CHAPTER 17 UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT

CHAPTER 17 UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT School of Engineering Biomedical Engineering 260 Glenbrook Road Storrs, Connecticut 06269 Principal Investigator: John Enderle (860) 486-5521 jenderle@bme.uconn.edu 279

280 NSF 2009 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities THE TRAVEL COMPUTER MOUNT FOR DYNAVOX VMAX Designers: Kelly Valentine, Caitlin Martin, and Blaine Ericson Client: Brenda Stenglein Supervising Professor: Dr. John Enderle Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 06269 INTRODUCTION Assistive communication devices, such as the Dynavox Vmax, allow persons with disabilities to express themselves. An individual s communication may be affected by a number of conditions, including cerebral palsy. Our client has a severe case of cerebral palsy and expresses the need for a travel mount in order to access his Dynavox Vmax in a vehicle. The vehicular mount attaches the computer to the front passenger headrest using a unique vice system, allowing for easy attachment and detachment for placement in all types of vehicles. The Dynavox can be removed from the mount with ease upon arrival of destination. The travel computer mount allows for the user to safely and effectively use a Dynavox Vmax in any type of vehicle. SUMMARY OF IMPACT The travel computer mount allows for communication in a moving vehicle. Before the mount, communication based on facial gestures was dangerous as it distracted the driver. With the Dynavox Vmax mounted in front of the user, the necessary communication can take place with safety. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION The Dynavox VMax travel mount is made of three stainless steel rods to ensure strength and durability. It easily supports the weight of the VMax, and is light enough to maintain portability. The rods are connected at 90 angles with elbow joints supplied by Daessy, Inc (see Fig. 17.1 ). The elbow joints make mount assembly very easy. The VMax is attached to the mount via the Folding Quick Release Base from Daessy, Inc. The base is centered along the horizontal rod and can be used to quickly attach and detach a Dynavox VMax computer (See Figure). By simply pulling a pin, the computer can be safely secured to the Fig. 17.1. Elbow joints connect the three stainless steel rods. Fig. 17.2. The attachment plates are tightened to secure the mount in place. mount. The base can also rotate about the horizontal rod, and then be locked in place to achieve optimal viewing angle of the screen. The mount is installed in a vehicle by tightening down the two attachment plates. One plate, 14 in

Chapter 17: University of Connecticut 281 length, is welded to the two L-shaped rods of the mount. This plate is attached to a shorter plate, 8 in length, via three screws. The plates are aligned on either side of the head rest posts of a car seat and the screws are tightened to fasten the mount in place. A sheet of neoprene rubber on each surface in contact with the headrest posts assures a firm grip. The mount can be easily installed in a variety of car models (see Fig. 17.3). Fig. 17.3. Installed travel computer mount with client.

282 NSF 2009 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities STANDING GARDENER: A GARDENING TABLE WITH A SUPPORT SYSTEM TO AID CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY Designers: Robert Knapp, Peter George, and Fryderyk Karnas Supervising Professor: Dr. John Enderle Biomedical Engineering University of Connecticut in Storrs Storrs, CT 06269 INTRODUCTION The Standing Gardener is designed to aid children with Cerebral Palsy that want to garden. This device is a gardening table that can be raised or lowered, depending on the height and size of the user. It consists of a stainless steel frame, complete system to support the users chest, hips, knees, and feet, and a thermally insulated workspace. Its purpose is to provide an area to garden that supports the user in the standing position so that he or she does not lose muscle or bone mass and can continue to grow stronger. Current standers on the market today do not offer the complete versatility and telescoping capabilities that the Standing Gardener offers. SUMMARY OF IMPACT The Standing Gardener is made entirely to aid a child or adult with Cerebral Palsy in ways that no other stander on the market can. Our clients parents own a gardening business and, because of his poor motor function, our client cannot aid in helping his parents as he would like to. The purpose of this device is to aid our client, and others alike, to work and accomplish tasks that they could not otherwise do. Fig. 17.4. Standing Gardener.

