Nashik boy designs tricycle with many special features for disabled

NASHIK: In order to empower disabled people, Nashik-based student Mohit Heda has designed a unique tricycle through the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities' (DEPwD) Sugamya Bharat (Accessible India) campaign.
A student of product designing at Nashik's College of Architecture & Centre for Design, Heda plans to donate the first lot of his product to disabled people who are his inspiration for the design of the unique bike.
"I know a few companies and individuals in India who have done research on this subject and some battery-run tricycles are available in the market. They cost at least Rs 35,000 which is not affordable for disabled people in most parts of the country. My tricycle also has some exclusive features," Heda said while showing the light weight vehicle that is painted white.
"I have consciously worked on the image of the product and made it attractive so that it is not seen as a symbol of sympathy but as a symbol of confidence," Heda said.
The attractive and light weight vehicle has exclusive features like seat adjustability for reach, comfortable footrest with strapping, a luggage box and seat belt. A weather roof has also been attached to the vehicle, making it an easy ride for commuters through all seasons.
The vehicle is designed to runs on 500 watt motor with supply from four batteries of 12 Volt/24 Amp. "It takes six hours for the battery to charge fully. A fully charged battery can run the vehicle up to 25km with a top speed of 30kmph. Battery indicator, locks and other electronic features are also installed," Heda said.
For the future, Heda wants to fix a solar panel on the roof in order to make the vehicle completely eco-friendly.
The first ones to take benefit of this unique invention are the people who helped Heda develop the concept. Sukdu Koli, who was handicapped due to polio at the age of 9 years, used to move in a hand driven tricycle till now. "It's difficult to climb on to the traditional hand driven tricycle. While getting down, human support or a stick is needed. Using the tricycle of a wheelchair continuously also pains my hands. But, the battery-cycle has many features which overcomes all these odds," said Koli.
Another excited rider is 30-year-old Kiran Deokar who uses caliper to walk. "Fatigue, severe pain in the right leg were my common complaints as calipers have their own limits. But, Mohit's tricycle is the answer to most of my problems," he said.
While the production cost of the tricycle is nearly Rs 28,000, Heda said that mass production of the tricycle may bring the cost down to Rs 18,000. The tricycle is already in process of registration in Pune University's Innovation Support programme, which will help him get patent of it.
Responding to the call of Sugamya Bharat (Accessible India) Campaign by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Nashik boy Mohit Heda has designed a unique tricycle which will benefit the disable people in many ways. Mohit, a student of Production Designing in Nashik's College of Architecture & Centre for Design, has decided to donate the first lot of his product to disabled people who inspired him to design this unique bike for them.
"I know some companies and individuals in India have done research on this subject and some battery-run tricycles are available in markets. Their cost is at least Rs 35,000 which is not affordable for disabled people in most parts of the country. Moreover, my tricycle has some added exclusive features," Mohit said while showing the light weight vehicle, painted shining white.
"I have consciously worked on the image of the product and made it attractive so that the vehicle is not seen as a symbol of sympathy but as a symbol of confidence," Mohit said. The attractive and light weight vehicle has added features like seat adjustability for reach, comfortable footrest with strapping, luggage box and seat belt. Mohit has attached a roof to the vehicle which makes it all weather proof. It runs on 500 watt motor, with supply from four batteries of 12 Volt/24 Amp.
"It takes six hours for the battery to charge fully. A fully charged battery can run the vehicle up to 25 km. Top speed of this vehicle is 30 kmph. Battery indicator, locks and other electronic features are installed," Mohit said. He is planning to fix a solar panel on the rooftop to make the vehicle a complete eco-friendly.
Specially abled people in Nashik who helped Mohit to develop this concept would be the first to take benefits of this invention. Sukdu Koli, who became handicapped due to polio at the age of 9, used to move in a hand-driven tricycle till date. "It's difficult to climb on the traditional hand driven tricycle due to the height factor. While getting down, we need human support or a stick. Continuous use of this tricycle or wheelchair ultimately develops pain in hands. The battery-cycle has many features overcoming all these odds," said Koli.
30-year-old Kiran Deokar who uses caliper to walk also found the new mobility option very effective. "Fatigue, severe pain in right leg were my common complaints as calipers have their own limits. Mohit's tricycle answers most of my problems," he said.
Most importantly, the production cost of this vehicle is nearly Rs 28,000 which is much less than the similar type of available vehicles. Mohit claimed that mass production may bring down the cost up to Rs 18,000. He has already in process to register the product in Pune University's Innovation Support programme which will lead him to get patent of this product. However, Mohit wishes to associate this product with the Sugamya Bharat concept.