79-year-old Xu Suobao created this custom double wheelchair for him and his wife, and the story is being broadcast in China in honor of the Double Ninth Festival.
The Double Ninth Festival is the traditional Chinese holiday that celebrates elders. To mark the occasion, Chinese people go on long hikes, drink chrysanthemum liquor and pay tribute to their ancestors and elders. For Xu Suobao, the Double Ninth Festival is also an occasion to showcase the wonderful wheelchair he built for his wife, Zhoushu.
To build the custom wheelchair, Suobao attached a rolling platform to the hind wheels of his wife's standard wheelchair. He then secured an ordinary chair to the platform, creating a kind of sidecar or tandem wheelchair. This is a heartwarming example of an individual person innovating in order to meet a need that large companies and producers have completely overlooked.
What's Driving This Trend
- Custom Wheelchair Innovations
- Opportunity for companies to create customizable and adaptive wheelchairs that cater to individual needs.
- Elderly-focused Festivals
- Possibility to develop festivals and events that celebrate and honor the elderly population.
- Individual Ingenuity
- Recognition of the potential for individual innovators to address overlooked needs in existing industries.
Who This Affects Most
- Assistive Technology
- Assistive technology companies can explore ways to personalize and improve wheelchair designs for individuals with specific needs.
- Event Planning
- Event planning companies can consider organizing festivals and events that focus on celebrating and showcasing elderly individuals and their contributions.
- Innovation Consulting
- Consulting firms specializing in innovation can help identify overlooked needs in various industries and support individuals or companies in developing disruptive solutions.
