Electric Wheelchair Project – First Prize at the EPICS Competition

The Final Round of the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) Competition was held on 2 April 2021 at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, concluding with the championship awarded to a group of students from Lac Hong University.

It is known that in the final round, there were 35 student projects from six different universities, including Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Lac Hong University, Can Tho University, and Da Nang University of Technology. The projects were displayed in the auditorium, after which the organizing committee selected the six most outstanding projects for presentation. As a result, Lac Hong University won the championship with the Electric Wheelchair Project.

The Electric Wheelchair Project, which won First Prize, shared: “To support people with limb disabilities in earning a living and performing daily activities, the group proposed an electric wheelchair solution with improved convenience compared to existing devices and at an affordable cost. The project modifies the wheelchair to make it easier for users to control, while integrating a solar panel that both stores energy for the wheelchair during movement and serves as a canopy for the user.”

Accordingly, to support people with limb disabilities in earning a living and daily activities, the group proposed an electric wheelchair solution with improvements in convenience compared to existing equipment and at an affordable price. The project modifies the wheelchair to allow easier control for users, while integrating a solar panel that both charges the wheelchair during movement and functions as a shelter for the user.

Specifically, the group reused surplus wheelchairs that were left unused and wasted, installing two motors onto the two rear wheels using a chain drive transmission method. The wheelchair has two control methods: joystick control and control by head-tilt gestures.

“When selecting one of the two control methods above, the wheelchair’s processor receives signals from the joystick or headset (equipped with sensors), analyzes and recognizes the user’s commands to control the two motors. The wheelchair is powered by a battery placed beneath the seat, and is additionally equipped with a solar panel to extend travel distance while also protecting the user from sun and rain. Moreover, if the wheelchair is damaged, the components are readily available on the market, so costs are not high and replacement time is faster compared to imported electric wheelchairs. The price of the wheelchair is 7–8 times lower than imported electric wheelchairs,” shared Dinh Tuan Anh (Team Leader).

“The EPICS competition provided me and the entire team with substantial experience in teamwork, task organization, and development directions to ensure the product meets user needs. Personally, I find EPICS to be a very meaningful competition that enables students to gain extensive experience, improve their English proficiency, and identify many practical issues that need to be addressed.”

Achieving today’s result is the outcome of the team’s efforts, determination, and passion. In addition, the guidance of PhD Nguyen Van Tan played an important role and contributed significantly to the students’ success. PhD Nguyen Van Tan is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration - International Economics, Head of the Start-up Training Division at Lac Hong University, and a member of the Southern Start-up Advisory and Support Council. With extensive experience and creativity, he provided specific professional guidance to the Electric Wheelchair Project team in business aspects, project implementation, and commercialization of the product. Furthermore, he introduced the team to work at the Co-working Space, a place for students with projects to collaborate, exchange ideas, study, and conduct research throughout the process of developing their products. The modern and fully equipped facilities created a beneficial and effective working environment. The project team not only received dedicated instruction in business knowledge and product storytelling but also had access to a valuable learning space, which is truly commendable and well-deserved. In addition to the Electric Wheelchair Project, PhD Nguyen Van Tan has guided many other projects and students who, under his mentorship, have successfully started their own ventures after graduation. He is a lecturer with strong expertise, dedication to the profession, and a name frequently remembered by students when speaking about entrepreneurship at Lac Hong University.