Team develops handlebars for disable cyclists

The students, from the Étienne Oehmichen High School, located in Châlons-en-Champagne, created an adaptable handlebar to help people who can only use one arm or hand. The gadget can be attached to all types of bicycles and comes off easily. It can be used by people who are right-handed and left-handed.

“The idea came from a friend who once saw a man with an amputated hand riding a bike. We said to ourselves, hey, why not make a handlebar so that people like him can ride a bike more easily?”, one of the inventors, Clément, said.

The team had the help of health professionals, such as a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, and the French Association for the Paralysed to develop the product.
Once they had a functional prototype, they tested it with the help of patients at the Fagnières Institute for Mobility Education. “A little girl who hadn’t ridden a bike in several months was able to do so again using our invention. That was very moving for us, and she was very happy. We are very proud,” Clément recalled.

This invention allowed the team’s mini-enterprise, Bike 4ll, to receive the Innovation Prize at the Regional Championship of Mini-Enterprises, as well as the Mobility Prize at the National Championship.

Adapted from: https://bit.ly/2PuKAW1

More info: https://bike4ll.jimdo.com/