Magical Motors

We provide assistive technologies for children with developmental disabilities by electrically adapting and rewiring ride-on toy cars.

In 2019, I began volunteering at a music therapy facility for children with neurological impediments; while finding out that 1 in 6 children in the US have a developmental disability, I also discerned how there is a burgeoning inaccessibility to assistive mobility vehicles for children. Quantitatively, nearly 500,000 children nationally suffer from mobility issues from birth, and that number is rapidly growing “Why do kids, who are should be able to express their freedom to their fullest potential, by feeling a sudden gust of wind as they move, or going trick-or-treating with their friends, not have the technologies available to do so?” I thought.

Upon falling down a rabbit-hole to find solutions, I was dismayed by the fact that pediatric power wheelchairs, the most notable solution, retail for thousands of dollars, and take several years to receive, discouraging a child from seeking alternatives to overcome their disability. Several sources estimate that pediatric power wheelchairs cost upwards of $25,000 and take up to 5 years to receive. 

I sought to create a cost-and-time efficient alternative, and make a tangible difference in my community by championing an inclusive environment. Through Magical Motors, we are fostering a group of like-minded, compassionate individuals who are ambitious to assimilate into a diverse community. 

We strive to cultivate social and motor growth in children with developmental disabilities ages 3 to 8 through modifying ride-on toy cars, making them accessible for kids to drive. We do so primarily by rewiring ride-on toy cars such that they are hand-controlled as opposed to foot-powered, and making other modifications, such as installing arm and back support, and adding a safety harness. We are also implementing our self-curated curriculum in schools, medical centers, therapy clinics, and STEM organizations across the country. In addition, we are introducing our cars in hospitals as transport devices in the perioperative environment and as rehabilitation devices in pediatric burn clinics. After finding out about the lack of solutions toward developing independent mobility in children, I took matters “into my own hands” to create a cost-and-time efficient alternative that advocates for an inclusive environment, involves people of all ages, and makes a tangible difference in all areas of my community, from households to schools and hospitals.

The essential feature of our cars is that they are hand-controlled, as opposed to being conventionally foot-pedaled. We do so by using another assistive technology, an adaptive button, to fasten on the steering wheel, and reroute the car’s power to that button. Furthermore, we still maintain recipient satisfaction and the child’s safety as our foremost priority; for this reason, we also install arm-and back-support, and seatbelts. However, another electrical modification we install is a kill switch, a parent-lock-like mechanism that disables the car motors until the switch is flipped. We have also made cars remote-controlled, and installed stereo systems. With these adaptations, we create an alternative that allows a child to explore mobility in an entertaining manner, motivating them to progress toward independence. 

“Wow! I can ride the car? This is mine? I wanna ride the car!” exclaimed Ollie when he first saw his new, modified, ride-on toy McLaren, providing him the experience of moving independently. Ollie is a 4-year-old with sacral agenesis, or the absence of the lower spine. Moments like Ollie’s reaction are what motivate us to assist as many affected children as possible in gaining mobility. 

Our solution serves children with disabilities, ages 3 to 8. To date, we have worked with children affected by disorders such as cerebral palsy, sacral agenesis, and spina bifida. Furthermore, many of the families we work with cannot afford pediatric electric wheelchairs, meaning that either the parents have to push the child or the child is forced to learn how to move themselves. However, our cars eliminate this dilemma; although children do have to learn to drive themselves, the “learning curve” is quite shallow, and in fact fun for the children to experience, as they are able to divert their minds to the cars’ features, as opposed to the monotonousness of a wheelchair. As I have modified more cars, I have realized that each car donation that results in a smile on a child’s face as they explore their independence is a small success in itself. For example, on Ollie’s first school project, titled “I am SPECIAL because I can use my chair,” he proudly featured a picture of him and his brother, who has cerebral palsy, in the McLaren I modified for him. This moment truly touched my heart, as I realized that I truly did receive the opportunity to uplift a child. 

