DisabledEngineer]

Maybe it would help with launching, but I like having full control over my wheelchair

[@abdallahmendhawi5898]

Awesome build, also a juicer (10:30) xqcL

[@DisabledEngineer]

A fellow juicer xcqL

[@MrHemlock51]

Excellent job. Looks like your speed controller could do with a "tortoise" mode for careful manoeuvring in tight areas.

[@DisabledEngineer]

Thanks! With the remote I can control the torque of the motors very precisely. Going slow is no problem

[@J_Lieb]

Incredible work Nico.

[@Gouleur]

Very cool project, though I don't think I'd dare going that fast on mine.

[@DisabledEngineer]

I usually don't go that fast. Just wanted to show that it is possible in this video :D

[@imafridi]

great design and looks reliable. keep the good work. hope to see more. The great part is that you make it open source. i hope people in developing countries can get benefit from it.

[@Roter_Wolf]

Respekt, gute Arbeit :) Einfach direkt Liveoverflow, hacksmith und Jerry in den Kommentaren haha

[@Cosmicsurfpro]

Awesome! Anti tippers would be epic!

[@pedrotejada9360]

Love it, congratulations!! Keep doing what are you doing it is admirable you are on your way to many great creations and discoveries that will make a wheelchair uses life more easier and fun!

[@ryanlayden6996]

Awesome! Great job on this project.

[@razvan__simion]

For your second time welding you did a great job there

[@faaf42]

Welding looked really nice too!

[@tiredtimfpv5356]

Nice Video! Glad you are happy with the machined parts

[@pullmyfawkingfingerbeeeyot6930]

Look into getting Frogleg front forks, and suspension in the back. Used to run my manual with the type you have. But hitting a stone would stop you dead..i would never use a manual without front suspension now. If no suspension in the back, move em back more. The scars on my face can tell you speed kills, but sure is fun! Nice work...couldnt help but notice your wall art..lol Circuit boards...thats hardcore geekism! This para gives you 2 wheels up!! With a lil tweaking here n there, i would def try it out

[@DisabledEngineer]

I just bought froglegs but haven't mounted them yet. I'm not planning on going that fast again, it was just for the video to show that it's possible

[@ebaysutube]

Wow! Great job! Good design and build! I can’t believe you’re not using a wheelie bar! 40Km/h is some pretty serious speed to hold a wheelie reliably.

[@Drewy62]

Best DIY project ever!

[@ParaTara]

Dudeeee this is dope!

[@ReviewsforNerds]

That is amazing!

[@rupertrasen7691]

Just crazy what you have achieved with that wheelchair to improve your everday ride. The speed ist just insane!

[@nexusyang4832]

I think the dude was about to pop a wheelie!

[@beeb6730]

This is awesome!!

[@k0ch4n3]

Its morning in my timezone. Your video made my day. Keep it up.

[@jaroslavlajta]

Imagine the look of the police officer clocking you 50km/h in a 30 😂😂

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

So noble to share your creative idea with the world :) Awesome & Best wishes :)

[@WS-gw5ms]

Amazing work

[@n1tr0kt]

Awesome work! I would love to see more about how you hold and use the controller while also having your hands on the wheels. I'm not entirely clear how your adapter plate secures to your chair. This is definitely custom to your chair and wheel combo, but I get your concept and I might give it a shot as well.

[@SimonBauer7]

awesome construction! solidly built both mechanically and electrically

[@DisabledEngineer]

Thanks! I appreciate it

[@cea90]

Superb video.

[@Carbon_]

You need some wings to create downforce haha

[@chenulthenuwara]

That's super cool 😎☺️

[@BennyPowers]

Awesome project

[@funnySeven]

Next level 😁

[@PrasenjeetUrunkar]

Excellent

[@lukelance8545]

Its a such a great job

[@sacidaniel8263]

Nicely done sir 👍

[@Life-ds6kc]

Have you considered pairing your design with a footplate attachable Freewheel? Would be a lot easier to transport than a handcycle attachment..

