If successful business is based on passion, then B-FREE TECHNOLOGY LTD could well be poised for global success, says ALAN LEE, FOUNDER & INVENTOR of the company’s popular, all terrain stair climbing power wheelchair.
It all began 5 years ago when Alan Lee, the inventor, was deeply touched by a report on a young paraplegic who locked himself in his unit for 6 years merely because of the 5 steps that he had to negotiate before getting in and out of his unit.
Determined to help, Alan has devoted himself physically and financially over the last 4 years to the research and development of an all-terrain stair-climbing power wheelchair to help the young disabled.
“Basing the foundation of B-Free Technology Ltd purely on my passion to produce a single product really did not make any commercial sense, but as I was testing the chair, I discovered that people as young as 8 to the elderly (88 years old and up) could control it very well. The product was welcome by people of all ages and for whatever reasons they needed to or want to drive it instead of walking,” says Alan Lee, Founder and Inventor.
All-out Terrain & Safety
All manual or power wheelchairs are for smooth terrain only. Users can only rely on barrier free facilities. In developing countries, barrier free facilities tend to be few and far behind. In more developed countries like Europe, historical sites and buildings are barriers to many.
“The global problem of an aging population demands barrier free products, such as our B-Free chair, which is almost without territorial restriction,” Lee says.
A stair-climbing wheelchair is scarce. The chairs available are cumbersome and expensive, more than double our price. They use only one single pedrail and therefore can only climb stairs of regular incline,” Lee says.
“Such a climbing system can only manage to have 2 to 3 grasp points to the stair. This is a great safety concern especially if the stair is of irregular angles. Their reliance on expensive electronic sensing device renders concerns on electronic errors, particularly when the stair surface is reflective or wet.
Our patented stair-climbing system maintains 4 grasp points on the stair at all times. Our patented semi wheel and semi-pedrail design relies on its mechanical system rather than on any electronic sensors. In addition to its stability and safety on the stair, the B-Free chair is able to negotiate automatically and safely while reaching the top of the stair. Our All-Terrain Stair-Climbing B-Free Chair therefore beats the best stair-climbing chair on the market by miles in term of cost, safety, agility, reliability and creativity.”
Our Chair, our Brand
“Demand of our stair-climbing chair in Hong Kong is high but users are not ready to pay the extra to help to improve their mobility yet. Hong Kong people tend to trust and accept European products more. We are therefore targeting the European market first. As our brand name is building with higher demands and orders from overseas achieved, we will be able to produce the chair at a lower cost to meet the demand in the Asia market. With generous funding from the Hong Kong government and the support from the Hong Kong Science & Technology Park, we plan to establish a local factory for further research and development and the production of our chair in Hong Kong. We aim to help local employment and the building of a Hong Kong brand. With easier access to various production materials, we will be able to aim further development of derivatives of our stair-climbing system even for industrial purpose.”
Triumph of Passion
“The secret of our success is really no secret. All we need are passion, to help the ones who need it; dedication, devoting everything we have to make sure it works; persistence, to overcome all the obstacles; and lateral thinking, to drive creativity. We appreciate this Award because it is a humble reflection of the triumph of our passion to serve the differently abled. We will continue to do our best to help those who are in most need of this new invention,” concludes Lee.
For additional information please visit www.b-free.hk
