A Facebook friend, Duitch, suggested this design be modified so that the front could be either a wheel chair or a regular bicycle wheel. We noted that there are places in Africa (and other continents) where a bicycle is the best available means of transportation, and where someone who would need to be transported is essentially condemned to stay at home. In such a place, the device shown could be literally life saving, getting patients from rural areas to health services.
It occur to me that a bike that could be transformed into a trike like that shown might be more attractive than either alone in really poor communities. The trike would probably seldom be used, and a bike might be often useful.
There has been a long term effort to develop appropriate wheel chair technology for poor people in developing nations. (Check this for example.) Perhaps the dual bike-wheelchair-trike is an idea might be considered in that context.
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