Gold Product Engineering and Technical Design · 2024
Cr1 Wheelchair
by Doug Garven
- A' Design Award 2024 Gold Winner in Product Engineering and Technical Design
- Awarded April 15, 2024
- CLIENT: Permobil
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 389,647
- Verification code 9F30E6B9EF · Verify this award
About Cr1 Wheelchair
The CR1 is a carbon fiber wheelchair that is fully customizable to the user's individual specifications and preferences. The unique, dual-angle front end was designed to follow the lines of the user's body, allowing them to get closer to objects for improved accessibility and maneuverability in tight spaces. The aerodynamic tube profile and its orientation were designed to improve strength, user comfort in areas contacting the body and aesthetically to promote a sense of speed. The dual-purpose sideguards provide protection to the user while acting as a structural member for support.
The CR1 Wheelchair by Doug Garven exemplifies contemporary achievements in adaptive mobility technology, representing a synthesis of aerospace-grade material science with human-centered ergonomic research that elevates the wheelchair from purely functional apparatus to an object of considered industrial design merit. This work emerges from traditions of lightweight performance engineering previously reserved for competitive athletic equipment and specialized medical devices, yet demonstrates ambitions toward broader accessibility and everyday usability. The designer's material choices reveal sophisticated understanding of carbon fiber composite construction, employing the characteristic woven pattern not merely as structural necessity but as aesthetic signature that communicates technological advancement and premium craftsmanship to observers. The cantilever front fork design demonstrates particular engineering elegance, suspending the forward casters on a sweeping monocoque arm that eliminates conventional cross-bracing while maintaining structural integrity, simultaneously reducing visual complexity and overall mass. Chromatic restraint throughout the design establishes associations with professional-grade equipment across multiple domains, from cycling to motorsport to aviation, positioning the user within frameworks of capability and achievement rather than limitation. The integration of breathable mesh seating materials within the rigid carbon shell suggests attention to thermal comfort and long-duration usability, acknowledging that mobility devices function as extensions of the body requiring consideration beyond pure locomotion. One might observe how the proportional relationship between the commanding rear wheel and diminutive front casters creates visual dynamism suggesting forward momentum even at rest, perhaps inviting contemplation of how design language shapes perceptions of mobility, capability, and the relationship between human users and their enabling technologies.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The CR1 is a custom fabricated carbon fiber wheelchair. Each one is unique and built around the user's individual body specifications and their desired preferences. Carbon fiber was selected not only for its performance benefits of strength and light weight, but also for the freedom to optimize the tube shape. The ovalized tubing is orientated at different angles along the frame to maximize strength and comfort for the user. The unique front-end design allows improved environmental access by allowing the user to get closer to objects.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Each chair is unique and based upon the information supplied by the user's order form which is 5 pages long and covers 9 specific measurements based upon the individual body proportions and chair set-up preferences. There are also numerous component and accessory options available to make each chair unique. The chair length dimensions are 330-483 mm, x 330-457 mm width, x 381-533 mm height.
- Tags
- everyday performance, ultralight, custom, made-to-order
- Production Technology
- Production is through a vendor that specializes in the creation of carbon fiber products and their use of a proprietary foam core fabrication process that adds additional strength and helps to absorb vibrations. Their team was able to optimize the specific material layups and the fabrication methodology. Every frame consists of two mirrored sideframes that each have 3 bonded together sections of different angles and lengths, joined with a bonded crossbar. These modular components combine with others to make each chair unique and match the user's specifications. The design was refined through FEA analysis, user evaluation and finally, through mandated functionality and durability testing ANSI/RESNA, ISO 7176.
- Design Challenge
- The key challenges were improving accessibility and maneuverability while reducing the overall weight in a fully customizable product. We partnered with outside vendors to develop special components, like an entirely new style of caster fork bearing. Its creation allowed for smaller parts, lighter weight and a smaller footprint to the chair's design and overall proportions for improved maneuverability. Another key component was the ability to customize the frame designs in as economical and manufacturable method as possible that also minimized waste. The final realization of that was the modular, 3-section design to the sideframe. Different materials are utilized on different parts of the chair to maximize durability like titanium trim rings on the footrest for wear and SMC carbon reinforced parts for impact protection when the rear wheels are removed. The foam core of the carbon fiber parts improves strength and the perception of being too delicate and fragile a material for this application.
