Abstract

Estimates that around 10% of the world’s population, some 650 million people have some disability. Studies indicate that about 10% of these people need a wheelchair to move. Therefore, estimates that 1% of the total population requires a wheelchair, about 65 million people worldwide. Calculations by the UN show that 80% of that amount lives in developing countries. In 2010 it was estimated that 20 million of those who needed a wheelchair to get around did not have one. In developing countries, moreover, chairs are required to allow people with disabilities to move through irregular surfaces since they either live in the countryside, or in cities where the infrastructure is not adequate, and there are no sidewalks, ramps or wheelchair facilities. From this problem arises the need for the design and development of an all-terrain wheelchair of low cost and simple manufacturing, which allows its reproduction in almost any developing country.