Abstract
The growing attention to environmental problems, manufacturers to take into consideration the environment requires in their manufacturing activity. With the increase in the aged population, Japan has entered the aged society that calls for the necessity of mobility equipment designed for assisting the elderly. However, the existing electric wheelchairs do not meet the above demand due to lengthy recharging time and unsatisfactory running time. So, we developed power-saving and light-weight next generation electric wheelchair that can be driven by the fuel cell system. Prototype electric wheelchair was made according to the test results, and after repeated modification and improvement an electric wheelchair as an universal mobility was completed. In the process, we surveyed users regarding the wheelchair design and the concept of "progress," had them test drive the wheelchair, and reflected the results in our manufacturing.