[@torress.3174]

Geile Sache 😄😎

[@blainewalker2147]

Legend

[@chenulthenuwara]

45kmph that's crazy fast

[@heathbamford8536]

Wow

[@DizzyPanda]

Now that is a cool EV chair. I guess now you need to put those safety wheels behind like on dragsters.

[@raghavps5011]

wow

[@Baelfyr]

Awesome build, just curious, did you use some sort of mask or breathing apparatus under your welding mask? i assume that is argon gas for your welding, and breathing in those fumes, even in small amounts can be dangerous, especially inside, because i noticed some fumes coming from the welding and how close your face was to the welding looked like they were going straight under the welding mask. Best to be safe when using gas inside.

[@DisabledEngineer]

You are right, I used argon and it is dangerous without proper equipment. I only have a 2m wide open door behind me + an open door on the other side of the apartment so that there is good airflow

[@Hassankhan-oy5ep]

Wow man you are amazing finally I found someone who loves to makes fastest wheelchairs what kind of motors did u install

[@DisabledEngineer]

Thanks 😁 6374 BLDC Motors from Alienpowersystems

[@AlexRooks]

Hello ! I don't understand how your system drives the wheels. It doesn't look attached to it because you can remove your wheels as easily as a standard wheelchair. Is it just the friction between the pulley and the axe that drives the wheel? Thank you and very nice job :)

[@DisabledEngineer]

5:06 you can see multiple silver screws on the pulley (with small 3d printed adapter pieces), they interlock with the holes in the wheel. That's the whole point, making it easy to remove the wheels just like the electric drive isnt even there ;) I have a more detailed view on my IG story highlight which shows how easy the wheels come on/off

[@mgagnonlv]

Very interesting! Maybe because I am not a wheelchair user, but I would be terrified using the motor at full speed with only the two small wheels in front. I would feel much more confident in handcycle mode or with a large wheel attachment in front. But my real question is about the rear wheels. With the motor, you are applying torque near the hub, whereas with push rims you would be applying torque on the periphery. I know that for bicycling, radial wheels are a good weight-saving measure for the front wheel but a definite no-no for the rear wheel because they don't stand the torque given when one pushes the pedals. Have you seen any issue so far with your wheels? If so, have you thought of building your wheels with a 2- or 3-cross pattern?

[@DisabledEngineer]

Currently 25Nm peak torque per wheel which is fine for a short period of time. That's probably why I haven't noticed any issues yet. Compared to a bicycle I also have two wheels to put the torque on the road

[@michst93]

Very cool project, for battery weight reduction you could try a lithium battery. I'm not sure what downsides there are compared to a traditional battery but i use them on my dirtbike and the weight savings is incredible. Just a thought!

[@DisabledEngineer]

I forgot to mention that these are 21700 Li-Ion battery cells. Capacity/Weight and Power/Weight ratio is pretty good

[@kyoko703]

Never thought I'd live to see the day when someone who is in a wheelchair go so fast that can make the wheelchair do a wheelie and in turn increase their chances to be put into a wheelchair??? That's wheelchair inception.

[@christopherbooth1772]

fantastic build I was looking into making a electric 20" fat tyre front wheel but like you it's not practical for everyday use can I ask how you manage off road if you ever venture off pavement I like to go out with my dog on like crushed limestone and forest paths I currently use my 26inch off road tyres and a free wheel attachment but thinking this would help me save my houlders but is there enough low end torque I'm not interested is speed just ability to get up steep hills ect

[@DisabledEngineer]

I'm fine with going off-road as long as there is clearance under the wheelchair. I would not recommend my build for low RPM, high torque driving though, because the motors will overheat without air cooling and constant high torque. However, my build can be improved by using motors with a bigger diameter (more torque, lower KV), and a higher gear reduction

[@chenulthenuwara]

Wow 😳😳😳😳

[@kebyen]

You are big dude.

[@burntjuulpod]

did you use an extended axle in order to fit the pulley? how was the pulley connected to the wheel? dope video btw, i’m a t6 looking to do something similar.

[@DisabledEngineer]

I custom designed the axle. The pulley has small adapter pieces which connect to the wheel.

