A Trike for Mark!

This was a very simple construction I put together yesterday combining a toy-grade New Bright truck chassis with some 'Knex'. It does have a serious purpose though, a friend of mine called Mark is in the process of having a full-scale trike, based on a Yamaha XJ900, converted to suit his physical needs. One of his bigger problems is going to be how to safely get on and off the thing, bearing in mind the fact that he is a full-time wheelchair user. The whole idea of building this RC model is to test the idea of creating a combined wheelchair lift and rack on the back of the trike. Call it a bit of 'brains-storming' if you want.

This model isn't exactly a proportional representation of the real thing - it's only intended to be a conceptual test-piece. In particular the top deck of the Yamaha trike is a lot shorter than demonstrated here. The idea of the fold down pillion passenger back rest is important, so that Mark can easily cross from the back of the vehicle to his own seat. The construction and form of the ramp is still being thought about, it could remain flat at all times, could fold up (which would mean the wheelchair would have to be mounted elsewhere), or it could fold at half its length, which would allow for a folded chair to be stowed sideways in the remaining gap. Different mechanisms have been suggested to enable the ramp to be raised and lowered, these include electrical, hydraulic and mechanical, this last one probably by adapting a top-handle sideways-folding car-jack.

Just for comparison, here is a picture of the real-life trike as it stands today:

I've stared a new blog about its construction here, where you will be able to read all about it as progress is made. I now have two winter projects on the go!