Winners of the World Changing Ideas Video Contest
From: Scientific American - 12/2010
By: Mark Fischett

Radical wheelchairs and windmills are among the winning concepts in the 2010
World Changing Ideas Video Contest, sponsored by Scientific American and
SciVee, the online science video site. In videos running two to five minutes,
entrants showcased innovative ways to build a cleaner, healthier or safer
world—simple yet powerful visions of a better future. 

Winner - The Leveraged Freedom Chair

Idea: MIT Mobility Lab
Video: Amos Winter and MIT News Office

A wheelchair with a hand-powered, geared drivetrain that travels effectively
over sand, dirt and other terrain often confronted in developing countries.
The user changes gears and propels the chair simply by moving his hands on a
set of levers, allowing him to travel fast on hard ground or to go offroad. 

Watch the video at:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=worldchanging-winners-of-the-video-contest

Links:
2010 World Changing Ideas Video Contest
http://www.scivee.tv/node/14690/video

New wheelchair gets its first real-world test
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2010/amos-wheelchair-0218.html

Wheelchair design class at MIT
http://web.mit.edu/sp.784/www/

Whirlwind Wheelchair International
http://www.whirlwindwheelchair.org/