Silver Pet Care · 2021

TriPawd Dog Wheelchair

by Dosun Shin

Silver A' Design Award 2021 in Pet Care
CLIENT: Arizona State University
Estimated Number of Design Views: 30,910
Verification code D4A32EB88C · Verify this award

View at A' Design Award Press Release

Colors

About TriPawd Dog Wheelchair

TriPawd is a dog wheelchair designed for dogs that have lost a front leg. Two large rear wheels improve the stability and the mobility of the device. A small front wheel on the bent metal tube frame supports a fiberglass chest cup. The bent frame leaves enough space for the dog to walk without interference from the remaining legs. The support pole is height-adjustable for dogs of different sizes. No strapping is used, so the dog can step on and off the device and can sit and lie down without help from the owner.

About the Silver A' Design Award

TriPawd Dog Wheelchair is a Silver A' Design Award winner, an extraordinarily prestigious recognition granted to top-of-the-line, gorgeous, and impressive designs. Silver winners are tremendously brilliant and exceedingly creative works that illustrate the outstanding expertise, talent, and acuity of their designers. TriPawd Dog Wheelchair is expected to be a wonderful, showpiece work that is remarkably professional and profoundly innovative. This Silver A' Design Award-winning design is a highly notable, admired invention that benefits and advances the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. TriPawd Dog Wheelchair is a vastly envied creation that evokes desires, introduces positive feelings, and sparks amazement and wonderment.

Press Kit

Unique Properties: This project was to design an assistive device that will help 3 legs-handicapped dogs walk and stand on their own. Two large rear wheels were used to improve both the stability and mobility of the device, while a front small wheel on the metal tube frame connecting the two wheels provided strong support for the chest cup. The bent metal frame provided just enough space for the dog to walk without any interference of his legs. The pole is height-adjustable for different sizes of dogs.
Dimensions & Packaging: 685 mm x 630 mm x 550 mm
Tags: Handicapped dog, dog wheelchair, animal assistive device, product design, product innovation
Production Technology: Bent metal frame, fiberglass chest cup
Design Challenge: One key aspect while collecting measurements of the dog is that dogs don’t understand what is happening in the same way human subjects would understand. Another challenging factor was that animals are not able to communicate and provide the same level of feedback as a human, regarding comfortability and overall effectiveness of the device. Since it was such a huge challenge to measure the accurate size and shape of the dog’s upper body, the designer produced a series of different-sized chest cups, followed by the repetition of measurements.
Research: This project introduces the design and development of a new assistive wheeled product for handicapped dogs. The device is specifically targeted for a 5-year-old mastiff who lost one of his front legs due to a gunshot accident in California, U.S. This study involves research, design, and usability testing with a series of working prototypes on the dog.
Inspiration: Sadly, the dog had no bone structure left due to his left front leg being completely removed from surgery. Because of this, the design direction was focused on a wheeled type of mobility device called a dog wheelchair due to its similar functionality to a human wheelchair. This device allows the dog to jump on and off easily without any strapping mechanisms on his body. This will also allow the dog to sit and lie down freely without his owner’s assistance.
Project Duration: The project started in July 2019 in Tempe, Arizona, U.S, and finished in December 2020.
Operation Flow: This device helps 3 legs-handicapped dogs walk and stand on their own for longer periods of time without any assistance from the owners.
Image Credits: Image #1: Creator, Dosun Shin, 2020.
Optional Image #1: Creator, Dosun Shin, 2020.
Optional Image #2: Creator, Dosun Shin, 2020.
Optional Image #3: Photographer, Dosun Shin, 2020.
Optional Image #4: Photographer, Dosun Shin, 2020.