Our core team, consisting of myself and co-founder Rohan Fichadia, serve as youth entrepreneurs that have many years of experience in the fields of medicine, volunteering, and STEM. First, regarding myself, as an aspiring physician, I am heartily motivated to make a tangible difference in someone’s life. To fulfill this mission, I conduct medical research at universities and medical schools; for instance, while performing research at Arizona State University, I was able to develop and refine a COVID-19 case-predicting, machine-learning model that is currently in use by the CDC. Furthermore, I have shadowed several physicians, from orthopedic surgeons to interventional radiologists; started clubs at hospitals, such as the HonorHealth Medical Explorers Club; volunteered at Trauma I emergency and radiology departments; started a musical group that performs concerts for senior homes and assisted living facilities across the country; and volunteered at music therapy facilities for neurodivergent children. 

Regarding Rohan, he has been involved in STEM and volunteering for several years. As an Eagle Scout, he has organized build events with other Omaha-based organizations, such as Union Pacific and medical schools, such as the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In addition, he has interned at mechanical engineering labs to produce bionic, haptic-capable arms; 3D-printed and donated prosthetic arms and medical-grade face shields to hospital systems; and volunteered at STEM-collaboration organizations nationally. Our experiences in engineering, medicine, research, and volunteering have guided our mission at Magical Motors, and will continue to do so as we explore this interdisciplinary field. 

After becoming a registered 501(c)(3) organization, one of our key “stepping stones” was searching for recipients; I discerned that in such a hands-on field involving healthcare and engineering, it is vital to establish mutual trust, so us builders can facilitate the recipients’ prominent needs. For this reason, I began by “starting off local.” Doing this allows us to maintain connections with our target demographic, build credibility in our own community, and allow them to attest to our idea. We started scaling by introducing our organization in Facebook groups for kids with developmental disabilities. That’s how we found Persephone, one of our first Magical Motors car recipients. We communicated with her, her family, and her therapist, and gave her a Jeep Wrangler customized with Disney princesses! Ever since then, we’ve juxtaposed serving our local communities in Phoenix and Omaha with spreading our mission to other states! 

Along with this, before truly donating cars to children, we worked with Assistology, an award-winning Omaha-based nonprofit that provides assistive technologies (including similar cars) to learn how to modify these cars, as well as host build events. Furthermore, while considering the legal details, we coordinated with established clinics in Ohio (which also create similar devices). Similarly, we have worked with electrical engineers, physical therapists, and occupational therapists to ensure that our designs are apt for the child to autonomously control. While modifying each car, we ensure to work with each child’s physical therapist; since they know the child and their limitations best, this relation allows us to create a smooth process for the child and their family. 

By incentivizing independence and equitability, children with developmental disabilities are inspired to enhance their social and motor skills. Car builders are also motivated to strengthen their STEM and teamwork skills by immersing themselves in an environment of community service and leadership. As opposed to pediatric power wheelchairs, which cost thousands of dollars and take several years to receive, our cars cost around $250, and take 3 hours to entirely build. We accomplish this by rewiring the accelerator pedal into a hand-controlled push button, applying soldering and drilling techniques; the button is eventually attached to the steering wheel. In other words, the car is controlled by the push of your hand, not your foot. We also create back support and seat accommodations using accessible materials such as PVC pipes, kickboards, and 5-point harnesses. Finally, we aesthetically customize the car towards the recipient’s liking, permitting a sense of personalization that is not feasible with its expensive counterpart. We perform these modifications while still prioritizing recipient satisfaction and safety. 

To diversify our multifaceted mission, we have already collaborated with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Union Pacific, Assistology, and the Si Se Puede Foundation to host several build events, and we are working with ACCEL to organize build events soon! We are also fortunate to have been featured as keynote speakers at events hosted by Easterseals' Southwest Human Development. We are committed to improving our curriculum in an effort to ensure that industrious car-builders are able to build a car without any discrepancies, showcased by our collaboration with the Henry Ford Foundation and professors from Arizona State University to do so. We are also working with the Arizona SciTech Institute to implement our curriculum in STEM-oriented high schools across Arizona. Finally, we recently began collaborating with Banner Thunderbird Medical Center, Valleywise Health, and Tucson Medical Center to implement our program in pediatric surgery centers! 

