Blue Team

This website documents the 2009 University of Maine Mechanical Engineering Technology senior project.

Our class decided to answer a request from Kim Keeleyasking for a design for an all-terrain trike for use by land mine victims in Mozambique.

Kim frequently works with residents of Mozambique, a country that has been ravished by civil war. A large number of active land mines remain scattered across the country side from the conflicts. The W.H.O estimates there is approximately 3 million landmines in Mozambique. These mines can remain active for decades after they have been planted. They are indiscriminate and often end up maiming or killing innocent women and children.

Mozambique as a country is impoverished and lacks the sophisticated medical facilities available in the U.S. Landmine victims rarely have the option of prosthetic limbs making travel very difficult. This coupled with the poor state of the roads severely inhibit mobility. Traditional wheel chairs, when available, are extremely difficult to maneuver through the loose sand and mud that makes up the landscape.

Landmine victims must continue to function in society to survive so their need for transportation is crucial. Currently use of “Chinese wheelchairs” provides an inadequate solution to landmine victim mobility. These contraptions are often cobbled together from scrap parts and are dangerous in their own right. They rarely have adequate, or even any, braking system. The seating is rigid and uncomfortable causing sores on the occupant. The tires are not suited for the terrain and puncture easily stranding the rider.

We are dedicated to offering a solution to their needs. It is our goal to provide engineered blueprints of a hand powered trike that can comfortably and safely offer transportation to a land mine victim. This design will be able to be built locally in Mozambique at a very low price.

Children swinging