Over a year ago, some interesting photos of the ICE trike, which was completely controlled by a joystick, popped up somewhere on the internet. And today, with enthusiasm, but also with a little sadness, I read a really beautiful technical article about the reasons for building such a trike, about the development and also about many technical aspects and solutions. The story of Greg and his friend Adam, who significantly improved his life, is simply beautiful to read and can be found on the IEEE blog, the world’s largest technical professional organization for the advancement of technology.
Here is what ICE says about the project:
“When Doug and Adam’s friend was diagnosed with ALS they decided to find a way to help. As engineers they managed to do something not many people in the world could have done to help him stay mobile and enjoy his life. They took our Adventure HD trike and converted it to full electric control. When we say full, we mean full; it has electric drive, electric shifting, electric brakes and electric steering all controlled from a small joystick and screen on the custom built arm rest.This is a one off labour of love built for a friend of the amazing engineers who put this together (who have no affiliation with ICE but kindly allowed us to share their photos) and not a commercial product. We will answer any questions as best we can but we are sorry to say this is not something you can expect to see available for sale.”
I especially like one of the last paragraphs of the whole article: “This project is the perfect example of why I’m proud to be an engineer. To identify a problem, conceptualize a solution, build it, refine it through testing, and deliver something of value to the end user is a reward unto itself. In this particular case, I was also able to do a much-appreciated favor for a friend in need. While I wish could have somehow helped Greg medically, that was beyond my skill set. Getting him back cycling, though, was right up my alley.” says Adam.
In the gallery, you will find some additional photos, which I found deep on Facebook ICE trikes. Thanks for them!
Read the article here!
