Blogpost: Machu Picchu!

Team Kapen at Machu Picchu with the AdvenChair

Published on Kapen Writes
kapenwrites.com

BY TEAM KAPEN

Featured on the KapenWrites blog

Robert Kapen demos the AdvenChair all-terrain wheelchair in Bend, Oregon

Fresh off my trip to Bend, Oregon, where I test drove a manual mountain bike wheelchair #AdvenChair and with my recent fundraiser that granted me the opportunity to buy it. Which I feel so blessed, grateful, and loved that the people I call my community stepped up and faithfully gave money. The only way I know to truly thank them and God for the awesome providence they bestowed on me is use the chair continually and spread God’s message of love, peace, and grace everywhere I travel. Such trips include the redwoods, Australia, Banff, Yellowstone, Sedona, and the Amazon (not the warehouse the jungle haha). Hopefully I go so often I can quickly broaden my horizon and tour more east then California and then on to Europe. I’m going to try to take over the world. (in my best pinky and the brain accent)

Robert Kapen at the airport with his wife Nelly and the AdvenChair

But in the meantime, my sights and emotions were fixed on Machu Picchu. Now the challenge was figuring out how to get the chair, all its parts, and clothes there. Luckily, we had Nelly’s sister and her family. Also, when we got to the LATAM (Latin America airlines) counter we found out the duffle bag we shoved the third wheel, clothes, and some miscellaneous items could be considered my one medical bag so it was free! The flight is about 9 hours. We took the red eye so I watched one movie and slept the rest of the way. With the AdvenChair I only needed one chair. When it is quick movement on flat ground, I can just use the standard wheelchair, but if it is bumpy, uneven, and long trips I can but out and use the third wheel.

When we got to Peru, I was anxious to see how the chair fared the airplane. Not that I had any doubt but when they first brought it out after we landed, there wasn’t even a scratch on it. It was now time for the first couple of walls we had to figure out how to get around. The first wall was finding a rental vehicle that would be able to carry everything. Well, we did but when we got to the Airbnb unfortunately the nice house was not accessible. There were stairs everywhere, stairs into the house, into the living room, the kitchen, and the bedroom. The chair did amazingly, we were able to figure out the terrain. A few days stuffing our faces with Peruvian food, then we were off to Cuzco.

Nelly and Robert Kapen on their Machu Picchu adventure with the AdvenChair

Once again transferring in and out of the chair and flying to Cuzco was a breeze. What wasn’t a breeze was the taxi we had to take to the hotel. Once again by God’s grace we figured it out. Once at the hotel we were able to secure a taxi truck with a driver. That’s what I recommend, because he was always there when we needed a car, he knew where he was going, and he had great recommendations. While we were settling in altitude sickness hit Nelly hard, but for me it was gradual because by the end of the trip I couldn’t sleep or breathe. The hotel had oxygen tanks and coca leaf tea which helped. Yes, that coca but these are leaves before they add all the poisons, its very natural.   

In the following days we went to the Sacred Valley, natural salt pools, old Incan fortress and cliff pods (you spend the night in a clear pod hanging on the side of a mountain.) we had a lot of practice with the wheelchair on the trails. Oh! Not to mention more food. I had an alpaca burger! That’s where we did most of our shopping because the dollar is four times stronger. We either bought the best quality of a item or 100 of something because we could. My favorite was when we walked up to a stand and asked the lady, if we could buy all of her llama key chains?” her face lit up. It was nice to help her out with a big payday, just because that is their livelihood.

It is the night before the big trip and I was nervous. I was praying so hard because I had no clue what to expect. The variety of ways to get freaked out were endless. We had to go to bed early and wake up at 4AM to catch a train and make the most of the day. That being understandably way too hard for Nelly’s sister. She has three kids, well 4 if you count her husband lol (shout out to Yeiz) they left a day early to the city under Machu Picchu. Which was a blessing, because like so many times before they were able to scope scope the area for me.  

Robert Kapen contemplates his Peruvian adventure in the AdvenChair

It is 5AM at the train station because it was an away from the hotel. Bobbies (stray dogs) and mishis (stray cats) everywhere. When it was the time to board, we hit a wall. The train had steep stairs, no aisle seat, and we had narrow space to work with. Perurail I recommend investing in an aisle chair, making it more accessible to more people and essentially more money. Please make the investment. Don’t you want more money? What had happened was, my team had to carry me in, then I had to penguin waddle to my seat. The shinning light in all of this was God’s grace, mercy, and providence not with just this situation but the whole trip. We had so many issues come up and somehow, we were always able to overcome. Looking back, we totally saw God’s hands in everything.

