Peter Niemetz, Imperial College London, 'The “B2W” – A Bike to All-terrain Wheelchair Transformation for Developing Countries'

Peter Niemetz receiving his certificate from John Scott, International Medical Director, Orthofix Ltd


Comments from John Scott, International Medical Director, Orthofix Ltd
We have been involved with this competition since 1991, and it is wonderful to see how it has developed over that time.  It is now a highly competitive and prestigious event, and the quality of the submissions shows that the speciality of Biomedical Engineering is alive and well in the UK.  The Orthofix prize went to a group of 4 people who have demonstrated excellent lateral thinking in assembling a sturdy and efficient wheelchair out of old bicycle parts.  We hope that this is the first step to achieving a cheap and simple third world wheelchair which can be repaired locally if required.  This project identified and filled a need in a manner that suits the local budget.  Orthofix are very pleased to be one of the Biomedical Competition sponsors and look forward to our continuing association with IMechE.

Peter Niemetz: Biography and Inspirations
Peter Niemetz studied music at the Carinthian State Conservatory in Klagenfurt, Austria, transferring to London in August 2005 to do an MEng in Biomedical Engineering with Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London. He spent his first two years within the Department of Bioengineering and had significant exposure to Paediatric Orthopaedic Devices (PODs). As part of his second year project, he designed the DCESTAR; an above-knee prosthesis for developing countries. In order to combine his passion for design engineering and manufacturing with his interest in contributing to the community through engineering design, he transferred to Mechanical Engineering in his third year of study. During a summer internship at Morgan Stanley in 2007, he met and became friends with Jo, a spinally-injured wheelchair user (C6i, T12c). Inspired by the POD project and touched by his experience with Jo, he recognised the enormous need for wheelchairs in developing countries. This led him to develop the idea of transforming a bicycle into an all-terrain wheelchair, and he took on the B2W (Bike-to-Wheelchair transformation) project with 3 colleagues under the supervision of Dr Anthony Bull in his third year.

Download a full synopsis of this winning project