Layer Go: 3D Printed Wheelchair That Accurately Fits User; Provides More Comfort And Safety

October 23, 2016Venkat3D Printing, Wheelchair0

Side by side comparison of Go and a traditional wheelchair.

Go is a 3D printed wheelchair.
Customized to user’s body dimensions for comfort, safety, and flexibility.
Allows users to participate in design process.
Customer gets it in 3 weeks.

Just like crutches, wheelchairs haven’t seen much of a design overhaul over a long period of time. Many people complain that their wheelchair doesn’t feel like their own because it doesn’t necessarily fit them, and sometimes they end up moving around in their seat too much. To some, it doesn’t feel secure. There are people who spend as much as 18 hours in their wheelchair, and that fact in itself warrants more comfort and convenience for them.

After two years of research involving various wheelchair users, Layer, an industrial design agency based out of London, designed the “Go” – a 3d printed wheelchair that is customized to the user’s body statistics. The Go has several parts but only the seat and footrest are 3D printed. The process of acquiring a Go starts with a customer getting “scanned in” so that their body contours are mapped to the Go’s seat and footrest. This is to ensure that the wheelchair accurately fits their weight, body dimensions, and disability and at the same time increases comfort, flexibility, and support. The customer can participate in the design process using the accompanying app, which can be used to suggest color, patterns, and optional accessories like push bars, and lift bars. The final product is something that doesn’t look like a medical device but is more stylish and sleek with minimalist design elements.

In order to make Go more safe, its wheels have tactile push rims that have tiny silicone grip patterns. The same pattern is on accompanying gloves that are meant to be worn while pushing the Go. The gloves make gripping the wheels easier, thus providing a greater power-to-push ratio, and ultimately reducing risk of injury.

It takes 3 weeks for the Go to be delivered to a customer’s doorsteps, and the source article mentions that the price may range from $4,500 to $7,000 although Layer’s website doesn’t mention any pricing.

Watch the videos below, and check out the image gallery to learn more about Layer’s Go.