The second winner was the AdvenChair because it held up to everything, we threw at it. From taking it apart and putting it together, transferring in and out, and storing the chair and its parts. It was very intuitive. My team of family members picked it up and quickly to over for Nelly. While we were hiking during our many excursions, if we needed help people knew where to grab. If we brought my other chair people would jump in and start accidentally ripping off parts, “oops hope you don’t need that.” Again having just this one chair made everything easier as far as space, durability, and safety. I felt safer in this chair with all the belts, shocks, and handle bars I could hold to. 

We have arrived at the town at the bottom of Machu Picchu. BAM! The next wall. Similar to the train I had to be carried in the bus. Once aboard we started our ascent and I started praying. Then it hit me, “I’m praying for trust in God but what does that mean? What does that look like?” the increasing heights and winding turns didn’t help. the road was one lane, but when two buses come together what happens? One bus gets as close to the edge as they can and the other gets as close to the hill as possible and then they try to squeeze by. At the top of the mountain trees block the steep steep drop off. Not knowing anything we went through the front entrance and quickly realized the Incas didn’t think about wheelchairs because mine wasn’t going to fit.

Robert Kapen going along the treacherous steep path up Machu Picchu in the AdvenChair.

Robert Kapen at Machu Picchu in the AdvenChair

Round two, one of the guides saw us struggling so he offered to take us through the exit. It was the same views but the path is wider. He took us to a roped off patch of grass and told us, “you can stay as long as you want just don’t move.” It was between a rock ledge and a hut that block the view to infinity. Then Nelly said, “you can open your eyes now.” Yes because my eyes were jammed closed and my knuckles were whiter than snow. We took pictures and videos. Praised God for not dying, and thanked Him for sunglasses so you couldn’t see my eyes closed the whole time. Then it hit me again. This is what I prayed for, God delivered. My fear wasn’t washed away but by trusting Him, He brought me to an area of some comfort. Where we were between a wall and hut, I was able to open my eyes, talk, and release my grip so my hands got some color back. And during that moment there was an inner peace like I knew God was helping me. That continued as we finished and drove back down the mountain and watched the sunset on the train ride home.

Robert Kapen on the AdvenChair with Nelly’s extended family

A beaming Robert Kapen and wife Nelly at Machu Picchu in the the AdvenChair

Blogpost: The Chair

Published on Kapen Writes
kapenwrites.com

BY TEAM KAPEN

Featured on the KapenWrites blog

Robert Kapen by the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon in the AdvenChair all-terrain wheelchair

I just had a phenomenal weekend. I was able to go hiking, be in nature, and hang out by a river for the first time in 10+ years. How you might ask? Your power chair doesn’t go off-road and your manual chair doesn’t either. Well, the answer starts with God’s provision.

One week earlier… we were at church, serving, and we had free time before church started. Nelly leaned over to show me a new type of chair. I said, “cool” and that was the end of that. Then Nelly took my advice of “ just ask, you never know, the worst they can say is “no”.” Then she sent an email to the makers of the chair and they replied before church ended. This was the start of a two-week menagerie. Looking back I saw God’s hands through all of the plans. Starting with Nelly having to go to the northwest the coming week for work.

When Nelly reached out to the AdvenChair people, she explained that we were going to Machu Picchu in Peru. Tickets were paid, we just needed a chair. Our proposition was to cut us a break in the purchase and we will gladly give them promotion for the chair which included photos, videos, blogs, and reviews. The deal seemed mutual beneficial because they are a newer company, they have never been international with the chair, and Machu Picchu was on their list of places to try the chair. And we were new to going to Machu Picchu in a wheelchair, we didn’t know all of the options, and the tour companies for people in wheelchairs cost a pretty penny. The expenses kept adding up until financially it didn’t make sense. Ultimately we were thrilled to find this chair but initially there was hesitancy from both sides. With a couple zoom meetings over the course of a week, we had the skeleton of an agreement and we got to know them on a personal level. One question? How was I going to try the chair and see if it was a fit? I am in cali and they are in Oregon. Insert God’s helping hand.