Chapter 17: University of Connecticut 283 TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION The workspace is a completely customizable feature that is made specific to gardening. Pictured in Figure 17.4, is a rotatable pot template which holds the gardening pots below the plane of the table so soil can easily be pushed into them. Below the pot template is a soil catching drawer that will catch any overflow of soil through the unused holes in the template. If the template is not used, a template cove can be placed in its spot to create a flush work surface to do tasks other than gardening. Pot tray holding walls are for finished pot placement after the flower has been planted. Handles are additional features that are on the Standing Gardener workspace. The steel frame consists of two stainless steel plates 1/8 of an inch thick creating a sandwich effect above and below eight stainless steel legs. Each of the legs has fourteen holes drilled through it, allowing for fourteen different heights of users that the Standing Gardener accommodates. The support system consists of pads that support the chest, hips and knees, and straps that support the feet and keep them in place. The chest support is made up of 3 pads (one in front and one on each of the sides). The front chest pad stays stationary, while the side pads can be moved in and out, depending on the size of the user. A hip belt is located below the chest support to keep the user from leaning too far back and falling out of the device. Below the hip belt is the knee support system. As a whole, the knee support system can be moved up or down along the legs of the device. In addition, each of the knee pads can be moved in and out and side to side to accommodate different sized users. The foot board below the knee support system has straps to secure the users feet and stabilize them. Fig. 17.5. Alternate view of the Standing Gardener.

284 NSF 2009 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities MULTI-TERRAIN WHEELCHAIR: A DEVICE TO TRAVERSE SAND, SNOW, AND ICE Designers: Robert Knapp, Peter George, and Fryderyk Karnas Supervising Professor: Dr. John Enderle Biomedical Engineering University of Connecticut in Storrs Storrs, CT 06269 INTRODUCTION The Multi-Terrain Wheelchair is a modified device that gives its user more versatility than a regular wheelchair. Most manual wheelchairs can only traverse smooth and even terrain. The Multi-Terrain Wheelchair can traverse many more kinds of terrain, including sandy, snowy, and icy conditions. The Multi-Terrain Wheelchair uses the technology of extra wide balloon wheels to increase the surface area in contact with the ground to increase the ease of motion. SUMMARY OF IMPACT The Multi-Terrain Wheelchair provides more versatility in going places that one could not normally go, including conditions that are icy, snowy, and sandy. The goal of this device is to provide the users with more ways to enjoy themselves and partake in everyday and recreational activities. Fig. 17.6. Multi-Terrain Wheelchair.

Chapter 17: University of Connecticut 285 TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION The Multi-Terrain wheelchair consists of a modified wheelchair frame that has been equipped with large wheels in order to traverse different kinds of terrain. Front brackets are constructed and welded in order to be attached to the front caster wheels, which can spin a full 360 degrees. Because of the design implemented, the front wheels can be placed in two positions. The first position is with the front wheel attachment brackets parallel to the frame of the wheelchair. This arrangement can be seen in Figure 17.7. This position is a traveling position, with the leg supports raised and the weight spread out. There is also an angled position which is used for resting, whereby the leg supports are positioned down to a more comfortable position. The front wheels have spacers to tilt the weight of the wheelchair back slightly so it doesn t tip forward. The rear wheels are attached via individual mounting brackets and an axel for each wheel. Having two separate axels for the rear wheels doesn t hinder the Multi-Terrain Wheelchair s ability to fold and fit through small spaces. Foot and leg straps are added to the foot and leg supports. These help stabilize the feet and knees of the user, if necessary. Fig. 17.7. Front Wheel Positions.

286 NSF 2009 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities THE S-90 GO-KART Designers: Eric Leknes, James Paolino, Alexander Jadczak, and Tarek Tantawy Supervising Professor: Dr. John D. Enderle Biomedical Engineering University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this project is to design and build a go-kart for our client, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy. Our client has almost no reliable motor control of his body or limbs, ruling out the viability of a traditionally designed go-cart. The idea behind this project is to design a go-kart based on the client s abilities affording him the experience of a real go-cart. To accomplish this task, a go-kart is built from the ground up to meet his specifications. It has three different modes of control: remote control, joystick control, and steering wheel with pedals control. This allows our client to use the vehicle on day one, and progress to having more and more control of the go-kart with practice. The vehicle is designed with the client s condition in mind and ensures that his body is positioned correctly for maximum motor control. The vehicle is also adjustable to allow for a wide range of drivers of different sizes and abilities. Additionally, the S-90 has a number of safety kill switches to ensure it is safer, more versatile, and more fun than anything else on the market. SUMMARY OF IMPACT The main goal of this project is to provide our client with the experience of operating a go-kart. This gokart is built in such a way that it can be operated by anyone, and when looking at the design it is as aesthetically pleasing as any traditional go-cart on the market today. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION The go-kart for this project is custom built from the ground up to maximize the efficient use of space, and to ensure that the needs of our client are met. The frame consists of a steel open roll cage design with front suspension and semi-independent rear suspension. A 10 horsepower gas motor provides power for the drive, and also runs a 7 amp alternator. An electric gearmotor actuates a rack and pinion to steer the vehicle. The steering gearmotor is controlled by a PWM signal through a speed Fig. 17.8. Electronics control system for S-90. Fig. 17.9. Torque converter system for S-90. controller. The throttle is controlled by a servo motor pulling on the throttle linkage. This servo is controlled directly by a PWM signal from the microcontroller. The brakes are actuated by a gearmotor that pushes linkage into a hydraulic brake line. The braking gearmotor is controlled by a PWM signal through a speed controller. Each PWM signal is generated by an on-board PWM module on one of the 3 PIC microcontrollers. Each

