Vanderbilt University Senior Design Proposal

Vanderbilt University Senior Design Proposal

SmartDrive Power Assist Device

Presented by Max-Mobility Incorporated

VU Team Members:Jack McKeown, Jonathan Kokot, Alexander Breg, John Narozanick, Sam Fraifeld, and Matthew Thompson

Team Name: Innovative Design for Kinetic Solutions

Max-Mobility Correspondent: Mark Richter

Abstract

Despite the seemingly endless abilities of the handicapable individuals who are forced to live life in wheelchairs, the truth remains that they are still limited in what they can do and where they can go. The SmartDrive Power Assist Device aims to overcome some of these limitations by providing those in wheelchairs a multi-functional attachment that will allow them to get around easier while simultaneously cutting down on the strain caused by manually driving a wheelchair. Whether it be steep inclines, grass, a thick carpet, or some other impeding surface, the effort it requires these patients causes pain and injury to the arms and upper body that has both immediate and long-term effects. By providing a system that can be attached to any standard wheel chair, we aim to:

-Minimize injuries and pain experienced by wheelchair users

-Provide easier and expanded mobility to wheelchair users in strenuous environments

-Offer a cheap, lightweight attachment that will improve the quality of life of those patients in need

3.1 Introduction

According to research by Max Mobility Inc., the majority of manual wheelchair users experience some form of upper extremity discomfort or injury. This most commonly occurs in the shoulders, but can also manifest in the elbow and wrist area. These overuse injuries result from strain during everyday propulsion and transfers. The goal of the project is to develop, test, and optimize a power add-on device for manual wheelchairs to assist in propulsion, especially across strenuous environments such as uphill terrain. By easing the burden of propulsion, the project aims to reduce the prevalence of upper extremity injuries in wheelchair users. The power unit will also be modular, allowing for it to be easily removed when not being used. Installation should be quick and easy, allowing for the addition of the power unit when needed while also allowing for the easy removal of the add-on unit when the user prefers to use manual power. Thus the project will allow a user to incorporate propulsion assistance into their everyday life, without it becoming a permanent addition to the wheelchair. This should assuage some of the burden the task of propulsion puts on the user’s upper body, helping to prevent damage to this region from long term wheelchair use. This project will be undertaken by a team of four Vanderbilt biomedical engineers and two mechanical engineers in conjunction with Max Mobility Inc. with Dr. Mark Richter serving as the liaison between the Vanderbilt engineers and Max Mobility Inc.

3.2 History and Context

Early customers for the more finely tuned power assisted wheel chair will be handicapped persons who are not capable of comfortably powering their own wheelchair either due to a lack of upper body strength from age, lack of exercise or youth, or repetitive strain injuries to the shoulder area from unpowered wheelchair use. A large group of users will be upgrading from fully powered wheelchairs or battery powered scooters, which are directed by joystick or control yoke or throttle. These units are heavy, cumbersome and expensive. For example, a Hoveround wheel chair weighs 195 pounds and costs $3000. To offer greater mobility, a $2000 car hitch mounted lift is available for easy transport. Lightweight, unpowered wheelchairs cost less than $200 and weigh less than 40 pounds. A power assist unit costing around $1000 and weighing only 20 pounds would provide a manageable and transportable mobility package for less.

Max-Mobility has created both a flexible rim to reduce stress on the upper extremities and a removable power assist unit to provide additional thrust to standard sized wheelchairs. The powered unit is intelligent: it can modulate the power assist by interpreting the user’s inputs through the wheels of the wheelchair. No additional command input is necessary. The device is small, lightweight (battery and power unit of 19 pounds), and modular (fits onto 1-1/4” axle wheelchair with rigid frame).

