A wheelchair from a printer

According to estimates, by 2020 there will be as many as 120 million disabled people living in the world. It is a huge group which cannot be excluded when it comes to benefiting from civilization advances. Innovative products and services facilitate lives of those who have, for many different reasons, been in the shadows and found it really difficult to function in everyday reality. Today, with undisguised joy, I can say that also our company can now carry out projects which remained only a dream in the first decade of this century.

The idea to create a state of the art wheelchair was born during cooperation with a designer who, due to reduced mobility, uses one himself. He admitted that in most cases the market did not live up to the expectations and needs of the disabled. We took up the challenge to design and place on the market a device which should facilitate everyday activity and mobility of its users. We drew on life experience which we combined with the art of engineering and production technology. Today, our wheelchairs are among the most technologically advanced products, at the same time they are safe and comfortable.

Thanks to the EU subsidy, as one of the first companies in Silesia, we equipped our machine park with professional scanners and 3D printers which were manufactured especially for us by a Polish company. Because we can measure future user really precisely, the wheelchair which “comes out of” the printer is made to measure. It is also light, easy to manoeuvre, has a modern design, range of adjustment possibilities and is really durable. Future owner can decide about its aesthetics. They can choose the colour of the frame, upholstery and wheels, as well as the hardness of the seat.

Our products, although innovative, can and should still be refined, therefore we attentively listen to opinions and advice from users of our wheelchairs. That is why when asked, we say it is our joint creation: of engineers, designers but also of users themselves. The creation has been appreciated as the project was chosen one of 15 best on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Poland’s accession to the EU.

It was my dream to win a medal at a huge sporting event. Already as a child I trained running. I was a promising athlete. I began cooperation with a local club coach, I was selected for the school team and I ran in many local events. I was successful.

Bad luck. An accident in middle school put an end to all my goals and dreams. My world collapsed when I found out my spine was broken, I was paralyzed and I would have to use a wheelchair. It sounded like a life sentence.

However, it is in my nature that what brings others down, makes me stronger with time and motivates me to fight. I started looking for a new direction in my life. I remember very well when I found it. It was 2012, I was watching a para-cyclist Rafał Wilk in London. It was an impulse I needed. A year later I was riding my own bike tailored to my needs, and thanks to my determination and hard work, success came quickly: four times Polish champion, world championship, first place in the International Cycling Union’s ranking.

All that would not have been possible if not for my independence in everyday life. It is significantly easier thanks to the projects carried out by different companies and institutions, both in the field of rehabilitation and modern technologies. Cosmotech wheelchair is an absolute breakthrough in my life. I use it every day, at home and outside.

The biggest advantage is the possibility of adjusting its shape to the size of its user, which is important when it comes to comfort. I also value aesthetics. I have been wondering for some time now why we can manufacture designer bikes or scooters, but the market lacks good-looking wheelchairs? Finally, now I own one: it is safe, light, comfortable and really pretty. I feel great in it!

If I could suggest Cosmotech to create something, it would be a device - a chair or a lifting device – which would facilitate moving places – in my case from my bike onto my wheelchair. However, I know that this solution would make lives of many people easier. I do not doubt that with a little bit of fantasy and courage, and the owners of Cosmotech do not lack these, they can create a new product which will facilitate lives of the disabled.