Chapter 17: University of Connecticut 287 PIC has two PWM modules that can generate individual pulse widths over the same period. For the purpose of driving the go-kart s speed controllers and throttle servo, the PWM period is set to 20 ms and each PWM signal can range from 5-10% duty cycle. PWM output signals can be adjusted in the software by changing special function registers associated with the PWM modules. Each system needing a PWM on the go-kart has a software routine to take information from inputs and adjust the special function registers to create the corresponding PWM output. The steering software system uses two inputs to create the final PWM output. The first input is the user control input. This input corresponds to the selected control mode. Each mode has its own function that is called in the software to get information from the correct input device. Each control mode function normalizes its input to a standard form, and this data is then sent to the steering update function. A steering feedback potentiometer moves with the wheels and thus keeps track of the absolute position of the wheels at any given time. The steering update function takes the user input data and compares it to data from the steering feedback potentiometer. If the steering update function determines that there is a sufficient discrepancy between the normalized user input and the steering feedback, it updates the PWM registers to move the gearmotor until both inputs are within tolerance of each other. The braking software system works in the same way as the steering software, except that it uses separate user inputs and a different feedback transducer. The throttle software system is simpler than the steering or braking systems, because it only requires one input. The throttle servo motor incorporates its own feedback system, so the only job of the software is to provide the proper PWM signal. The throttle input corresponding to the correct control mode is selected by calling the proper function, which normalizes the input data. The data is then input into a linear equation that directly updates the PWM registers corresponding to the throttle servo motor outputs. The throttle servo motor is connected to its own dedicated 6V supply. A 4 cubic inch aluminum heat sink is employed to ensure the voltage regulator does not enter thermal shutdown during times of high current draw on the 6V source. Three possible methods of control are available on a user-selectable basis. The main method of control is the joystick that controls steering, throttle, and braking using a two axis system. The second control system is based on remote control, to allow the client to use the go-kart immediately. A radio controller designed for model aircraft is controlled by a guardian. A radio receiver on the go-kart takes the transmitted signal and feeds it to the microprocessor. The final method of control is a steering wheel and pedals that allows the vehicle to be operated like a normal car or go-kart. These inputs are connected to the microprocessor, through potentiometers, instead of mechanical attachment. Embedded software eliminates the need for complex analog circuits that would otherwise make up a control system like this. The software for the go-kart has two main purposes: to provide overall control of the systems necessary to operate the go-kart, and to recognize when the go-kart is not functioning properly and to shut it down safely. In addition to the custom control methods, this gokart has a number of other features tailored directly to meet the client s needs. The seat is the most important of these features. The Tumble Forms 2 Carrie seating system is designed to keep the client bent 90 at the waist at all times, and can be swapped with a regular seat using a custom modular bracket system. The bracket for the Carrie seat is designed so it can be easily attached or removed from both the S-90 and from the Carrie seat itself. This allows the family to use the Carrie seat as a car seat in addition to its use on the S-90. The mounting platform for the seat on the S-90 is attached to a linear actuator, which provides forward and backward seat adjustment at the touch of a button. For safety reasons, two head switches and a remote are used as kill switches for the go-kart. One head switch or a remote button activates a software routine that grounds the engine and applies the brake. When one of these switches is activated the software leaves its main service loop and enters a service loop with pre-programmed inputs for throttle and brake. A MOSFET is triggered by the microcontroller, which activates a relay connecting the engine spark plug to ground. A different remote button or the other head switch directly grounds the engine to ensure the S-90 can be shut down even if the software fails.

