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Five University Teams Awarded During Student Design Competition
Tags:Design, NewsAn impressive group of 42 students in 15 teams representing 10 universities comprised this year’s RESNA’s Student Design Competition sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Several of the universities represented were competing for the first time.
Among the top winners were the University of Texas, University of North Carolina, NJ Institute of Technology, University of Arkansas, and Northwestern University. Each winner was awarded an engraved caliper.
This year’s winners were:
An Automated Page Turning Device to Assist in Navigating Through Reading Materials, University of Texas, Josh Keena, Peter B. Backlund, Hung P. Nguyen, Bryan M. Sanchez, Stewart A. Vaculik, Jeffrey Chan
A graduate student team designed and built an automated page turning device that provides children with both physical and cognitive disabilities unassisted navigation through printed reading materials. In less than ten weeks, the team presented the children and teachers of the Rosedale School in Austin, Texas, with the “EZ Reader” automated page turning device.
Walker Monitor, University of North Carolina, George Shawn, Nancy Du
Users of rolling walkers, who have Parkinson’s disease, sometimes experience “freezing of gait” episodes in which a loss of balance causes serious injury when operating a walker. Inability to break the freeze and the consequent “forward-leaning” posture puts users in danger of falls as the walker rolls away. Visual stimuli, such as a laser line that cues the user to initiate a step, have proved successful in aiding to break a freeze. Current products that use this approach require the user to activate the cue, which many individuals with Parkinson’s disease are unable to do. The student designers developed a device that constantly monitors the user’s position behind the walker, and automatically activates visual and vibrational stimuli to help the user break a freeze. Additionally, the device can prompt the user to maintain correct posture and position.
The Adjustable Camber Axle Plate (ASAP): Redesign of a Wheelchair Axle Plate for Rapid Changes in Wheel Camber, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Jay Kothari, Amit Kaushal, Daniel Ramirez, Samire Shah
To change the camber, or tilt of a wheelchair’s rear wheels on current wheelchair models require some disassembly of the wheelchair. The Adjustable Camber Axle Plate (ACAP) was designed to allow the adjustment of the camber of a wheelchair’s rear wheels in 1 degree increments without dismantling the wheelchair. The ACAP replaces the existing axle plate without altering the dimensions of the existing “Quickie” wheelchair. This ensures mobility through standard doors and ramps, while maintaining the structural integrity comparable to that of the original wheelchair. Camber of both wheels can now be changed within 90 seconds from 0 to 10 degrees without tools.
Design to Add Body-Powered Functionality to the International Red Cross Above-Elbow Prosthesis, University of Arkansas, Sarah Huber, Nupura S. Bhise, Rachel Carlisle
As a result of landmine accidents, mutilation by rebel groups, and poor healthcare systems, there is an increasing number of upper-arm amputees in developing countries. Prostheses currently available are not adequate due to high expense and complex design. This student team designed an above-elbow, body-powered prosthesis for use in developing countries. The design focused on maintaining low cost, simple design technology, using locally available materials, and providing a wide range of functionality. A body-powered cable/harness system and locking mechanism were designed to enhance the function of the prosthetic arm distributed by the International Red Cross in developing countries. Prototype testing validated the design as an inexpensive, safe, simple and functional solution.
Adaptable Prosthetic Foot & Ankle Mechanism for Sloped Walking, Northwestern University, Ryan Williams
A prosthetic foot & ankle mechanism was designed to automatically adapt to the walking surface on every step in order to alleviate the challenge of walking on uneven terrain for people with below-knee amputations. The purely mechanical device aligns to the walking surface and utilizes stiffness control in order to provide proper support once it has “found” the surface.
