Fello by OmniCore: Laundry Without Limits
Year 1 (2025-26)
by Anna Reinhardt
Fello is a versatile home product that makes transporting laundry easier. It is the first laundry hamper designed for people in wheelchairs but built to make everyone’s lives better.
About This Idea
Most people do not think twice about doing laundry. It is a routine chore, something we all do. But for some, this simple task can feel nearly impossible.
For people in wheelchairs, laundry is physically demanding, time consuming, and can be unsafe. Transporting heavy loads while relying on both hands to propel their chair makes traditional laundry baskets difficult to use. Users balance unstable loads on their legs while self propelling or awkwardly push baskets forward across the floor. People in wheelchairs are forced to adapt to a product that was not made for them, turning a basic household task into a frustrating process. Over one million wheelchair users in the United States do their own laundry, yet there is no product on the market designed specifically to support them in this chore.
This is where Fello comes in. Fello is the first laundry hamper built intentionally for wheelchair use. It features a strap that secures the hamper to a manual wheelchair when used on the lap, allowing for safe and easy hands-free propulsion. The strap also rotates upward to function as a shoulder strap for standing users, making laundry more transportable for everyone. The hamper is an expandable drawstring bag that adapts to varying load sizes. Hidden in this bag is a rigid plastic base that provides structure and stability for push transport, while a low friction glider foot moves smoothly across carpet and hard floors. This foot features an inset rubber pad that adds grip for stability when the basket rests on the user’s lap.
With an elevated, home friendly aesthetic, Fello restores independence while making laundry easier for everyone.
Where Did This Idea Spark at WMU?
Fello started in a product design class at the Richmond Institute for Design and Innovation (RIDI) where I was asked to identify an opportunity to innovate on. At the same time, I was taking an Adults with Disabilities course, which really changed how I think about design. It made me realize how often everyday products overlook people with mobility impairments.
Through RIDI’s studio and lab spaces, I interviewed people in wheelchairs and began building prototypes. What started as a class project became something bigger. In a Venture Studio class, I worked on turning the idea into a real business under OmniCore LLC, and with support from Western’s patent services, I achieved patent-pending status. Fello wouldn’t exist without the classes, mentorship, and resources I’ve had at WMU.
Impact in Kalamazoo
First, Kalamazoo as a community has the opportunity to participate in helping bring an extremely innovative and first of its kind product to market.
Secondly, we have the chance to drastically reduce burden and remove barriers to laundry for millions of wheelchair users and countless others who do this chore.
Fello creates an opportunity to directly help people in need while simultaneously strengthening our local community. Its development is rooted entirely in Kalamazoo, and I am committed to launching and growing the business here. Keeping Fello local will form regional partnerships, generate meaningful jobs, and contribute to the area’s economic growth.
How Investment Helps
Without this funding, Fello stays just a prototype. With investment, it becomes a real product in real homes across Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan. Funding allows me to finalize production tooling, manufacture an initial batch, and start local focus group testing. This investment will make it possible to work with occupational therapy programs in the area to gather feedback and document real impact.
The first local milestone is producing and placing 50–75 units with people in wheelchairs in Kalamazoo and collecting measurable insights on usability and independence. With about 39,000 people with disabilities in Southwest Michigan, this investment helps move Fello from concept to a real solution our community will benefit from.
What I'll Do With the Money
Manufacturing tooling prep – 45% – finalize injection molding tools and production-ready design.
Pilot production run and testing– 35% – manufacture 50–75 units for Kalamazoo-based rollout.
Branding & launch infrastructure – 20% – attaining letters of medical necessity, packaging, photography, and b2b launch through durable medical equipment and big box stores.
About the Founder
I’m Anna Reinhardt, a senior Product Design student at WMU and founder of OmniCore. I believe in designing human-centered products that will truly make a difference for everyone. Western has helped me take Fello from an idea to a patent-pending product, and I’m ready to move it out of the studio and into people’s homes. WMU has been an incredible partner, and I’m eager to continue building momentum before I graduate this spring.