25.04.2018, 22:18 3199

Nazarbayev University scientists developed an electric wheelchair

The wheelchair has no analogs in Kazakhstan and is cheaper than similar foreign ones.

A group of researchers from Nazarbayev University invented a prototype of an electric drive, the main element of which is a lithium-ion battery, and integrated it into a standard mechanical wheelchair.

According to the concept, almost any mechanical wheelchair can be motorized, as it is much easier, it is more practical and cheaper to modernize an accessible individually selected wheelchair rather than buying a new electric one.

The project is aimed at improving the quality of life of people who cannot move independently, creating their own personalized version of an electric wheelchair. The social startup of Nazarbayev University was supported by Kazyna Capital Management as part of the "10 Good Deeds" movement dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the company.

Within the framework of the "10 good deeds" movement, we supported social projects to help unprotected layer of the population and also supported the children's, educational and sports institutions of our country. The project of young Kazakhstan researchers on the development of the first electric drives for wheelchairs in Kazakhstan was interesting. We thought that this was an important project for Kazakhstan, especially it initiated by us within the framework of the program "Rukhani zhangyru", one of the tasks of which is the provision of charitable assistance. It should be noted that the wheelchair is of domestic production, therefore, they are quite cheaper than foreign ones. We hope that the project will be further developed, and obtains a production scale to deliver them to state institutions," said managing director of Kazyna Capital Management Baurzhan Yerezhepov.

Four years ago, a group of Nazarbayev University graduates formed their small campaign and called it "Battery Institute." And now Kazakhstan researchers have presented their new project to the public.

The idea was born two years ago, the essence of the project is that we convert conventional mechanical wheelchairs into electric vehicles by installing an electric drive. We created a prototype, then started to protect intellectual property and thanks to Kazyna Capital Management we succeeded in realizing our idea into life," said one of the authors of the project Zhuldyz Asylova.

According to the developers, the domestic wheelchair has no analogues in Kazakhstan and is cheaper than similar foreign ones.

Modern electric wheelchairs cost about three thousand and four thousand dollars on the Kazakhstan market, and our development allows us to reduce this cost by two or three times," said Asylova.

The assessment of the new product was given by a public figure, blogger Almaz Yerzhan (1st group person with disability).

For Kazakhstan, it is a unique project, an innovation. It is gratifying that Kazakhstan young scientists are already ready to create the product that can be useful for people with disabilities, now the world is changing towards innovation, that's why it is a big advantage of Nazarbayev University. I cannot rule out that at the first instance the project will not be a payback one, but the fact that our youth has already begun to think in this direction and develop such wheelchairs is a big advantage for Kazakhstan," said Almaz Yerzhan.

Source: BNews.kz

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Nazarbayev University scientists developed an electric wheelchair

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