[Reprinted from the December 1, 1998 The Capital Times. Byline: Associated Press.]
For James Waddell, it was a liberating experience.
Waddell, who was paralyzed after an industrial accident, had not been on a bicycle in nearly 30 years. Then a friend told him about a project involving several University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering students who were trying to design a bike for people who do not have use of their legs.
Waddell decided to give the unusual device a spin in a parking lot next to Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
"It was new and different," said Waddell, 48, a financial specialist with UW Hospitals. "I don't remember the last time I was on a bike. It had a great sense of freedom."
The bike, which is in the final stages of development, has been the project of a succession of engineering graduate students since 1993.
It's also been a labor of love.
The students have worked on the bike on their own time, often spending their own money for parts or scavenging components from bike shops or parts manufacturers, said Frank Fronczak, a professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering who has overseen the project: It's been a way for the students to get out from behind a computer for hands-on training.
"What I am most proud about with my students is we design, build and test things," Fronczak said.
The next stage is large-scale production, Fronczak said.
There already are bikes available for paraplegics, but, for the most part, they mimic traditional bikes, said Craig Connor, who built the first prototype of the UW bike as a master's degree student in 1994.
In those bikes, the rider uses his or her hands to pedal a traditional crank and sprocket system that is set in front of the rider at about chest height. Those bikes can be tiring and difficult to steer, Connor said.
For the UW bike, there is a new propulsion system for which Connor now has a patent application pending.
The three-wheel bike (two wheels in the front, one in the back) is powered by a four-bar linkage system under the seat that drives a single rear wheel. The rider powers the drive train by pulling up and down on the bars.
The stroking motion is designed to mimic the upper body movements used in transferring from a wheelchair to another chair. Connor said the motion allows the rider to use larger and stronger muscles in the chest, back, shoulders and arms.
Along with engineering students, the team effort included staff from UW's kinesiology department, UW physical therapists and the input of several Madison-area disabled athletes.
In addition to improving recreational opportunities for the disabled, the bike also has rehabilitative benefits, Connor said. "We haven't done all the physiological testing, but you can really get it moving."
The braking, steering and shifting mechanisms are located in the bars.
"It takes a certain amount of coordination," Waddell said. "It was like trying to ride a bike for the first time."
Waddell said it took a little getting used to but eventually it became easy to operate. He thinks most paraplegics could learn to use the bike.
"There are so few pieces of aerobic equipment for people who can't use their legs," he said. "You've got stair steppers, treadmills and stationary bikes, but none of those are for people like me."
Pointing to the 350,000 Americans who have lost the use of their legs either to a spinal cord injury or amputation, Connor said. Fronczak said they believe there is a market for the bike.
The next step, they said, is to take the bike to bike manufacturers such as Trek or Cannondale to see if there is any interest in producing it on a large scale.
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