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Tulane UniversityBiomedical Engineering

Spring Design ShowFebruary 27, 2010

Teams:

First Place Winner: Mega Pascal

Second Place Winner: What's All That Ratchet

Blokes of Genius

Fortress Classic

TUPAC

To navigate, click anyplace on slide to move to next slide.

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First Place Winner: Team Mega Pascal Evacuation Cot

The Client: During a hurricane evacuation in New Orleans, St. Margaret's Nursing Home moves patients to a church gymnasium in Jackson, MS. Trundle beds are stored on site and set up by church volunteers with some of St. Margaret's staff. However these trundle beds are plagued with many problems.

The Problem: The nursing home currently uses a semi-collapsible trundle bed. The bed legs collapse by folding in on themselves. Because the entire bed rolls over very easily, problems arise during patient transfers . The client also requested a side support to allow the patients to stabilize themselves as they adjusted in the bed. The low height of the cot caused staff members to experience back strain when tending to the patients. Some patients use feeding tubes which requires the head of the bed to be raised.

The team's task was two-fold: To develop an interim modification of the current trundle beds to improve safety and stability and to provide a low-cost preliminary solution. In addition, the team aimed to propose a new product to solve the needs of the patients.

Team Members: Lin Bai, James Gallagher, Xavier Alvarez, Todd Johnson (not pictured)

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First Place Winner: Team Mega Pascal Evacuation Cot

The Goal: Improve the current trundle bed with simple modifications to better meet the functional requirements of the client, andprovide a customized new commercial product that better satisfies the functional requirements of the client.

The current bed: Stability was the major concern in modifying the current cot. The casters located in the center of the bed along with the U-shaped legs allowed the bed to easily roll. The casters were removed and replaced with wooden studs. Studs were bolted to the collapsible legs. The added weight and support dramatically improved the stability of the unit. Cords fastened the legs to the frame which keep them from collapsing during typical use.

Functional Requirements : Tier One: Stability during normal operations and loadingSupport weight up to 350 lbs., sustain a wide range of patient motion and positions during transfers, adjustable to 45 ° incline, suitable height for both patient and staff, removable side support and boundary.Tier Two: Ease of storage and setupEasily assembled by one or two people, minimize required storage space, durable and reusable.Tier Three: Sleeping surface must meet patient standardsSatisfactory comfort and sanitary needs, anchored mattress, minimal pressure exertion in mattress ( a mattress that slopes at the foot is ideal per client suggestion.

Foreground cot to the right: Current trundle bed without improvementsBackground cot to the left: Modified cot with studs to improve stability.

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First Place Winner: Team Mega Pascal Evacuation Cot

The New Product: The Deluxe Surge Cot #4 by ARC Products from MedSled is wheelchair height. A head elevator encompasses a wide range of angles. The legs on either end can be locked. Additional leg members help stabilize the frame. Product features satisfy the core functional requirements, but further modifications are made to enhance safety and ease of use, including construction of aluminum rails and a controlled release mechanism for the head-prop. These additional components increase patient and staff safety, are detachable and do not detract from the physical integrity of the cot.

Surge cot: Front view

Back view of surge cot

Side view

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Second Place Winner: Team What's All That Ratchet Hygienic Changing Lift

The Client: The caregivers from a local elementary school need a lift to raise children from low heights to a convenient hygienic surface for cleaning and changing. The design must suit students from kindergarten to eighth grade.

Factors Determining the Goals: Reducing Physical Strain: The design will prevent the caretakers from straining their backs while lifting students or hurting their knees while changing students on the ground.

Sanitary Changing: With the vinyl mat and high density polyethlene table top, students and caretakers not be at risk of passing on pathogens during the changing process. These hygienic surfaces can be quickly and easily cleaned after each use.

Size Accommodation: With the modified hydraulic table, the size of the students and height of the caretakers will no longer be an issue. The table can lift to a height of approximately 3 feet. It is 2.5 feet in width and 6 feet in length.

Team Members: Garret Gros, Jardin Leleux, Shanna Connolly

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Providing a Clean Surface: Students will remain on a vinyl mat throughout the changing process. The custom made mat can easily be cleaned with traditional cleaning products. Also the mat is durable enough for heavy use. The steel hydraulic lift has a walled high density polyethylene table top on which the student will rest. The materials are non-porous to prevent any body fluids from affecting the usage and maintenance of the product.

Second Place Winner: Team What's All That Ratchet Hygienic Changing Lift Second Place Winner: Team What's All That Ratchet Hygienic Changing Lift

Demonstration

View of undercarriage

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Team Blokes of Genius Whisper Lift Integrative Seating Environment

The Client: A ten year old girl with arthrogryposis has a physical limits in range of motion and overall mobility, requiring her to greatly adapt to the school environment. Limitations in her upper extremities and gait affect all routine tasks. In the classroom, she experiences back pain due to uncomfortable seating arrangements.

