D2.2: Student Design Competition

Year 1:

For this first year, the aim was to involve a small number of participating programs, and use this first year to refine the protocol. Since R1 (Needs Assessment) studies could not be used to prioritize project areas, two project areas were selected by the Dr. Enderle and members of the RERC management team, based on several well-known needs:

Project 1: Wheelchair Platform Device.

This platform is to provide wheelchair users with access to health care procedures (e.g., dental) from their chair. In addition to being accessible, the design objectives and specifications included: two degrees of freedom (tilt of 30 degrees, and vertical translation from 3”-9” above the floor); ability for wheelchair client to wheel onto the device; motorized, with adjustments possible while the client; easy-to-use control interface that accommodates users with disabilities; transportable, by carrying and/or rolling, and safety features.

Project 2: Weight Scale for Wheelchair/Seated Users.

For persons at risk for conditions where changes in body weight carry clinical significance, it is recommended that the person’s weight be monitored at least once per day. This can be challenging for persons using a wheelchair or with difficulty standing for an appropriate length of time. A weight scale for home use by wheelchair users is desired that is easy to use without assistance, low cost and accurate. Ideally, there would be feedback to the subject (who may have visual or hearing impairment) when a stable measurement has been obtained, it should be easy to transport and set up within a home, with a caregiver able to move it to another location. Ideally, it should be accessible to the largest number of possible users, and thus also be flexible enough to be used by a person sitting in a chair, and perhaps even resting in a bed.

Four biomedical engineering programs participated in this first student design competition:

• University of Wisconsin at Madison (platform)
• University of Wyoming
• Marquette University (platform)
• University of Connecticut (working on three projects: 3 teams, 2 working on the platform and one on the scale)

Five projects were completed by June 2004 and have been scored by judges, and three more are scheduled for completion during the Fall 2004.

The announcement for the Year 2 competition is available.