Abstract—Nowadays, most people who use manual wheelchairs face difficulties moving outdoors, especially when there is unfavorable weather. Although different products are designed to protect them as umbrellas, raincoats, among others, these products have shortcomings that cannot meet the needs of wheelchair users, such as excess weight, lack of coverage, and adaptation of the product to the wheelchair. In this context, this research aims to propose an accessory that fulfills these needs through the design and feasibility study by simulation. This research was conducted in four phases, which comprised a search for information related to wheelchairs, their components, and accessories; likewise, it was determined a characterization of the right accessory’s design, then the design was evaluated and analyzed through simulations using Solidworks. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of the design are described, as well as the recommendations for future work. The results indicate that the accessory has a high resistance under normal conditions, according to the simulation studies conducted, for which it is concluded that the proposed design would be feasible if built. It would bring security to users, serving as a study base for future research, despite its shortcomings.

Index Terms—accessory, adaptability, disability, weather, wheelchair

Cite: Andrés F. Ortiz, Carlos A. Toledo, and Diana K. Luis, "Design of an Accessory to Protect Wheelchair Users from Rain and Sun," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 11, No. 6, pp. 437-444, June 2022. DOI: 10.18178/ijmerr.11.6.437-444 

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