Our goals within the next year include raising $10,000 to fund our modification expenses, building 50 cars for children, and starting 3-5 chapters. We will accomplish this by holding several build events, being active on social media, and reaching out to more local families through word-of-mouth. More specifically, regarding holding build events, we are already coordinating with our past build event organizers, including the Si Se Puede Foundation and University of Arizona College of Medicine, to hold build events in 2023. Moreover, we are working with several high school robotics teams to host build events with the aforementioned organizations. We are also training several high schoolers on how to modify cars, so that they can create chapters in their schools, and rewire cars, reach out to families, and establish connections on their own. Furthermore, we will be ready to publish our curriculum in 2023, meaning that a streamlined guide on how to modify cars including a plethora of resources, will be available to an international audience. 

In terms of physical modifications, our Magical Motors cars require simple electrical/electronic engineering, consisting of soldering, rewiring, and drilling. We first open up the car from the bottom, and carefully remove the wiring from the foot pedal, and detach the foot pedal apparatus from the car body. We then cut and strip wires and create a module consisting of a monojack (later connecting to the adaptive button) and a kill switch, which attaches to the original car wiring. We then drill various holes in the car body, and put this module into the car. The adaptive button is then secured to the steering wheel, and plugged into the monojack, meaning that the car is now fully rewired, and only moves when the hand-controlled button is pushed. Finally, the seat, seatbelt, and back/arm support are installed, and visual customizations, such as decorations, are placed.

In terms of physical modifications, our Magical Motors cars require simple electrical/electronic engineering, consisting of soldering, rewiring, and drilling. We first open up the car from the bottom, and carefully remove the wiring from the foot pedal, and detach the foot pedal apparatus from the car body. We then cut and strip wires and create a module consisting of a monojack (later connecting to the adaptive button) and a kill switch, which attaches to the original car wiring. We then drill various holes in the car body, and put this module into the car. The adaptive button is then secured to the steering wheel, and plugged into the monojack, meaning that the car is now fully rewired, and only moves when the hand-controlled button is pushed. Finally, the seat, seatbelt, and back/arm support are installed, and visual customizations, such as decorations, are placed.

Acquiring volunteers and funding is an essential part of our organization; to make accelerated progress, and have the most community outreach as possible, it is imperative that we have inspired, high-achieving car-builders that dedicate their time toward building the best car for each child, and forming a strong bond with the child in order to accommodate their needs. However, our biggest goal is to reach a ride-on toy car builder who builds manufactured, modified cars; to accomplish this, we are in the process of contacting several car distributors and holding meetings. At Magical Motors, we aspire to ensure that no child feels excluded from their peers as they progress toward self-supporting movement.

To diversify our mission, we have collaborated with the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute, Union Pacific, Assistology, the University of Arizona College of Medicine, the Si Se Puede Foundation, and ACCEL to host several build events! We are also fortunate to be featured as keynote speakers and competition judges at events hosted by Easterseals' Southwest Human Development.

We are committed to improving our curriculum in an effort to ensure that industrious car-builders are able to build a car without any discrepancies, showcased by our collaboration with the Henry Ford Foundation and professors from Arizona State University to do so.

We are also working with the Arizona SciTech Institute and high schools such as Xavier College Preparatory and Hamilton High School to implement our curriculum in STEM-oriented high schools across Arizona.

Finally, we recently began collaborating with Banner Thunderbird Medical Center, Valleywise Health, and Tucson Medical Center to implement our program in pediatric surgery centers and burn clinics!

We have begun to carry out a two-fold business model: first, we began rewiring ride-on toy cars in July of 2021, and to date, we have donated dozens of cars to children with developmental disabilities. Second, we are currently finishing writing our self-created curriculum to integrate in high schools and a plethora of STEM-promoting programs nationwide.

To fund our work, we have relied on a combination of grant programs, award recognition money, and crowdfunding, such as creating a GoFundMe and PayPal. Moreover, because we donate our ride-on toy cars, we solely rely on these donations and grants. To combat this, we constantly strive to lessen the cost of our materials, by, for instance, bulk-buying small electrical parts, while making sure that we maintain the electrical integrity of the car. With the adaptive button we use to convert the car to a hand-control, for example, after hours of research, we found that it is controlled by a simple lever switch that may be 3D-printed for just a few dollars instead of the $75 switch; we are currently designing a 3D, open-source model that we will use in the near future.