Equipment Checklist For Local Diving

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 2003 ENGINEERING SENIOR DESIGN PROJECTS TO AID PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Edited By John D. Enderle and Brooke Hallowell 347 CHAPTER 19 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN- MILWAUKEE College of Health Sciences Department of Occupational Therapy 212 Hartford Avenue Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211 College of Engineering and Applied Sciences 3200 North Cramer Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211 Principal Investigator: Bertram, N. Ezenwa (414) 229-3184 bezenwa@uwm.edu 348 NSF 2003 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities WEIGHT-ASSIST WALKER RE-DESIGN TO FACILITATE FOLDING Designers: Fern Tuchowski, David Schneider, Department of Mechanical Engineering Supervising Professor: Dr. Bertram N. Ezenwa University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Wisconsin, 53211 INTRODUCTION The goal of this project is to determine the best way
to fold a modified posture control walker for a child
with limb deficiencies in both arms and legs. The
child is an eight-year-old boy who is missing both
arms from the elbows down and both legs from the
knees down. He does not have properly developed
hip sockets, so the femur is connected to the pelvis
primarily by soft tissues. The child wears prosthetic
legs, and needs additional support from a support
belt held by adults when not using a walker.
However, he needs adult supervision even when
using a walker. His parents and teachers would like
him to be able to ambulate independently and play
with other children without the need for adult
supervision. An out door ability of interest to him is
to be able to play kick ball with his friends. To
provide the independence for him, a reverse walker
(KAYE Posture Control Walker Model W3BRS) is
modified to be used, hand-free. A weight belt for
him to wear to provide additional upper-body
support is incorporated to the walker along with a
back comfortable interface. The front opening of the
walker is increased to provide more open area for
leg movement when playing kickball and using a
urinal. Ratchets are added to the rear wheels to
keep the walker stationary and provide stable
support when kicking a ball or doing other activities
such as drinking water from a water fountain. The
size of the rear wheels is increased to add stability
on uneven surfaces such as grass. The modified
walker meets all of the project requirements to
provide greater independence for the child.
However, in widening the front of the walker by five
degrees on both sides, and permanently connecting
the front and back support walker for rigidity, the
walker is not able to fold. SUMMARY OF IMPACT The optimal folded dimensions for the walker were
determined to be approximately 12.00 inches thick
by 31.00 inches wide by 36.00 inches tall. With these
dimensions, the folded walker easily fits into the trunk of most cars, making it easy to transport and
compact to store. The walker design retains all the
added support in the original modification,
continuing to provide the greater independence
requested by teachers and the parents. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION The modified reverse walker was modeled in Pro-
Engineer to determine the dimensions for
developing a foldable version. The optimal folded
dimensions for the walker were determined to be
approximately 12.00 inches thick by 31.00 inches
wide by 36.00 in. tall. A finite element analysis was conducted to
determine the points of stress in the current design,
and the impact of eliminating some of the cross Figure 19.1. Modified Gait-Assist Walker for Fold Design. Chapter 19: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 349 members in order for the walker to fold. The finite
element analysis results suggested that the
modifications would not affect force transmission by
moving the point of angle of bend towards the back
to allow straight telescoping tube on the outside of
both left and right supports as movable side brace
and pivoting the side supports about the pivoting
frames. Using one-piece back frame will transfer
most of the force straight to the ground. The main
structure will consist of a one-piece back frame with
two looped tubes used to provide efficient load
transfer to the back frame. The others include two
side frames that pivot in brackets to a folded
position. The existing wheel assemblies will be used
and are attached to the structure using retractable buttons. Three additional improvements were
added to the list of design parameters after the boy
made his initial trial of the walker. These included a
method in which the child can engage and
disengage the ratchets on the back wheels himself,
ideally from a control on the armrests. Adjustable
arm rests/guides will be added to improve the
control of the walker. With the belt as the sole
means of guidance, the walker tended to "drift"
especially on textured or uneven surfaces and it was
difficult to "steer". A more robust belt closure was
implemented to enable the boy to secure the belt
tightly by himself. Figure 19.2. Re-designed Weight Assist Walker. 350 NSF 2003 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities ADAPTIVE TOY CAR Designers: Adam Fink, John Teah, Department of Mechanical Engineering Supervising Professor: Dr. Bertram N. Ezenwa University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Wisconsin, 53211 INTRODUCTION The aim of this project was to modify a Power
Wheels Firerock Jeep

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