Innovative Design Helps Users Access Wheelchairs Easily
By HospiMedica International staff writers Posted on 09 Mar 2015 |
Image: The Wheelchair Access Assistant (Photo courtesy of Purdue University).
An integrated seat lifter and walker could help people more easily enter and get out of a traditional wheelchair.
Developed at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN, USA), the Wheelchair Access Assistant incorporates an electric seat lift and an integrated walker that are attached to a traditional, factory-manufactured wheelchair frame. The seat lift is activated by pressing a button; the walker is deployed by extending the wheelchair's armrests, locking a crossbar, and lowering scissor legs to the ground and locking them. To install the seat lift and walker device, the existing seat and armrests must be removed. The new seat is then fitted to the bars of the existing seat, with the brake switches moved to the legs of the front wheels. The walker glides can then be connected to the seat lift structure.
“We began the project by understanding the mechanics of the standing motion, which can vary as people age due to strength and joint limitations. We wanted to create a design that assisted the user through the desired motion and to an upright position,” said William Graves, one of the four graduate students of the School of Mechanical Engineering who developed the device. “By understanding the kinematics required to stand, we were able to create an ergonomic design.”
Harry Jennings and Herbert Everest, both mechanical engineers, invented the first lightweight, steel, collapsible wheelchair in 1933. Everest had broken his back in a mining accident. The pair saw the business potential of the invention and went on to become the first mass-manufacturers of wheelchairs. Their x-brace design is still in common use, albeit with updated materials and other improvements.
Related Links:
Purdue University
Developed at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN, USA), the Wheelchair Access Assistant incorporates an electric seat lift and an integrated walker that are attached to a traditional, factory-manufactured wheelchair frame. The seat lift is activated by pressing a button; the walker is deployed by extending the wheelchair's armrests, locking a crossbar, and lowering scissor legs to the ground and locking them. To install the seat lift and walker device, the existing seat and armrests must be removed. The new seat is then fitted to the bars of the existing seat, with the brake switches moved to the legs of the front wheels. The walker glides can then be connected to the seat lift structure.
“We began the project by understanding the mechanics of the standing motion, which can vary as people age due to strength and joint limitations. We wanted to create a design that assisted the user through the desired motion and to an upright position,” said William Graves, one of the four graduate students of the School of Mechanical Engineering who developed the device. “By understanding the kinematics required to stand, we were able to create an ergonomic design.”
Harry Jennings and Herbert Everest, both mechanical engineers, invented the first lightweight, steel, collapsible wheelchair in 1933. Everest had broken his back in a mining accident. The pair saw the business potential of the invention and went on to become the first mass-manufacturers of wheelchairs. Their x-brace design is still in common use, albeit with updated materials and other improvements.
Related Links:
Purdue University
Latest Patient Care News
- Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization
- Game-Changing Innovation in Surgical Instrument Sterilization Significantly Improves OR Throughput
- Next Gen ICU Bed to Help Address Complex Critical Care Needs
- Groundbreaking AI-Powered UV-C Disinfection Technology Redefines Infection Control Landscape
- Clean Hospitals Can Reduce Antibiotic Resistance, Save Lives
- Smart Hospital Beds Improve Accuracy of Medical Diagnosis
- New Fast Endoscope Drying System Improves Productivity and Traceability
- World’s First Automated Endoscope Cleaner Fights Antimicrobial Resistance
- Portable High-Capacity Digital Stretcher Scales Provide Precision Weighing for Patients in ER
- Portable Clinical Scale with Remote Indicator Allows for Flexible Patient Weighing Use
- Innovative and Highly Customizable Medical Carts Offer Unlimited Configuration Possibilities
- Biomolecular Wound Healing Film Adheres to Sensitive Tissue and Releases Active Ingredients
- Wearable Health Tech Could Measure Gases Released From Skin to Monitor Metabolic Diseases
- Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator System Protects Patients at Risk of Sudden Cardiac Arrest
- World's First AI-Ready Infrasound Stethoscope Listens to Bodily Sounds Not Audible to Human Ear
- POC Diagnostic Platform Offers Handheld, Instrument-Free PCR Testing for STIs