The next Tuesday we flew to Tacoma, WA for Nelly’s work. Side note we stayed down the street from the glass blowing museum, we didn’t have time to go to it on this trip but having previously gone I highly recommend it. The first day was nice finally being able to put faces to the name’s Nelly always talks about. That night we stayed at the hotel because it was the MLB all-star game. The halos that played in the game had a couple of good plays and it was fun to watch. The next night we met up with an old roommate of Nelly’s and had the best Indian food that I’ve ever had. With a night of reminiscing and laughter we shut the place down and we had to lock-up when we left. lol! That Thursday we had yet another hang out with different friends from church who had recently moved. We met at a park and had fun catching up, eating, and taking a stroll around the lake with them and there kid. How many times do we make plans to see friends and family on trips but only seeing 1 of 4 groups? I truly believe that time in WA was God ordained. It just flowed so easily. Thank you Jesus that time was good for my soul.

Robert Kapen (middle) meets Geoff Babb (on right), originator of the AdvenChair

The next day we headed off to Bend, OR. The original blessings were the owners of the chair company were nice and genuine people. We had a hard time finding hotels and rentals cars, when they offered to give us a ride and graciously open up their house to us. The first night their was perfect weather so we ate dinner outside as we compared outlandish stories of our handicapped journey. They had to be true because you can’t make these stories up. We quickly realized the wives were similar and that the husband and I were oddly really similar. From our personalities, mannerisms due to the very similar type of stroke we had, to the meds we have taken. We ended the night early to get ready for the busy day we had the next and the real reason we were there, the hike with the wheelchair.

Debriefing on the LOGE Bend AdvenChair Demo Course

Waking up before the sun is not fun but it was necessary to get going so we wouldn’t be hiking during the hottest part of the day. Once we got to the trail head it was like I had a flashback of all the reasons I wanted to be a parks and rec major. I love nature! It was cool because the designer of the chair grew up in Torrance so we got to connect over that. My excitement only grew as he was breaking down the info of the chair. Next was the safety debriefing and a mapping out of the trail. Then we were off. Onward!

It was thrilling! But it didn’t meet mountain biking standards not because anything they did, but it was the unattainable expectations I had for myself and lack of mobility that made me not feel the mountain bike experience. This bike was awesome it was a close second to being on the trail again. With the right perspective I was able to really enjoy myself and really take everything in. I had a blast.

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Robert Kapen on the AdvenChair Demo Course at the LOGE Bend

Robert Kapen tests out more terrain on the LOGE Bend AdvenChair Demo Course with Jack Arnold of the AdvenChair team

When we got home we had dinner with a member of the AdvenChair society. We again related over various similarities. It was just the perfect ending to the weekend.

Even though I had a grand time socializing and testing the chair. The reality is I still need help fundraising to purchase it. It’s a pretty nice piece of equipment and we need to put a sizable down payment before we go to Peru. Please prayerfully consider donating before AUG 5th to a great cause of allowing me to be in nature again and giving me all the old feels back. Go to https://gofund.me/201b3591 if you would like to help. And to get more info or get in contact with the chair company visit AdvenChair.com

My next step is Machu Picchu, so keep an ear out for updates.

Blogpost: AdvenChair Rolls Boldly Into Adventure With Off-Road Wheelchair Design

Published on the Ansys Blog
Ansys.com

BY TIM PALUCKA

Featured on the Ansys website

The Ansys Startup Program celebrates helping more than 1000 companies.

Geoff Babb is an outdoor adventurer. He has enjoyed mountain biking, skiing and hiking in rugged terrain with friends over the years. He wasn’t about to let a stroke in 2005 stop him from enjoying his passions, or even a second stroke 12 years later. By then he was the founder of a company called The Onward Project, maker of the AdvenChair, dedicated to inspiring and enabling those with mobility challenges to visit wild places. The company’s motto: Roll Boldly.

Geoff Babb, inventor of the AdvenChair, and family after his first brain-stem stroke

You can see Geoff doing just that in a YouTube video featuring him in a prototype of the AdvenChair in the woods, on the beach and in the snow, accompanied by a group of friends who push and pull the AdvenChair using a set of handlebars in back and ropes in front.

“We’re sometimes asked about an electric-assist version, but honestly we're not really thinking about it at this stage, primarily because we see the group dynamics of teamwork as a key tenet of the AdvenChair,” Babb says. "AdvenChairing is a team sport.” 

On the Road to an Off-Road Wheelchair Design

When the idea of hiking in a wheelchair came to him in 2006, it quickly became apparent that the standard wheelchair, designed for floors in buildings and paved roads outside, was not up to the challenge of more rugged surfaces.