- Project Duration
- This project started in Nashville, TN in early 2018 and was officially completed and for sale on the market in October of 2023.
- Operation Flow
- The CR1 is operated like any other manual wheelchair through the propulsion of the two drive wheels. What is improved over other devices in the market is how lightweight it is, the complete chair is only 6.8 kg and the increased maneuverability and accessibility through the kinked front-end design. The customized frame dimensions ensure a secure and comfortable fit for the user, much like a wheeled prosthetic.
- Research
- The background research for this project was inherent in over 30 years of being a professional wheelchair designer and user. This product was intended for advanced users who know how they want to sit and how they want their chair to feel and respond. The needs and requirements for this product are something that I live and experience every day. We also presented early prototypes to other users and industry experts for their opinions and feedback.
- Inspiration
- The CR1 was inspired by over 30 years as a product designer in the medical industry and as a chair user personally. I was given the task of creating the ultimate, daily-use chair and in doing so drew upon previous designs and what I would have liked to have done but wasn't able to either from a materials perspective or project parameters. The form is functionally driven but inspired by Formula 1 race cars and elements of the F-22 Raptor.
- Patents
- US 20230233387 A1
Colors of Cr1 Wheelchair
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We engineer ultralight carbon fiber wheelchairs tailored to your exact body specifications and mobility preferences. Our award-winning designs combine Formula 1-inspired performance with over 30 years of expertise, creating personalized mobility solutions that enhance independence and…
G0E5 ShopDesign Interview about Cr1 Wheelchair
The idea was to create a state of the art, custom fabricated, high-end carbon fiber wheelchair. This design was inspired by aerodynamic racing bicycles and Formula 1 race cars.
The main goal was to develop a design out of carbon fiber, that could be fabricated in different configurations and sizes to accommodate each user's unique body shape and dimensions.
To continue spreading the word about the CR1 and that it is available to purchase.
This design was a collection of ideas I've accumulated over the years working on other projects and never had the right time or project to utilize. The design concept phase was relatively quick, about 6 months. The execution phase to get the chair into production took almost 5 years.
As mentioned, this design was a collection of ideas I've had from over 30 years of wheelchair designs. This was the first project I was given an open book in terms of development costs and material selections. The use of carbon fiber as the primary material allowed the realization of this project.
It is for sale through the company TiLite, a wheelchair manufacturer out of Pasco, WA, USA. They are a division of the parent company Permobil out of Sweden.
As both a wheelchair designer and a chair user from a car accident while attending school, I have an inside understanding what this type of wheelchair needs to do. Both, from a physical-functional needs perspective as an assistive device but also the phycological of having a really cool and aesthetically pleasing design to help minimize the sociological stigma of being a wheelchair user.
Within the industry, no, but plenty of inspirations drawn from the outside world. Aero race bikes and Formula 1 race cars, especially their wings and aerodynamic concepts.
The target customer is an experienced chair user who knows what they want from a performance perspective and how they want to sit in their chair.
The two main distinguishing features of this design are the profile shape of the frame tubing and the unique, front-end design of the chair which incorporates a dual-angled design that lets the user get closer to objects for improved accessibility.
The name CR1 follows in the tradition of other TiLite chair designs which are abbreviations of the functional descriptions. CR1 is short for (Carbon Rigid and 1 designates the first model in this material).
This entire project was designed using SolidWorks.
The unique frame profile and tube shape sets the chair apart aesthetically, but of equal importance is the ability to custom fabricate each chair to the user's dimensions to match their unique body shape and individual preferences.
This project was designed in-house at TiLite but also relied upon some outside vendor's inputs to enable the manufacturing and commercialization. Lot's of input from Engineers in different departments.
