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IMI: Providing Access to Mobility
Presenter: Rudy Roy, Co-Founder, Intelligent Mobility International

The mission of IMI, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, is to empower members of the global disabled community to become self-sufficient by driving forward the most innovative and affordable mobility solutions. According to the World Health Organization, of the 600 million people with disabilities worldwide, 80% live in developing countries. 20 million of these individuals need wheelchairs. The fortunate few that do regain mobility tend to be given secondhand chairs ill-suited for the rugged terrain that they must traverse. Without wheelchairs, many have no choice but to drag themselves along to get anywhere, and risk injuring themselves and contracting diseases. To address these challenges, the IMI founders have worked with Guatemalan wheelchair users to formulate an innovative wheelchair built with re-purposed bicycle parts. The wheelchair uses a solid, larger wheelbase and bike tires that easily negotiate the rough terrain found in most developing countries. By using bicycle parts in all of the rotating parts, the chair also promises to be easily and inexpensively repairable in any location, primarily in the hundreds of existing bicycle shops spread throughout target countries. By 2011, IMI will produce over 10,000 of these wheelchairs per year while maintaining the tenets of good design and local reparability. At this scale, the chair is projected to be the first appropriate wheelchair to break the $100 barrier, and eventually to reach $40, a 10x price reduction from competitive offerings. At this $40 price, wheelchair access in low income countries will be affordable to nearly everyone through a payment plan and will provide recipients with an ROI of more than 10x within a year. IMI is recipient of the 2008 Breakthrough Award for the top 10 World Changing Innovations from Popular Mechanics.

Contact: rudy@intelligentmobility.org

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