To address the lack of standards and solutions from aircraft manufacturers, airlines, and the Federal Aviation Administration, our team is developing a custom wheelchair designed to ensure comfort, dignity and to reduce the number of transfers required for wheelchair users during air travel. This is due to air travel posing significant challenges for wheelchair users. When personal wheelchairs are handled by ground staff alongside luggage and other heavy cargo, they can often be returned damaged. This is particularly concerning because custom wheelchairs can cost over $30,000, and airlines typically provide limited accommodations or compensation for damage. Additionally, few solutions currently exist within commercial aviation to ensure comfort and safety for wheelchair users while boarding, during flight, and when deplaning. Although past efforts such as the Douglas CV-54C "Sacred Crow", Air4All, and Haycomp Eagle series have attempted to address accessibility, widespread implementation has been limited.
Reducing the number of transfers required during air travel is essential for improving accessibility for wheelchair users. Frequent transfers between a personal wheelchair, an aisle chair, and the aircraft seat can reduce independence and create safety risks. Minimizing these transfers helps preserve a passenger’s autonomy and dignity while also making the boarding and seating process safer and more efficient. To address this issue, our design focuses on a wheelchair that can safely function within the aircraft cabin environment. The wheelchair includes a cushioned seat and an adjustable headrest to improve comfort for the user. Its compact frame is designed to fit through the aircraft aisle, allowing passengers to move more easily to and from their designated seat. Additionally, the wheelchair incorporates automated features that assist with movement, helping users navigate the cabin with less assistance. Once positioned, the wheelchair connects to a compatible docking station equipped with a locking mechanism that securely holds it in place during the flight, ensuring passenger stability while the aircraft is in motion.
The project will be completed by the end of Spring 2026. By that time, our team aims to develop a comfortable and automated wheelchair that meets the needs and expectations of stakeholders, and safety and air travel standards. The goal of this design is to demonstrate a solution that could potentially be applied to real-world aircraft, improving accessibility and safety for wheelchair users during air travel. Ultimately, we hope this project contributes to broader efforts to make transportation, and the world as a whole, more equitable and inclusive for everyone.
Timeline:
MAE 151A - Winter 2026
- Stakeholder Needs and Expectations: defining stakeholder needs and expectations in accordance to the problem's defined solution
- Problem Definition: defining the problem and the need for the project
- Preliminary Design Review: coming up with a finalized solution and outlining the timeline for the rest of the quarter
- Product Trade Studies : compare and contrast variations of key off the shelf components that will meet design requirements
- Defining design requirements and standards: researching standards that designs must meet
- Proof of Concept: validation and testing aiming for the completion of prototype 1
MAE 151B - Spring 2026
- Problem Redefinition
- Compliance Check
- Critical Design Review
- Finished automated custom wheelchair and locking dock system