FiGo - Dog Wheelchair

** FiGO has been updated and published here http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1397964

Wheelchairs for domestic animals are very expensive and often inaccessible to many pet owners. This is not always the most welcoming solution for individuals who need a pet wheelchair for their animals at short notice, on a budget, at a remote location, or perhaps for temporary purposes. This project empowers individuals to build their pet’s wheelchair with the combination of digital fabrication (3D printing) and traditional making. This device uses parametrically designed 3D printed joint pieces that fit into acrylic tubing, which can be easily customized to the dog for both fit and style purposes. This is currently my second prototype. I redesigned the pieces in this second prototype to be more geometric so that they are much easier to print.

I wanted to make sure that all materials used in the fabrication of this chair would be widely accessible to anyone regardless of your location. The wheelchair consists of roller blade wheels, standard skate bearings, screws, acrylic tubing, straps, and 3D printed joint pieces.

The wheelchair project started as a design for Anne Murray, a 7 year old French Bulldog. I made sure that the wheelchair accurately reflected her personality as described by her very caring owner Martha J. I printed it in bright purple and included glitter in the clear acrylic tubing used to frame the design.