Technology was instrumental in the design's creation, everything from CAD modeling, FEA analysis to order entry and CNC part fabrication.
Yes, advanced composite FEA analysis was completed to ensure the chair's strength and weight targets were being met before extensive physical durability testing was performed to ensure the design's viability and safety.
Trying to ensure the product's strength and safety while trying to keep the weight down by minimizing part and fastener sizes in every component.
I wanted to find a way to help spread the word of our cool design to audiences who might not normally think of an assistive device for the disabled in this manner.
I learned a lot about composite design and manufacturing! On top of that, I learned a lot about patience and perseverance in seeing this project through some big company politics and the world shut down through Covid.
No, thank you for taking the time to read if you made it this far :)
Grand Interview about Cr1 Wheelchair
This was an observational design improvement I noticed through using my wheelchairs every day for over 30 years. There are many times during the day when you want to get close to something and the frame on your chair is the limiting factor. The dual-angle front end on the CR1 can help the user get a little closer in many of those situations.
Everyone wants to look cool and the CR1 tries to take away that negative stigma and image of being in a wheelchair. F1 race cars and fighter jets are cool looking, purposeful machines driven by function. This inspired the CR1's aerodynamic form and tube shape, which could realistically only be achieved through using carbon fiber along with its strength to weight benefits. The aero inspired elliptical tube shape also offers a smoother and flatter surface area in front where a user's legs contact the chair frame.
The driver for the development of a new bearing was looking at what was currently being offered, industry-wide, and knowing that a better solution existed. Having a bearing created for the intended usage allowed it to be smaller in size and weight. This has a trickledown effect of allowing the parts associated with the bearing to be smaller and lighter which in turn allows the design to be smaller and improve the chair's maneuverability.
A great question but a hard one to predict. A lot of adaptive mobility design is driven by cost, which was something the CR1 wasn't as constrained by since it is our flagship product. I hope that over time, some of the design and feature benefits pioneered by the CR1 are adapted and spread throughout our product lineup.
Our company was founded on and is known for being the leader in custom fabricating each wheelchair based upon the individual user's specifications and body dimensions. The CR1 needed to have this ability to be customizable, which presented a challenge to do so in carbon fiber since that material requires special tooling for fabrication. Our solution was to section the sideframe into three different sections which allowed for differently sized and angled parts to be used which allows the chair to be custom fitted around each user's individual specifications.
All materials used on the CR1 were chosen based upon the need and the design of the parts. The frame was made out of carbon fiber for its light weight, strength and the ability to molded into the unique shapes required. The other part materials were determined by their application, titanium was selected for parts where high strength or galvanic corrosion was a factor. In other locations, carbon reinforced SMC was used where high wear resistance was needed but the part shape was too complex to be made in titanium.
There were several design iterations the chair progressed from through different prototypes. Some of the major design challenges were attachment of the caster forks to the frame, allowing for the finetuning and adjustments the chair provides for the user to be able to dial in the performance and comfort. The largest design challenge was segmenting the frame and figuring out where doing so provided the optimum location for strength and customization. This project started before the world shut down for Covid, so keeping the project alive and refocused on internally presented its own unique challenges.
The foam core technology for the fabrication process was developed and patented by our carbon fiber frame supplier. The core is critical in minimizing the noise that gets transmitted through the frame. Carbon fiber is already good at absorbing and minimizing vibrations, the foam core adds an additional layer of vibration absorption. This improves the user's experience and the quality perception of the product.
The person's mobility device should fit them so well that every movement translates into a reactive and desired movement of the device, an extension of themselves. Think of it as a wheeled prosthetic. In terms of personal dependence and importance, there isn't a single device a disabled individual will depend upon greater than their personal mobility device.
I hope the way in which it enables and improves the users lives. Partiality aside, the CR1 is the quickest responding, best rolling and instantly reactive wheelchair I've ever used. I hope enough people get to experience it for themselves to see how enabling a device it can be.