Project FrameRunner
My graduation project was a collaboration between The Hague University of Applied Sciences Movement Technology & Health Research Departments and the MOVENDI Foundation which is based in the Netherlands and has ongoing projects Africa, Asia and Europe. The MOVENDI Foundation is committed to improving the living conditions of people with physical disabilities. The Foundation focuses primarily on those countries and population groups where people with physical disabilities are offered few opportunities.
My project was to design, build and test a new FrameRunner for their Tanzania Project. A FrameRunner is a three-wheeled mobility aid with a sturdy frame, seat, chest support and handlebars. It does not have pedals. Rather, the children push off the ground to move forward. It is designed for children who cannot walk independently, have balance issues or limb disorders. Being in motion improves the children's health and wellbeing. Importantly, the FrameRunner allows them to easily participate in active recreation with other (able-bodied) children and HAVE FUN.
The first MOVENDI FrameRunners were designed in 2022 by Movement Technology students at the Hague University of Applied Sciences. The Dutch Research Group Technology for Healthcare and the Research Group Technology for Inclusive Movement and Sport sponsored student interns to travel to Tanzania in 2024 to build the first MOVENDI FrameRunner.
My task was to study the 2024 design and get feedback from the teachers and physical therapists who were evaluating the FrameRunner design. With that feedback, I designed a new FrameRunner. In Tanzania, I worked with a team of engineers at a DAGE Workshop (Disabled Aids and General Engineering) and physical therapists at Matumaini Primary School. Matumaini is a specialized boarding school managed by The Salvation Army. It is dedicated to providing education, boarding, and care for children with disabilities and albinism.
As an extension of this project, I also created a “design-and-build” kit so that this version of the FrameRunner can be made in the workshop and taken to other schools across Tanzania (and beyond). I’m hoping there will be opportunities after the project to carry on with this work in other countries and in partnership with other bicycle-related projects which also have a community-oriented health focus.
Students use the redesigned FrameRunner for the first time (Matumaini Primary School, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)
3D rendering of my design for the new FrameRunner. The design was further modified once I got to Tanzania and was in the DAGE Worshop. We needed to figure out what materials and tools were available to bring this from concept to reality.
The MOVENDI FrameRunner Tanzania Project was first launched in 2022 in a course at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. A small team of engineering and design students worked to improve the initial designs and set out to build and test in Tanzania (2024). My project (2025) was to take the design a step further. Guided by feedback from the production workshop and the school’s physical therapists I made a new prototype. Finally, I created a step-by-step ‘design and build’ guide (2026) so that the design can be taken into the production phase.
In 2024, the first FrameRunner was built by THUAS interns and tested by the staff and students at Mutumaini School in Dar es Salaam. Feedback about functionality and safety led to a new design with better braking, steering assist, and new, more adjustable configuration. We also re-evaluated materials and made more changes so the FrameRunner could be made with cheaper and easier to source materials.
The final design featuring steering assist, modified calliper hand brakes, locally built tires, adjustable padded chest plate and comfortable seat.
This project was completed with the support and funding of the Movendi Foundation in the Netherlands. The work was completed in cooperation with the DAGE workshop and Matumaini Primary school in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
(Thank you)
Design students at THUAS in the prototyping phase (2022)