Introducing the Kyaro Wheelchair 2.0
Since introducing our wheelchair design in 2021, we have received constant feedback from users, families, therapists, social workers, and wheelchair experts. This summer, with four amazing mechanical engineering volunteers spending an entire summer with us, we took the opportunity to overhaul the design for our most in-demand device. Based on the feedback we gathered, we adjusted, replaced, or reinvented every part of the wheelchair.
New features
As we often discuss, wheelchairs are not a one-size-fits-all solution. There are thousands of different ways to configure a wheelchair, and each one is appropriate for a different individual. Our wheelchair is already the most versatile model designed for, and being manufactured in, East Africa, with many options and attachments. However, this summer we designed new components to accommodate advanced features that therapists had requested.
Read on to learn about our new and updated features:
Advanced footrest
All 2.0 Kyaro wheelchairs come with a new footrest design, which is a huge improvement over the previous design. Our challenge was to iterate on our previous asymmetrical footrest, making it stable enough to be stood on while maintaining the almost infinite independent adjustability of the feet.
The final design achieves this while still requiring only tools that are widely available throughout Africa, and only manufacturing techniques that can be performed in local shops. Each foot can be independently moved forward, backward, up, and down, and rotated in place
Advanced headrest
For some users with varying head shapes or limited stability in their neck, our standard headrest does not fit. The advanced headrest is an alternative option which can be adjusted freely in the area of the user’s head to fit any head position and shape. It also features a cup-shaped design that holds the head in place, rather than only supporting it in one direction.
Hip pads
For people who need support to hold their lower body straight, we added the option to put pads, similar to (and using many of the same components as) our existing lateral supports. These hip pads attach in the same way as the lateral supports and can be used at the same time
Additional axle positions
The rear wheels on a wheelchair can be placed in a variety of positions relative to the torso of the user. Moving the wheels backward makes the chair very difficult to tip backward, so that it is very safe for inactive or inexperienced wheelchair users. Moving the wheels forward makes it easier to go faster in the wheelchair, which is preferable for many experienced wheelchair users.
The original Kyaro wheelchair had its wheels placed behind the user’s torso, because the large majority of our wheelchair clients were not very active in their chairs, and were instead pushed by someone else. However, on the 2.0 chair, the rear wheels can be placed in either Safe, Standard, or Active position, according to the user’s needs and preference.
Wheelchair frame with wheels in safe position
Wheelchair frame with wheels in standard position
Wheelchair frame with wheels in active position
New Ergonomic Brakes
For the new chair, we redesigned our existing brakes. The new brakes have an angled handle, which is more pleasant to grip and use, and point forward so that it does not stick up and get in the way when people need to transfer sideways out of the wheelchair to another surface.
Improved fitting experience
Fitting a wheelchair can be a time-consuming process, which becomes difficult when one of our staff must complete ten, or more fittings for one order. It can be further complicated if an error was made during the assessment process, or if the user has grown or developed further complications while waiting for their chair. Based on the issues we saw most frequently from 2021 to 2024, we made several design changes specifically to speed up the fitting process and make it less likely that the chair would need to be returned for adjustments.
Adjustable seat and back
Our new chairs feature two layers of wood in the seat and back rather than just one. The top layer can slide back and forth, allowing any chair to reach all the way from the maximum length that we have assessed to the minimum. This gives the fitter the freedom to adjust the length and height of the seat to exactly the perfect size for the user, and can even allow the chair to grow with its user until the user requires a wider frame.
Making a stable, resilient adjustment system with only local tools that could be made quickly in batches took careful planning, but with a combination of a wood router and several custom templates, we made a system in which all chairs use the same pattern of slots to adjust, and only vary in width.
Adjustable table
The most common challenge we observed in fitting was that there is a small range of heights for which the table on a wheelchair is both comfortable to use and not in the way of the user’s legs. If this height was not perfect, the table might need to be returned and adjusted. To avoid this, our new table design has an adjustable height, making it easy for the fitter to put it at the appropriate height every time.
Adjustable knee separator
Knee separators are included on many of our wheelchairs and are helpful for users whose legs naturally pull together or cross. To avoid letting their muscles tense and stick their legs in this position, a small cushion, called the knee separator, is attached to the seat between their legs.
Our new knee separator is attached to the same slots that allow for the adjustable seat, letting it slide forward and backward. This gives the person doing the fitting precise control over how to position the user’s legs.
Manufacturing improvements
Making one wheelchair in the Kyaro shop takes about 17 hours of labor, if the chair is made as part of a batch. This can make it difficult to complete orders on time when they can vary from just one chair to over one hundred. We made a variety of small changes to the design to make manufacturing faster and easier, but the most important are the new design of the wheelchair frame and the use of manufacturing tools in production.
Updated frame
One of the most time-consuming steps in the manufacturing of our old chair is applying and sanding down filler, the same material that is used to fill in dents and holes in the body of a car. This filler was used because the diagonal parts of the wheelchair frame met at complicated angles, leaving small gaps.
Our updated frame only requires that pipes connect at right angles, ensuring that after welding, there are no gaps that require filler. While filler can still be used to smooth out joints for a professional look, it is not necessary for the structure of the chair.
Manufacturing tools
We also designed and built 16 fixtures and jigs (as well as 45 templates for the wooden seat and back) to help the technicians cut, drill, and weld the many parts of the wheelchair.
A fixture is a tool for manufacturing that holds parts in the correct place so they can be put together in exactly the correct way. A jig is a manufacturing tool that holds parts in place and guides a tool so that the parts are cut or drilled in the correct way. With a combination of these tools working together, it becomes very difficult to assemble something incorrectly, and relatively easy to assemble it correctly. Here is an example of these tools in action, as the wheelchair frame is welded together:
The Kyaro Wheelchair 2.0 is the result of our user-centric design approach, in which the voices of those who matter most—our users, their families, and the professionals who support them—drive every decision. Through careful redesign, we’ve enhanced the comfort and functionality of our wheelchair and also streamlined the manufacturing process to ensure we can build more wheelchairs with even higher quality.
Each upgrade reflects our commitment to creating wheelchairs that adapt to the individual, rather than trying to adapt individuals to our wheelchairs. Our goal has always been to empower every user with the mobility and independence they deserve. With the Kyaro Wheelchair 2.0, we are moving further toward that vision.
We’re proud of this evolution and excited to continue innovating alongside our community, knowing that every improvement brings us closer to a future where mobility is not a privilege, but a right for all.
You can explore all of these improvements by designing a wheelchair in our fully revamped wheelchair configuration tool here.