“I wanted to make a chair that would benefit not only me but so many people who want to be outside,” Geoff says. “We tinkered with a standard wheelchair but that didn't work.” The stresses and strains on the chair would be too great, and the jolts experienced by the rider too jarring.

The AdvenChair 1.0 early all-terrain wheelchair prototype at the Grand Canyon. Photo credit: Pat Addabbo

So Geoff turned to his mountain biking experience and began developing ideas for what would become the AdvenChair. It would be a three-wheeler — two large wheels in back for strength and stability and a smaller wheel out front for balance and maneuverability. It would incorporate the materials and components of a mountain bike that suit the terrain, including inner tire suspension, disc brakes and a lightweight but strong frame.

In 2017 Jack Arnold, an engineer with experience in product development, sheet metal and machinery, joined Geoff’s group. Together they decided it was time to scrap the early designs and build something new from the ground up. 

Engineering a New Wheelchair Design

Jack brought an engineer’s knowledge of simulation to the group. Before the first design review meeting, he used an engineering software package to simulate the stresses and strains on a prototype design that could hold a 250-pound rider with a safety factor of 3, for a total load of 750 pounds. He knew they wouldn’t end up building this design, but he wanted to get the ideas flowing, and to let the team know that this was going to be an iterative process.

Left to Right: Dale Neubauer, Geoff and Yvonne Babb and Jack Arnold

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“I wanted to go into the meeting with the ‘warm and fuzzy’ feeling of knowing that the structure was sound from the start,” Jack says. “You really need to use simulation upfront so you know that your first prototype is at least in the ballpark.”

A fortunate series of events brought Ansys simulations into the picture. In 2018, a reporter at a local radio station did a story on Geoff and the AdvenChair team. “After that story aired, we had a number of people reach out to us to provide service, and Ansys was one of them,” Geoff says. “Next thing I knew Ansys was offering to help us with the analysis. I asked Jack what he thought and he said we definitely should follow up on that.”

A structural analysis of the AdvenChair frame in Ansys Discovery

Soon Jack was working with Ansys Discovery as part of the Ansys Startup Program to verify the frame simulation he had done with the other software package. He ran several different simulations with the seat in different positions and with different loadings to see how these changes affected the frame.

“I quickly learned that it was so much easier to make design tweaks in Discovery in Explore mode and get a solution almost instantly to see that you are trending in the right direction,” Jack says. “I really love the brilliant use of onboard memory on video cards to make nearly instant updates possible.”

The Advenchair all terrain wheelchair is equipped with various adjustment mechanisms to accommodate riders of varying sizes and weights.

But what he loves the most about Discovery is the generative design feature. “Watching it iterate, removing material in the unstressed areas and then suggesting a final shape —that is really cool,” Jack says. “Our current AdvenChair is heavier than our design goal, so we are going to use generative design to eliminate material where it’s not needed. That will reduce the weight and translate into material and cost savings as well.”

Heading to Market

Somewhere along the way the team came up with what Geoff calls the “Swiss Army Knife” approach. This meant adding adjustability and scalability to the AdvenChair, so it could be used throughout a person’s lifetime for various purposes. An important feature of this approach is that the front wheel is removable so the AdvenChair can be used as a standard wheelchair to go into buildings, fit under tables and allow transfers in and out of vehicles.

Much of what Jack and the design team have been doing these last two years has been working on the adjustability of components. They want the rider to be able to adjust the seat position fore and aft, to adjust the inclination angle of the seat, and to set the footrest in the most comfortable position. Moving these components around in Discovery and seeing how they change the loads on the chair and its performance was easy.

Isaac Shannon takes to the trails, thanks to the off road hiking wheelchair, AdvenChair.

“With Discovery, we've designed a scalable platform that can handle anyone from a small child to an adult,” Jack says. “This includes three different seat bucket sizes that can be swapped out when needed. The idea is that a family can buy this for a child and it can be a lifetime chair for them.”

In the bigger scheme of things, Geoff sees the AdvenChair as a way of helping people of all ages with different abilities enjoy the outdoors again.

“We want to reach out to veterans to get their buddies out on the trail using teamwork,” he says. “Children with cerebral palsy. Elderly folks who just can't easily hike anymore and people with Parkinson's disease who want to visit their favorite lake again.” He talks about how he received a call from a man a few weeks ago whose daughter was in hospice and wanted to revisit her favorite spots on the family farm one last time. He loaned them an AdvenChair and she got her wish, a week before she passed.

