LU professor Ahmad Sarraj registers a patent for a new prototype of lever-propelled wheelchair
The Director of the Faculty of Public Health (Branch 1) Professor Ahmad Sarraj, registered a patent with the Ministry of Economy & Trade on 28 April 2021, related to a new prototype of lever-propelled wheelchair.
The wheelchair was designed in Lebanon under the supervision of Professor Sarraj from the Lebanese University and Professor Raphael Massarelli and Professor François Rigal from Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University in France.
The new prototype relies on the rowing mechanism instead of the classic mechanism that causes musculoskeletal problems in patients with spinal cord injuries or paraplegia. Experiments on the modified chair proved the effectiveness of the new method in terms of breathing, effort, muscle work, patient satisfaction, and practical and functional assessments.
The creation and production of this prototype aims to increase the effectiveness of the use of wheelchairs in daily life, sports, running and strenuous uses without exposing the hands of the injured or patient to the pressures caused by the traditional method, especially on the shoulder-fixing muscles.