Project Readiness Package
Rev 5/14/13
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION:

Project Name (tentative):

Project Number, if known:

Preferred Start/End Semester in Senior Design:
Fall/Spring
Spring/Fall

Faculty Champion:
Name
Dr. Elizabeth DeBartolo

Una Crutch
P14042
Dept.
ME
Email
eademe@rit.edu
Phone
585-475-2152
Dept.
ID
Email
dxhfaa@rit.edu
Phone
Other Support, if known:
Name
Dan Harel

Project “Guide” if known:

Primary Customer, if known (name, phone, email):
Name
Kyra Wilson-Houck

Dept.
Email
ID (student) klw6130@rit.edu
Phone
Sponsor(s):
Name/Organization
Contact Info.
RIT
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
Page 1 of 6
Type & Amount of Support
Committed
Project Readiness Package
Rev 5/14/13
This project was developed by Kyra Wilson-Houck, who is an Industrial Design major. She came
up with the idea for one of her classes after her boyfriend injured his leg (pictured above left). She
observed that when he was moving around the house, he preferred to use only one crutch at a time. This
left her with the responsibility of carrying the extra crutch around for him. If she was not nearby, he
would leave the crutch lying around the house and have to relocate it when he wanted to use two again.
Kyra's response to this issue was to design the Una Crutch—a two-crutch design that snaps together when
the user only requires one crutch.
Currently Kyra's design is just a prototype (pictured above right). There has been no mechanical
analysis done on the model and it still requires some ergonomic analysis as well. The current connecting
mechanism is a snap-fit lock the attaches the two lower legs of the crutches. The shoulder and hand
supports conform together when they are connected; however, because of the way they conform, the
crutches cannot be comfortably used. She would like to have a different snapping mechanism and would
also like to make overall crutch equivalent to a normal crutch in every other aspect. The estimated
production costs are currently very high, so she would like those to be reduced as well.
DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
 Customer Needs and Objectives:

Functional Decomposition:

Potential Concepts:

Specifications (or Engineering/Functional Requirements):

House of Quality:
See Appendix A
Page 2 of 6
Project Readiness Package
Rev 5/14/13

Project Deliverables:
This product will result in a drastic improvement over the current prototype of the Una Crutch.
The final product will ideally be able to support users up to 250 pounds and it will adjust to fit
users of varying heights. The crutch will have a connecting mechanism that is strong enough to
hold the crutches together but not so strong that the crutches are difficult to disconnect. The
connecting mechanism will not cause discomfort to the user and the resulting shape of the crutch
will ideally be more comfortable than a normal crutch. The crutches will not be too heavy and
won’t be expensive to produce in mass.

Budget Estimate:
The materials that this project will definitely require are: stock aluminum, rubber padding, push
button locks (for the adjusting feature and possibly for the connecting mechanism). The project
could potentially require some custom molding for the rubber parts and may need work to be done
on the crutches that the students are not capable of (for example, welding). The group could elect
to make more than one prototype in order to try different shapes/connecting mechanisms as well.
Overall these goods should not be too expensive, so a budget of $500 to $1000 should suffice.

Intellectual Property (IP) considerations:
There is definitely patent potential for this project as there is no existing crutch that features a
connecting aspect. Kyra has expressed a desire to market this product in the future, so there may
be some concern over the confidentiality of the project. Certain aspects (mainly the connecting
mechanism and ergonomic shape) may need to be kept from the public. This could be an issue
since senior design is supposed to be an open source project and these elements are the main focus
of the entire project.

Other Information:
The major risk that is associated with this project is that there is simply too much to do. It could be
beneficial to remove or reduce the importance of some of the customer needs. Developing the
shape of the crutch and the functionality of the mechanism, while meeting the constraints
associated with those, is going to be a very time consuming process. For this iteration of the
project, it might be necessary to remove the need for design appeal and/or for adjustability. These
are all future improvements that can be added after the functionality of the crutch is developed
(possibly in another senior design project).
STUDENT STAFFING:
 Skills Checklist:
Mechanical Engineering
2 3D CAD
MATLAB programming
2 Machining (basic)
1 Stress analysis (2D)
3 Statics/dynamic analysis (2D)
Thermodynamics
Fluid dynamics (CV)
LabView (data acquisition, etc.)
Statistics
Aerodynamics
CFD
Biomaterials
Vibrations
Combustion engines
GD&T (geometic dimensioning &
tolerancing)
Linear controls
Composites
DFM
Robotics (motion control)
Page 3 of 6
Project Readiness Package
Rev 5/14/13
1 FEA
Heat transfer
Modeling of electromechanical & fluid
systems
4 Fatigue & static failure criteria (DME)
Specifying machine elements
Composites
Other:
Other:
Other:
Reviewed by (ME
faculty):
1
2
5
1
4
Industrial & Systems Engineering
Statistical analysis of data – regression
Materials science
Materials processing – machining lab
Facilities planning – layout, material handling
Production systems design – lean, process
improvement
Ergonomics – interface of people & equipment
(procedures, training, maintenance)
Math modeling – linear programming),
simulation
Project management
Shop floor IE – methods, time study
Programming (C++)
DOE
Systems design – product/process design
Data analysis, data mining
3 Manufacturing engr.
Engineering economy – ROI
Quality tools – SPC
Production control – scheduling
DFx -- Manuf., environment,
sustainability
Other:
Other:
Other:
Reviewed by (ISE
faculty):

Anticipated Staffing Levels by Discipline:
Discipline
EE
ME
How
Many?
0
2
CE
0
ISE
1
Anticipated Skills Needed (concise descriptions)
CAD Modeling, ANSYS analysis, Good understanding of statics and
dynamics, Materials
Ergonomics, Materials, Manufacturing, Project Management
Page 4 of 6
Project Readiness Package
Other
(Industrial
Design)
Rev 5/14/13
1
Kyra would like to be on the project as well – Modeling, Ergonomics
OTHER RESOURCES ANTICIPATED:
Category
Faculty
Description
Materials Expert
Ergonomics Expert
Environment
Machine Shop
Senior Design Room
Medical Testing Facility (for final product testing)
Equipment
Welding (possibly)
CAD Software
Materials
Other
Page 5 of 6
Resource
Available?
Project Readiness Package
Prepared by:
Rev 5/14/13
Ryan Muckel
Date:
APPENDIX A (HOUSE OF QUALITY):
Page 6 of 6
5/14/2013