3.3 Team

Our team essentially has three functional parts that will work together in conjunction with our outside advisor, Dr. Mark Richter, the president of MAX mobility, LLC. These three parts align with the basic elements of this project: mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, and engineering management. As a step coinciding with initial team formation, each team member completed a DISC personality profile. Upon examining our scores, it can be observed that collectively our D rating is low. This is good because it means that there won’t be multiple people fighting for control or leadership of a situation. On the other hand, we will need to be aware of the fact that someone may not be there to provide us with a sense of direction; thus we will have to make sure to maintain a strong sense of self-motivation. The majority of our scores are instead weighted towards the I, S, and C characteristics. In terms of social interaction and work tasks, these types of people tend to work well together, according to a compatibility chart provided by Carlson Learning Company.

Alexander Breg and John Narozanick will focus on the mechanical engineering aspects of this project, as both are due to complete their ME degree this spring. Xander is very knowledgeable with powered vehicles, having built cars for formula SAE competitions through VU motorsports. He’s currently working on human car interfacing and steering, something which may prove useful for this project. John already has a good amount of design experience under his belt. His skills with rendering models through CAD and other methods may prove invaluable.

The biomedical engineering portion of this project will be the focus of Sam Fraifeld and Jack McKeown, both of whom are BME majors. Sam and Jack have both had substantial experience performing medical research. As president of Vanderbilt rowing team, Sam is comfortable with how the upper extremities of the body may be used to propel motion. Jack was recently in a research position in which a system was monitored over multiple iterations and analyzed for optimization.

Responsibility for the engineering management part will fall to Jonathan Kokot and Matthew Thompson. This responsibility will include communications, organization, and scheduling. Slated to receive a minor in ENGM from Vanderbilt, Jonathan and Matthew will be enrolled in the course “ENGM 296 Capstone Project,” which will serve as a platform for developing a business model concurrent to the technical component of the project.

3.4 Work Plan and Outcome

The ultimate outcome of this design project is the creation of an effective device to supply power to a standard wheelchair. This product must be cost efficient and commercially viable, as well as easy to attach, simple to operate, and visually appealing.

With regard to patients, the desired outcome is increased mobility and quality of life. This product extends the range of wheelchair users as well as decreases the likelihood of injuries associated with the overuse of wheelchairs. This grants users more freedom and ease during daily life.

With regard to Max Mobility Inc., the commercial goals of this project are to create a device that is profitable. Thus, the device must be relatively cheap to manufacture and be marketed effectively. There is already a demonstrated consumer need present, thus the device must be designed such that it is appealing to use and efficient to produce in order to be commercially successful.

At the end of the grant period, our goal is for the project to continue its market life, and continue is sale and use by Max Mobility, Inc. The project will likely succeed because it fills a greatly demonstrated need. The user base is large and their need is significant. The product is highly effective at solving this need, and visually appealing as well. In addition, the product is relatively inexpensive.

Work Processes Gantt Chart:

ID / Name / Predecessor / Expected Time
1 / Start / - / Complete
2 / Create Grant Proposal / - / Complete
3 / Meet with Max Mobility, Inc. / - / 1 week
4 / Create Design Plan / 3 / 1 week
5 / Create Website / 3 / 2 weeks

3.5 Evaluation and Sustainability Plan

Success is based on our ability to provide a significant, useful service to the wheelchair user population. Max-Mobility’s SmartDrive device aims to relieve the user of upper extremity pain and injury caused by overexertion, as well as improved mobility, by providing real-time individually tailored propulsion. The goal now is to design and optimize a biofeedback strategy for the SmartDrive that is efficacious and durable. Therefore, there will be many steps towards the final product at which our success will be measured. Our first success shall be achieved upon the development of instrumentation and methods for the propulsion technique biofeedback. Our next goal will be the creation of a model that provides the desired results – stress-free propulsion triggered by a simple tailored command – via simulation of the model. Finally, by creating a strategy that is exhibits efficacy and longevity in repeated, real-life scenarios, our input to Max-Mobility shall be deemed a maximum success.

Our team shall consistently assess our success to ensure we maintain focus and direction. We will commence each meeting with a report from each member on his personal accomplishments toward the project since the last meeting. Next, an evaluation of our progress in relation to the final goal creates a running measure of success understood by the group as a whole. By assessing success in individual pieces as a part of pie that is our ultimate success, we can better communicate our progress with Max-Mobility, as well as sustain high motivation and moral.