United Nations data point out that about 15 percent of the people in the world are suffering from severe and minor disabilities. Among these, as the date reveals, 80 percent are dwelling in developing countries in a severe poverty.
Data from International Labor Organization (ILO) indicate that 17.5 percent or 15 million of the Ethiopian population are physically disabled. Though there are such amount of disabilities in the country, most infrastructures are not considering their actual state either when they are designed or during the construction. Therefore, due to such inconvenient infrastructure, these citizens encounter trouble accidents while moving from place to place.
Zekarias Sisay, an instructor in electrical department of Harar Poly Technique College, has come up with an innovation that simplifies life of disabilities. He made an automatic wheel chair that works by using electric power and enables them move everywhere at any time with no need of support of other people.
His initiation, as to him, is based on what he observed in the campus. As per his observation, three physically disabled students were hardly moving from place to place in the campus.
These three students, as he told to Ethiopian press agency, were suffering in the campus when going up and down stairs, while climbing slopes and going on gravel roads by using their manual wheel chair. Because of this, they are forced to beg other people for help.
In addition, the hardship these students face while going in the campus to attend practical classes and to use the library, has deeply touched his heart. Therefore, Zekarias determined in 2016 to begin the work with the remorse having in mind thought of “Why don’t I make a wheelchair that enables the disabled people easily move from place to place with no need of others’ aid and with minimum effort?”
Then forth, he gathered information through assessing internet and reading different books that capacitate him to produce the innovation effectively; then he designed a proposal and submitted to the college. The college for its part has thoroughly examined the proposal and approved to be put into practice. He, thus, started conversion of the theory into practice since 2017, he said.
With this, he made an electromechanical wheelchair that enables people with disability move from place to place freely and easily. The wheelchair is operating by solar energy and rechargeable battery where there is no hydroelectric power. This makes the technology preferred and beneficial at every corner of the country.
The mechanical part of the innovation, as to Zekarias, is made up of plastic, white fiberglass, timber and sponge. Whereas, the electrical part is made of two AC motor that is operational with solar energy, rechargeable battery and hydroelectric power.
Zekarias further explained about the fundamental distinction between the new wheelchair and the existing one. People with disabilities need to use their hands to push the existing wheelchair or they have to ask help from other people. In this case such kind of wheelchair operates only by human power. On the contrary, these people do not need to use their hand for pushing or aid from someone else to movement while using the newly made wheelchair as it operates by electric power.
Any person with disability can easily use the new technology as it is prepared to be operated simply by touching the “joy stick” which is fixed in the front side on the handle. Doing this, the person can move the wheelchair to any direction he/she wants. The joy stick enables them move forward, backward, both to right and left directions and to stop. The innovation is easy to operate while climbing up, slopping down and even going on highly graveled road, said Zekarias.
“In general,” said the innovator, “the wheel chair enables the people with disabilities do their daily activities moving anywhere they want on their own along with saving their time and energy.”
Such kind of wheelchair is imported with the cost over 50,000 Birr, said the instructor adding, “Producing the same material in land makes its provision easier to physically disabled people with comparable price. Moreover, it contributes its share to the country’s economy by saving foreign exchange.”
On the other hand, vast job opportunity can be created especially for graduates of higher education institutions in electrical and mechanical fields by establishing a company that produces the electric wheelchair in the country, he stressed.
Regarding his plan for the future, Zekarias said that he is thinking about modernizing the innovation to be operational by fixing software like remote control and Bluetooth. Among the challenges he encountered due process are lack of inputs such as motors and other tools in local market.
Plus, budget deficit, shortage of time, absence of institutions and bodies that support and encourage innovators are amid the challenges. And these challenges restricted him from modernizing the technology.
Total cost of 16 thousand Birr is invested to finalize the technology, said the instructor. He participated on the 9th national innovation competition which was organized by Ministry of Innovation and Technology in 2017. With his innovation, he stood 3rd and awarded a medal. And also, the Ministry has provided him a certificate and 6 thousand Birr in a bid of encouragement and support.
As for general innovation and knowledge transfer, technologies which are beneficial for the community and viable are identified by managers and experts of the college. Then forth, copying the technologies is conducted by the college’s instructors and students. The college then, processes the technology in its industrial extension department in the way it is beneficial for the community and make it accessible.
Accordingly, the college is conducting expertise designation of the technologies that are already copied and to be copied aiming at making them accessible for the community in vast array in 2019/20. Right after the designation, the production process will be carried out by micro and small enterprises following their identification, provision of appropriate training and the necessary budget allocation. The automatic wheelchair is among the technologies given priority for its impact for the people with disability, he noted.
The innovation product worth 16 Birr when it is supplied to market but for those who cannot afford such amount of money, negotiation is underway with organization that work on disability to provide with low cost. In the long run, provision of the product with discount price will be facilitated for gross purchasers, said the innovator.
Zekarias has also innovated solar water pump to be utilized in the rural area, software that controls operating machine or motor and a machine that help farmers collect their product easily up to storage. He displayed on TVET teachers’ innovation competition conducted in 2019 and awarded, he noted.
Sharing his experiences to the new innovators, he advised that they have to work relentlessly focusing on the areas that solve people’s problems.
The Ethiopian Herald September 3, 2019
BY BACHA ZEWDIE
