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==We're Back!==
Sorry there's not much here yet.  Somehow the old site crashed ''hard'', and I wasn't able to recover the data.  Then, when I did re-create the site, spam-bots took over and posted several hundred pages within a couple days, forcing me to wipe the site again.  I have locked the site down this time, so if you would like edit permissions, please contact me at WHIM -AT- MHORTONMEDIA -DOT- COM.

I'll be updating, editing, prettifying and cleaning this as time and energy permit.  Thank you for visiting, and please come back frequently to see what we're doing!

=Welcome to WHIM Unlimited=
WHIM Unlimited has a goal to create a power wheelchair which can be '''built''', '''customized''', and '''repaired''' using '''local resources''', ''with a minimum of customized parts''.  

That means, if something breaks, you won't need to 
*Schedule an appointment with the repair shop (1-3 weeks)
*Schedule a van ride to the shop
*Wait in the shop while they analyze the problem (several hours, with no access to your chair)
*Go back home while they order the part (days, weeks, even months)
*Schedule another appointment with the repair shop and the van once the part comes in (another 1-3 weeks)
*Wait in the shop again while they fix the problem (several more hours sitting in your waiting room, still without access to your chair)
*And finally head back home with a working chair

In our experience, this can take up to 2 months or more, depending on the issue.  It can be worse if there are no local wheelchair repair shops.

==What We're Doing==
WHIM Unlimited is researching potential power wheelchair designs using common components found in your local hardware, bicycle, and automotive parts store.  These will be designed so that the finished product can be built by anyone with some [[wikipedia:DIY|DIY]] experience - if you can use a wrench and a screwdriver, you should be able to build and maintain one of these chairs.

We're working with local engineers and other experts to find some potential answers.  We realize that there is not going to be one answer for everyone, however we feel that we can help make the choices easier.  We have already identified some components which may need to be customized (particularly the motor-wheel interface), but are working to keep these to a minimum, and are planning to provide plans for these so that they can be manufactured at a local facility.

==Who Is Doing It==
WHIM is Walker-Horton Innovative Mobility, founded by [http://www.madknight.com/pamela/ Pamela Kay Walker] and Michael Horton.

We have invited (drafted) several local engineers (mechanical, electrical, and others), as well as experts in other fields, to assist us in this endeavor.  As I get their permission (and their bios), I'll link them here.

==Why We're Doing It==
Pamela is a power-chair user, and has been for over 30 years.  In that time she has owned many chairs, and experienced the repair nightmare ''many'' times.  Somewhere along the line, she found that some of the issues could be repaired at local shops faster, cheaper, and with a less stress.  The ones that couldn't be repaired at the local bike shop (or other local non-wheelchair specialist) were usually due to the broken part being customized - unique to that brand and model of chair.

Michael is a software engineer, with 30+ years of experience in problem solving.  When Pamela's current chair started showing its age (17+ years), Michael kept looking at the "odd" design choices of her current and past chairs, and began asking questions.  He finally made the audacious claim that "I can design a better chair than that."  After a couple years of hearing this, Pamela finally said, "Prove it!"

==How We're Doing It==
We're still in the planning stages, meeting with the engineers and other experts weekly (or bi-weekly, or monthly, as schedules permit) over pizza, to discuss the possibilities.  We're looking at all of the available technologies, trying to find those which we believe will be around for the longest times, so that replacement parts will continue to be available.  We've made a lot of progress, but there's only so far we can go on paper.

Soon, we'll start fundraising in order to get the parts so that we can start building and testing.  Expect to see a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign starting soon.

=The Design Concepts=
We've broken the chair down to its component pieces, examined how they relate to each other, and what we'd like to be able to do.

*[[Wheels]] - More Rolling than Rocking
*[[Motors]] - Moving Forward (or Backward)
*[[Frame]] - Something to Build on
*[[Controllers]] - Keeping Control
*[[Batteries and Chargers]] - Power to the People!
*[[Brakes]] - So You Don't Get Broken
*[[Seating]] - Fits One Comfortably
*[[Lighting]] - We Have a Vision!
*[[Accessories]] - You Have to Know How to Accessorize