Matthew McCambridge
415-860-3415
Key Qualifications
Eighteen years in professional practice creating innovative products to address fundamental human needs. Experience leading and producing within teams in the nonprofit, educational and private sectors, collaborating with users and manufacturers in first-world and developing-world contexts. Strong skills in product development from initial needs analysis through mass-production, including stakeholder communication and research, prototyping, mechanical engineering, field testing, and creating manufacturing quality systems in line with user priorities. Emphasis on teaching and technical training.
Education
Stanford University, Stanford, California, BS in Engineering: Product Design, 1998
Work Experience
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation
Research Engineer, October 2015-Present
Design, build and deploy tools to characterize usage of wheelchairs in developing countries, including measurement of mechanical loads, and documentation of user experiences in collaboration with research staff.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Edgerton Center
Lead Instructor, D-Lab: Design and D-Lab: Mobility, Co-Instructor, Design for Scale and Prosthetics in the Developing World February 2015-Present
Create curriculum and teach interdisciplinary Design courses emphasizing collaborative, human-centered design process with a particular focus on products for people living on less than $3/day. Coursework is project-based in conjunction with users and community partners. Emphasis on developing and using rapid prototyping skills to promote stakeholder engagement, collect actionable feedback, and drive a quick design cycle.
DEKA R&D Corp.
Design Engineer, iBOT Mobility System, September 2014-February 2015
Mechanical design and prototyping to support potential relaunch of iBOT actively balanced wheelchair.
Field Engineering Lead, Slingshot water purification, September 2013-September 2014
Led field team to implement testing of DEKA’s Slingshot water purification technology in communities in Mexico, Paraguay and South Africa. Recruited and led team to maximize device uptime and knowledge acquisition, bridged the communication gaps between stakeholders in developing-world communities, hands-on technical staff, and leadership based in New Hampshire.
Whirlwind Wheelchair International
Director of Product Development, Nov. 2007-September 2013
(Previously Product Design Manager July 2010-2012, Product Design Consultant Nov. 2007-July 2010, volunteer 1999-2004)
Led redesign of flagship product (the RoughRider, a high-performance low-cost wheelchair for developing-world environments). Managed transition into mass-production in collaboration with manufacturers in India, Vietnam and South Africa. Created conceptual prototypes of new products and led their iterative testing and redesign. Collaborated with clients and strategic partners including India’s BMVSS (Jaipur Foot), the US-Based Latter Day Saints Charities, and German private sector mobility technology innovator Otto Bock HealthCare. Coordinated technical training of adults with disabilities. Facilitated participatory design efforts with diverse stakeholders.
Handicap International, Wheelchair Consultant, January 2005-September 2007
Responsible for all technical aspects of implementing the Wheelchairs for Mindanao project in the southern Philippines, with additional impact on clinical service provision. Hired and trained all staff and purchased all tools and equipment to create a small factory producing low-cost, high quality wheelchairs and similar mobility, seating, and sports devices appropriate to the rural and urban Philippines. Advised Handicap International managers and physiotherapists as we built a wheelchair service infrastructure in compliance with WHO guidelines on provision of manual wheelchairs in less resourced settings. Envisioned and designed new products and modified existing products for local users and context.
DEKA Research and Development Corp., Design Engineer, April 2001-December 2004
Member of Advanced Development Group (the team on call to respond to Dean Kamen’s demands for quick-turnaround proof of concept hardware). Created early-stage concept devices related to personal mobility. Participated in successful redesign of Johnson and Johnson’s revolutionary iBOT actively balanced wheelchair.
Beneficial Designs Inc., Design Engineer, June 1999-December 2000
Responsible for design and prototyping of wheelchair seating for commercial clients including DEKA R&D Corp. and Johnson and Johnson’s Independence Technology division, as well as Paralympic downhill skis and a prototype canoe seating system which led to Phase II SBIR funding.
Rehabilitation Engineering Technology Project, Assistant Rehabilitation Engineer, Sep. 1998-June 1999
Created custom home adaptation / job adaptation devices for clients of California Department of Rehabilitation
Consultancy Experience
International Society of Wheelchair Professionals, January 2015-Present
Standards Working Group member: Performance and durability test methods appropriate to developing world
Jhpiego (an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University), November 2014-September 2015
Expert Reviewer, Accelovate Design Challenge for Wheelchair Postural Support Devices
Wheels for Humanity / United Cerebral Palsy, August 2013
Field Trial Designer, Handcyles for Mobility and Income Generation
Asian Development Bank , April 2013
Design Charette Participant, Sustainable Transport Initiative (exploration of pedicabs as a last-mile solution)
WHO: Peer reviewer for the “Guidelines on the provision of Manual Wheelchairs in less resourced settings” published in 2008 by the World Health Organization in conjunction with ISPO and USAID
Languages
English (native), Spanish, French, Cebuano, Bahasa Indonesia (basic)
Technical Skills
Design facilitation, Technical Training / Teaching
Robust rapid prototyping in metals/plastics/textiles: 3D modeling (ProE/Inventor/Solidworks), metal fabrication including MIG/TIG welding, 3D printing, waterjet/laser, manual and CNC machining, upholstery
Coordination of efficient / effective outsourcing to machinists, fabricators and toolmakers
Mechanical integrity testing, user testing in controlled or field conditions.
Technology transfer (preservation of design intent throughout DFM and establishment of QA systems).