288 NSF 2009 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities The drive system for the S-90 optimizes engine output without need for the drive to change gears. A torque converter is attached to the drive shaft of the engine which acts as a constantly variable transmission. At low engine RPMs, the drive belt connecting the driver of the torque converter to the driver of the torque converter remains stationary. As the engine RPM increases, centripetal force causes the driver to engage the belt, which powers the driver. Increasing the engine RPM will cause the driver to further engage the belt. The torque converter is capable of producing a 3.78:1 gear ratio at low RPMs and a 1.04:1 gear ratio when fully engaged. The jack shaft of the go-kart has a ten toothed gear attached to it driving a fifty-eight toothed gear on rear axle of the vehicle, providing a 5.8:1 gear ratio. Using these gear ratios and a maximum engine RPM of 3800 gives the go-kart a theoretic top speed of 39.32 MPH. Accounting for an average mechanical reduction of 20% yields an actual top speed of 31.5 MPH. The front suspension of the go-kart utilizes a parallelogram design which allows for the wheels of the go-kart to remain vertically aligned when the suspension is compressed. Without this design, as the go-kart s suspension was compressed, the camber angle of the front tires would change. The steering of the go-kart was designed with zero caster angle in order to reduce load on the gear motor during high speed turning. The toe alignment of the go-kart was designed to be dynamic; there is zero toe under normal operating conditions, but when executing hard turns the toe alignment automatically adjusts to have a slight toe in. This will provide zero rolling toe as the vehicle is turning due to the vehicle s rear wheel drive forcing the front end of the vehicle down during hard turns. This ultimately compensates for the natural tendency of the front wheels to be toe out due to the rolling resistance and compliance in the suspension. The total turning angle of the front wheel is 95.6 degrees. Under zero resistance the go-kart is capable of turning the wheels through the full range of motion in about one second, this time will increase when the go-kart is loaded. The rear suspension of the go-kart was designed to be semiindependent. The rear portion of the go-kart s chassis is able to pivot about a central hinge pin, which in turn causes the compression of the coil over springs in the rear suspension. The cost of parts and materials is $7300.

Fig. 17.10. The S-90 Go-Kart. Chapter 17: University of Connecticut 289

290 NSF 2009 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities ASSISTIVE JUMPING DEVICE FOR TRAMPOLINE Designers: Catlin Martin, Kelly Valentine, and Blaine Ericson Supervising Professor: Dr. John Enderle Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 06269 INTRODUCTION The assistive jumping device (AJD) allows those with physical disabilities to successfully and independently jump on a trampoline. A jib crane structure supports the user above the trampoline and further aid the user for lift onto the trampoline. The upper arm of the crane has a horizontal trolley system to position the user to the best location on the trampoline. A vertical rail system, attached to the jib crane and the harness system of the user, controls and stabilizes the vertical jump of the user. The AJD utilizes a harness system for full upper body support while still allowing the user to have full range of leg motion to freely create the jumping motion. SUMMARY OF IMPACT The AJD allows a person with a disability to enjoy all the fun of jumping on a trampoline. Since the AJD provides a controlled and safe form of not only exercise, but fun, it has a profound impact on the rehabilitation community. The system uses the weight of the user to provide resistance in leg strengthening as well as to increase proprioception awareness of the muscles. In addition to its health benefits, the AJD increases awareness for adaptive products for the disabled as there are a very limited number of such products for fun-related activities. The AJD also increases self-confidence and encourages those who are disabled to strive to accomplish anything they wish. Fig. 17.11. The assistive jumping device. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION The assistive jumping device is supported by a 10.5 jib crane with a span of 6. The crane positions the user over the trampoline without being overly obtrusive to other jumpers on the trampoline. The AJD is attached to the top of the jib crane via a crane trolley (see Fig. 17.13). The trolley allows for lateral motion of the AJD along the I-beam of the crane, so the position of the user can be controlled. The vertical rail and bungee cords are each attached to the trolley with steel brackets that fit along the Fig. 17.12. Converted Carrie seat with added pelvic climbing harness.

Chapter 17: University of Connecticut 291 bolt of the crane trolley. The bungee cords are able to completely support the weight of the user. The cords make jumping easier, and decrease acceleration down towards the trampoline to prevent injury; while the vertical rail maintains the user s proper posture. The user is supported by an integrated harness (see Fig. 17.12). The back of the harness consists of a modified Carrie Junior chair from Tumble Forms. The chair offers head, neck, and torso support. The chest straps of the seat are modified to clip into an added pelvic harness via seatbelt buckles. Pelvic support is maintained by the Wiz Kid, a children s pelvic climbing harness by Mountain High Outfitters. In addition to the seatbelt buckles connecting the pelvic harness to the chest straps, the back of the pelvic harness attaches to the sides of the converted Carrie seat to provide four points of attachment. This attachment technique makes the harness very safe and comfortable to wear. Sheep skin lining along the leg and back straps of the harness add to its comfort. The entire harness moves along the vertical rail with a rail trolley that is attached to the back of the harness. The trolley is bolted to an aluminum bracket along the back of the harness. The trolley offers minimal friction between the trolley and rail without the need of lubrication. Fig. 17.13. AJD attached to crane trolley and supported by jib crane.

292 NSF 2009 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities