Mechanical Crutch Alternative
Engineering Good
February 9, 2023
Problem Statement: Accessibility (general)
Problem Statement
How might we, as a community empower, equip and co-create with persons with disabilities to enable them to access, use, and enjoy places, services, products and/or information, whether physical or virtual, so that persons with disabilities can connect to and be included in the wider community?
Accessibility
Accessibility is the practice of making information, activities, and/or environments, whether physical or virtual, that is sensible, meaningful, and usable for as many people as possible. For a society to be truly inclusive, persons with disabilities must not only be able to reach or access, but also be able to navigate through the physical or virtual space and have optimum use of these services, products and information. This will enable them to connect with the wider community and have a better quality of life.
Although much has been done over the years to enable persons with disabilities better access to facilities and amenities, and to information, much more can be done in these and other areas for our society to be truly inclusive. The Enabling Masterplan 2030 which sets out the vision for Singapore as an inclusive society in 2030, calls for enhanced “ … accessibility across the areas of communications, transport, public spaces, healthcare, sports, arts and heritage, and within our communities.”
Nature of Problems
Navigation and Mobility
Wheelchairs
User Groups
Adults
Cerebral Palsy
Children
Physical Disability
Youths
Solution
This device allows for mobility whilst letting the user have free use of their arms and lets them reach up high to grab items on shelves .
It features a chassis with a battery pack, compressor, electronics board and other components. The chassis is also not too large, which allows for the user to keep it easily. Another reason why it is not too big is to not make the device is too obvious and does not make the user feel any less than 'normal ', as it will look natural while in use , whereas crutches , although not intended , can make any user feel ashamed of their disability due to its size and difficulty to store whilst not in use .
It is controlled via a handheld controller that is operated by the user and adjusts the height of the seat and the movement of the device , and can pivot in place 360 degrees in a hands-free fashion. This control system can also allow integration of other functionality, such as a secondary control pad/remote for control and chair raising/lowering. This device aims to support the user at the hips in contrast to crutches which support the arms , restricting or disabling the use of arms safely . This in turn allows full freedom of the users arms and hands in everyday life allowing them to tackle daily tasks like reaching up to a shelf high up or carrying groceries.
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Engineering Good