[@JHawkins]

Excellent work. I’d like a parts list showing make & model of the motors, speed controller, and remote.

[@bruzie900]

Check the description for the github link

[@JHawkins]

Thanks, I missed that.

[@hamidanza]

Jerry send me to watch this video and i approve

[@madelynnduggar5422]

Hello, this is awesome. I would like to build this for my chair, but I do nit have much experience with engineering. Is there a step by step tutorial available, and could this be done using a non-spinergy wheelchair wheel? Thank you

[@DisabledEngineer]

There is no step by step tutorial besides this video. I didn't want to go too much into detail everywhere. You can use Spinergy like I did in the first version of this drive (check first or second video), but the adapter piece which connects to the hub has to be redesigned.

[@benbaron1216]

Nice build! Have you tried running the motors in opposite directions to get it to spin around like a skidsteer? I know that wouldn't be useful at all for daily life, but it'd be fun!

[@DisabledEngineer]

You can easily achieve this by programming the speed controller. Once, I tried to break with one hand while accelerating with just one side... got me very dizzy very fast 😂

[@benbaron1216]

@@DisabledEngineer haha, awesome. You remind me of a guy at my university. There was a short but really steep hill, and I saw him take it on with his wheelchair and he was going so fast but didn't crash. It was great

[@danielmuscat7312]

I am very interested in doing this myself as it would help me a lot. Do you have a link from where i can buy the motors and trottle controler please?

[@DisabledEngineer]

I'm using motors from Alienpowersystems, and a mini remote from flipsky :)

[@danielmuscat7312]

@@DisabledEngineer 10x😁

[@blackkissi]

Did you do any modifications to the smaller front caster wheels? When I go >20km/h with my wheelchair, the smaller caster wheels start wobbling like crazy. It's like they get to a stage where the RPM matches its resonance frequency or something. Second question: How is it to use without the power system? Is there significant resistance from the motor/ pulley system when you use the chair manually without electrical power?

[@DisabledEngineer]

Very good questions! I don't have any modifications to the front casters, that's why braking is especially dangerous as soon as the weight shifts to the front. That's why I rarely go those speeds. Just as a proof of concept in the video. The resistance is just some watts, when I go out I always have it mounted and I don't notice anything when using my arms.

[@blackkissi]

@@DisabledEngineer ah, ok got it. Thanks. I presume going downhill has the same effect as "breaking". Yeah, the front center wheel is probably a must if going >20km/h, for safety reasons. All and all, it would be beneficial at times to get a small boost. :)

[@danialothman]

I wish I can have a welding unit in my room!

[@BOTTLEDIGGINGUK]

great work i have part designed a wheelchair that works on a mtb gearing system and so on for wheelchair users to have fun on and reach speeds just like cycling that they could use on the road and so on, i have seen the trike type handlebar pedal ones and the freedom wheelchair, this is a bit different and i would love to help progress it, if you would be interested to talk message me here please, thanks

[@dakel20]

Ya really need some wheelie bars on that thing, hah.

[@Mrpaulgs]

What 3D printer are you using?

[@DisabledEngineer]

I'm using Prusa i3 mk3s and mini

[@sfsrocketengineer2492]

agent english needs one

[@erebostd]

Ich hoffe du hast für ausreichend Belüftung gesorgt, wenn du drinnen schweißt. Ich mach sowas lieber draußen, notfalls im Garten… 😉

[@ape67]

Respekt ³

[@memetrevino6744]

I want one

[@predomkevin3034]

Wow , is it really cost effective all the part, what not. Thanks oh u will Need a lower center chair or build custom.being u have access to real machine shop. Right !!, Leroy/ out in California.

[@BIGGSPEVs]

How much for one

[@DisabledEngineer]

It's roughly $1000 including battery. However you can also build a budget version with cheap speed controllers and small batteries

[@handbiker]

hi könntest du den bericht auch in deutsch bringen. wäre super. lg handbiker

[@chris200801]

1st

[@brynsmith414]

Awesome work, thank you for making it open source, i'm tempted to make one

[@davekennedy8381]

Fan-Dam-Tastic!!