In this way and many others, the AdvenChair team is already fulfilling its dream of helping people who love the wild outdoors to hit the trails throughout their lifetimes, no matter what challenges life throws at them. They are currently taking orders until Feb. 15, 2021 for the first production run of AdvenChairs, with plans to ship their first 10 units in the second quarter of 2021. In the meantime, they are continuing to use Ansys Discovery to reduce the overall weight of the AdvenChair, particularly in the seat, and are developing a lighter-duty, less expensive urban version, for those who find the city wild enough.

Download a free trial of Discovery to see how it can accelerate your design process.

AdvenChair Gives New Purpose to Geoff Babb

Blog post published on Stroke FORWARD

BY MARCIA MORAN

Featured on the StrokeFORWARD.com website

The scent of pine trees pricks your nose as you sniff the mountain air. The adrenaline rushes as you figure out the best way to navigate a steep decline. The aromas, sights, sounds, and the joy of being human brings joy to your face as you look toward the sun. Mt. Rainier, Crater Lake, or different park adventure cries, “Pick me, pick me next!”

But what happens if you are suddenly stuck in a wheelchair and are told you will never walk again? Are your days of adventure over? A few days ago I would have said, “Yes.” I would have been wrong.

Geoff Babb has a passion for the outdoors. He gets his energy from being out in the wilds. When a brain stem stroke in 2005 left him in a wheelchair, he decided that it was just one more obstacle that he would have to overcome. He didn’t have his legs underneath him to walk, but he did have wheels. Part of the problem was that the wheels of a regular wheelchair weren’t tough enough to take him where he wanted to roll. So he decided to figure out a way to upgrade so that he had an AdvenChair.

“It is so empowering for me to be outside in nature feeling the elements and being part of a team that got me there. It is being out in the elements and part of the process.”

-Geoff Babb

Things to Solve

The standard wheelchair did not perform well on off-road surfaces. It wasn’t long before Geoff figured out that he needed something different. Like some stroke survivors, he lost arm mobility that he couldn't get back. Somebody needed to push or pull him, typically a task his wife, Yvonne Babb, took gratefully.

Geoff and Yvonne started building what eventually became the AdvenChair with friend Dale Neubauer. They added mountain bike wheels (and eventually handlebars) to give the driver more control over where to guide the wheelchair. In 2008, a FreeWheel was added to the front to allow the chair to glide over rocks and roots without being stuck by the four-inch caster wheels that come standard on wheelchairs. In essence, the AdvenChair can now turn into a three-wheeler.

It was 2016 when they hit the Grand Canyon and expected a phenomenal hike to the bottom. The hike ended abruptly going down when the AdvenChair broke the axel sheath. Geoff got back with the help of his friends. (I can hear grunting at this point.) He had to begin working on a new design.

The Second Time Around

Twelve years (to the day) after his first stroke, he had stroke number two. The second one scared him. He had face droop and vertigo, which he hadn't had before. Geoff quickly understood that he had been there before. Although he lost some additional mobility in his arms, he couldn't wait to hit the trail again with his team.

AdvenChairing is a team sport with as few as two people or as many as six. It takes a lot of coordination and communication as mountaineering and rafting do.

“I feel as if I am part of the team,” explains Geoff. “The process of evaluating where we are, the footing and safety issues. I help the [team] problem solve. It’s definitely a physical work out for me because being jostled side-to-side takes a lot of core strength for me. It’s really good for me because I feel like I am really part of the strenuous activity. It’s definitely a way that I am participating, not just being a passenger.”

New Meaning

I was intrigued by this business. Geoff has figured out a way to make the wheelchair able to go off-road and comfortable at the same time. If you want one, go to AdvenChair for details. Geoff also plans to make it available to bike and equipment rental shops, nature centers, parks, tour companies, adaptive recreation programs, outdoor schools, and veteran’s groups in the future. If you have a friend or family member who has had a stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, dementia, or a kid who has special needs, the AdvenChair might be for you.

AdvenChair has given new meaning to Geoff Babb and his friends because he can enjoy the outdoors once again. I think it created meaning in a different way as well. Geoff has demonstrated that you are not the disease, and he will sell the AdvenChair to those who need it.

(Sniff) Ahh. Can you smell the pine air?

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Note: The AdvenChair is now on sale. Go here for more details and to order this all-terrain wheelchair with options and accessories.

Specs for the AdvenChair show how different this product is.