TU05

Improvements made to de SARdyna-design and more...

Kakinada, India

Written by Puck-Anouk van de Bovenkamp and Ivo Schoemaker

11th of July Untill the 22nd of September 2005

On behalf of Movendi we went to Kakinada in India to innovate the SARdyna. The SARdyna was built two years before to help paralyzed girls to move around inside the MSI school. The design had to be evaluated and adapted where necessary. We stayed in Kakinada from July till September 2005. During this period we analysed the SARdyna and its use and made a new design. This new vehicle is called the Bandi.


SARdyna

We had an interview with the girls using the SARdyna to determine their wishes. The main points of attentions became a backrest to create a more secure feeling and brakes.


Interview

Our own wish was to make the vehicle more water resistant because the heavy rains in India damages the wood of the seats.

The Bandi is suitable for interior use or smooth floors outside. We tried to use only local materials. Therefore the Bandi is made out of a steel frame-work covered with synthetic caning. This caning is used for almost every chair in the city so it can be mend without problems when it gets damaged. The iron frame-work is easy to weld with a simple arc welder. The wheels are children’s bike wheels with a deep profile to get enough grip. Because of the open texture of the caning rain and washing water vanish easily and it avoids sweating.


Designing

During our stay in the MSI we did some other adaptations to make the surroundings friendlier for the disabled girls; handles in the bathrooms, head-posts alongside little stairs, ramps to make the whole building accessible for the Bandis and we made a design for a workshop in the garden.

We enjoyed our stay in kakinada very much. We were welcomed in every house of the people we met and taken for trips in the weekends several times. Sometimes it was hard to cycle through watered streets or to work with high temperatures but our appartement was very comfortable and when we left it was like we left home. We also have a good feeling about the products we left and the way we worked with the staff of the MSI. Alltogether we had lessons we never could have had in the classrooms in Delft.

Puck and Ivo


Five Bandi's!