An estimated 1.6 million Americans use wheelchairs.
Of these, at least one would like to be splashed less.
Our goal is to help this man.
-Team SLAM

Our Client
We first met our client, Mr. Benson Kintu, in March of 2009. He has been wheelchair bound for most of his life as a result of paralysis from the waist down. Even though he faces challenges every day, he maintains a job at Clark University. When asked what his wheelchair was lacking, he had a plethora of responses.
One of his biggest concerns was looking professional for his job, which is difficult when he has to wheel through puddles on his way to work. As a resident of Massachusetts, Benson is seasonally faced with rain, sleet, snow, and hail. The problem of water splashing up onto the wheelchair passenger is a problem that many disabled people face.

Our Goal
Our goal was to develop a product that prevents water from splashing onto our client as he goes through puddles.

Our Product
To achieve our goal, we developed a product for the ages. We took an outdated design used for bicycles in the 1970s and put our own spin on it. It uses mechanisms from a bicycle brake and brushes to produce our revolutionary new product, which will increase the comfort of wheelchair users in wet weather.

What it does
Our product brushes the water off of wheelchair wheels before it splashes up. It will protect our client from puddles and other bodies of water.