Omeo

The client need

The Omeo is a clever adaptation of the Segway – a two wheel self-balancing personal transporter which carries a person in the standing position. Kevin Halsall, the inventor, wanted to help his friend participate in field archery after losing the use of his legs. The idea came to put a seat on the transporter and allow steering ‘naturally’ by leaning left or right.

Kevin tells us how Metco helped Omeo with the final development and production of this award-winning product that will transform the lives of paraplegics and special users around the world.

The Metco experience in the client’s words

Design Revamp for Quality Improvement and Cost Cutting

“I hand-built many prototype chassis myself and then got a small team of engineers involved part time to develop it ready for small production, but we had some real issues with accuracy and consistency. We needed an alternative for high production and low cost.

Metco was recommended by one of our other suppliers. They initially looked at every aspect of our design for opportunities to improve precision, simplicity, and economy.

One example was reducing the welding required, by using bolts and rivets, to avoid warping. Also, stainless steel was also recommended, instead of powder coating, to reduce complexity of unseen parts.”

Proof in the Pudding

“I was impressed when I discovered their production capabilities – especially the accuracy of their laser cutting and folding.

The first prototype had some teething problems as expected, but between us and Metco we worked through them to get it right. It was quite complex with over 30 parts to fit together.

Metco didn’t rely on us for coming up with all the design ideas, but took the initiative to come forward with improvements and to strengthen any weak points that cropped up.”