Design Goals: .1. Develop a power lift chair to serve as a stable platform from which to raise and lower student at her desk. The desk is designed for multiple classroom use. 2. Design a desk and chair that will look as close as possible to other students' seating arrangements. 3. Design and develop a desk with integrated storage for classroom materials.

Design Solution: Custom built Red Oak base, inversely mounted linear acruator, heavy duty casters, heavy duty rubber grippers, custom desk surface with integrated chair controller, writing utensil holder, book/notebook organizer.

Team members: Benjamin Cappiello, Taylor Elrod, Joseph Majdi, Kevin Sheerin

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Team Blokes of Genius Whisper Lift Integrative Seating Environment

Power Lift Chair: .* Chair frame provides stability to support load and allows for mobility with addition of casters.* Base with rubber grippers serves as sturdy platform to prevent chair movement while raising and lowering.

Chair front with remote controlSide of chair featuring power lift mechanisms

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Team Blokes of Genius Whisper Lift Integrative Seating Environment

Integrated Desk* An actuator controller flush-mounted into desk's surface for easy access.

* Notebook/school supply organizer allows student to quickly retrieve necessary materials.

Student demonstration of lift procedure

Power lift chair and desk with storage for classroom materials

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Team Fortress Classic Assistive Device to Transfer a Limited Mobility Student Into a Canoe

The Client and Project: The team is working with the Louisiana Outdoors Outreach Program (LOOP) to design a mobility assistance device to transfer a student from a wheelchair down a slight slope into a canoe partially submerged in water. The purpose of LOOP is to allow students from Title I public schools in the Greater New Orleans areas to engage in outdoor activities. The primary focus is on outdoor education with classes throughout the year involving various trips with the LOOP program.

Existing Problems:* Transfer and canoe ride is uncomfortable for the student.* The student has to be physically carried by an aid.* Distance to canoe from wheelchair is significant.* Difficult to place student inside canoe because of student's limited use of legs. * Student needs back support once in canoe.

Team Members: Michael Liu, Allison Douglas, Donald Campbell (not pictured)

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Team Fortress Classic Assistive Device to Transfer a Limited Mobility Student Into a Canoe

Design Criteria: * All terrain wheeled transfer device with removable seat.* Provides seat with back support and fits snugly within canoe. * Requires assistance of two aids, yet makes transfer more convenient.* Comfortable for student use.* Wheel frame aspires to be portable to be taken along in canoe if necessary. * Prototype made out of PVC. Solution and Initial Prototype:The prototype of the proposed design is constructed of 1 ½ inch diameter PVC pipe, PVC primer/cement, 15/32” plywood, U-bolts, and all-terrain wheels with stainless steel casters.

All terrain wheeled transfer device with removable seat Removable seating frame can be transfered into canoe

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Team Fortress Classic Assistive Device to Transfer a Limited Mobility Student Into a Canoe

Operating Procedure: 1. Student is transferred out of personal wheelchair into all terrain device. 2. Student is transferred down terrain next to side of the canoe.3. Seat is detached from device and placed inside of canoe for support and comfort during the ride. 4. Removed from canoe and placed back on device after completed trip.

Plans for Final Design: Addition of a collapsible handle bar system to allow more assistants to aid in the transfer, adopting a more robust material for use in the frame, implementing a locking mechanism that does not create an obstruction when transferring the chair from frame to the canoe.

Canoe with removable seat

Closeup of seat in canoe

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Team TUPAC Highly Portable Patient Lift

The Project: The team is designing a mechanical lift device for a client. The system will allow him to move easily from his wheelchair to his bed and vice versa. The client will be in a semi- recumbent position during the transfer. The system is being designed to be portable and lightweight, but still safe and easy to use.

Team Members: John Huck, Joshua Thieman, Austin Dobbins

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Team TUPAC Highly Portable Patient Lift

Functional Requirements for Device: * Vertically lift/lower the client. * Move the client horizontally between his wheelchair and bed.* Portable for travel by both car and plane.* Require minimal effort by the user. * Operate in different environment, client's home and travel settings* Sling has to accommodate the client's semi-recumbent position.

Side view of portable lift Front view of portable lift

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Team TUPAC Highly Portable Patient Lift

Model Features:

Highly portable designThe lift folds down to the size of a large duffel bag making it ideal for a variety of travel situations and methods.

Ease of useThe integrated hydraulic lift system is easy to use and provides large amount of force allowing people of all ages to operate the lift.

Custom Designed Semi-Recumbent Slings The custom designed sling allows the user to remain in a comfortable semi-recumbent position during transfer.

Safety InformationThe device is planned to be built from aluminum and steel tubing, a heavy duty hydraulic cylinder, and high test fabric for the sling. The stress analysis of the lift was performed to validate the design and material choices. This has led to a high factor of safety and low probability of failure.

Folded view of portable lift

Targeted position of patient in lift

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Team Design Show People Photos

Waiting for the results –- And waiting

---- And waiting

Announcement of winners

Nap time

Elizabeth Kirkland

Photographer & Editor

©2010