BOSTON, Oct. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuum, a global design and innovation consultancy, was recognized by Fast Company as the winner of its 2012 Innovation By Design Concept Award for the Leveraged Freedom Chair. The design was praised by judges for its low-tech ingenuity.

"We are proud to be amongst the first winners of Fast Company's Innovation by Design awards. With over 1,700 entries there was strong competition. We're glad that people saw the quality of the design, the great collaboration with MIT, and our commitment to improving people's lives," said Harry West, CEO of Continuum.

Continuum collaborated with Amos Winter and MIT's Mobility Lab to envision the next generation of the Leveraged Freedom Chair (LFC) — a high-performance wheelchair designed to handle rough terrain and give the gift of mobility to the disabled in developing countries. The newest version, called the LFC Sport, will be sold in western markets enabling active wheelchair users to travel off-road.

"The product is a great example of 'reverse innovation,' whereby the constraints of the developing world have pushed innovation to make a cheaper, stronger, and more efficient product for use anywhere in the world," said Jake Childs, a senior designer at Continuum who worked on the LFC Sport.

Watch Amos Winter tell his story at TEDx Boston and how, with the first one hundred chairs currently in production, he and his team are poised to transform the lives of people with disabilities everywhere.

About Continuum
Continuum, a global innovation and design consultancy, creates products, services and experiences that work for people and for the businesses that serve them. Based on in-depth consumer research, rigorous analysis of clients' business challenges and inspired creativity, Continuum uncovers opportunities for innovation and makes them real. Since 1983, Continuum has worked with companies worldwide, including All Steel, American Express, Amplifon, BBVA, Covidien, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Samsung, Sprint and Staples. Continuum has offices in Boston, Los Angeles, Milan, Seoul and Shanghai. http://www.continuuminnovation.com

SOURCE Continuum