Edge Sensing [Continuing]
Project Partners: Daniel and Stanford
Edge Sensing’s goal is to create wheelchair attachable sensing units that detect sudden changes in altitude, warning users with vision impairment of curbs, edges, and other sudden shifts in elevation. Currently, the 3D printed housing unit contains a LiDAR sensor mounted on a stepper motor to detect the edges. We are currently working on creating an easy-to-use centralized system, improving the efficiency & accuracy of the data collection, and implementing haptic feedback within the wheelchair seat.
Mobile Platform [Continuing]
Project Partners: Ann and Sam
Fall 22′ Demo Day: Presenting Progress
Mobile Platform is an electro-mechanical project that is designing a platform that raises and lowers to help the project partner get in and out of their wheelchair that they use for travel. The team is aiming to build a portable platform that can move vertically by several inches, is easily detachable, and lightweight enough to carry.
Gait Walker [Continuing]
Project Partner: Susala
Gait Walker is designed to improve a user’s gait, stamina, and endurance while decreasing social barriers that impede interactions with others and access to opening doors and navigating activities like shopping. The idea is to create a gait walker that is collapsible, for easy transport, and adaptable to multiple surfaces and situations.
“Working on this project could be a great opportunity for EnableTech students to get exposure and be involved with a project that has been in progress at EnableTech for a couple of years. The end product could very well become a mobility device that becomes covered by insurance and in turn becomes a valuable resource for many people.
Currently the walkers and gait trainers sold and covered by insurance are not designed with input from people who use them and do not meet many needs of users. This device will have components that can improve a user’s gait, stamina and endurance while decreasing social barriers that impede interactions with others and access to opening doors and navigating activities like shopping. It will have features that have never before been available in the US market with some not available anywhere. The design is also unique in its ability to be more easily transportable than other devices on the market anywhere.
The project evolved out of my need for a better device and work done with EnableTech and Stanford’s Design the Future. People often stop me on the street wanting to know more about the device and wishing something like it was available in the US. They are excited to hear that there are plans underway to create one that will be hopefully covered by medicare.
I’d love to work with the EnableTech students to get a provisional patent application filed, have enough of a prototype and design created to have it for my use and to approach companies who already make rollators and gait trainers about buying the design so they can produce it and make it available widely. Of course, I’d like the students to be credited as co-inventors and to profit from any sales made.”
Transfer Board [Continuing]
Project Partner: Bonnie
Transfer Board is a new project for the Fall 2022 semester. Our project partner (one we have worked with before) has asked us to design a way to make their transfer board attachable to their wheelchair, preferably via a post. The goal is to design an attachment for a transfer board they already own, so that this board can be stowed away under the wheelchair’s armrest and can be utilized by the project partner without assistance.
This new project has a potential extension – our project partner has also asked us to potentially design attachments to securely attach some electronic devices to the board so that they can securely have these devices on their lap.
Grip Assist [Continuing]
Project Partners: Dana and Shanti
Grip Assist is a new project for the Fall 2022 semester. Our project partner has asked us to design a device that can assist them in gripping and moving objects. They have explained they would like for the device to require force to open, but stay tightly shut when at “rest,” so as to require less constant force from the project partner.