Vanderbilt University Senior Design Proposal
SmartDrive Power Assist Device
Presented by Max-Mobility Incorporated
VU Team Members: Jack McKeown, Jonathan Kokot, Alexander Breg,
John Narozanick, Sam Fraifeld, and Matthew Thompson
Team Name: Innovative Design for Kinetic Solutions
Max-Mobility Correspondent: Mark Richter
Abstract
Despite the seemingly endless abilities of the handicapable individuals who are forced to
live life in wheelchairs, the truth remains that they are still limited in what they can do and where
they can go. The SmartDrive Power Assist Device aims to overcome some of these limitations
by providing those in wheelchairs a multi-functional attachment that will allow them to get
around easier while simultaneously cutting down on the strain caused by manually driving a
wheelchair. Whether it be steep inclines, grass, a thick carpet, or some other impeding surface,
the effort it requires these patients causes pain and injury to the arms and upper body that has
both immediate and long-term effects. By providing a system that can be attached to any
standard wheel chair, we aim to:
-
Minimize injuries and pain experienced by wheelchair users
Provide easier and expanded mobility to wheelchair users in strenuous environments
Offer a cheap, lightweight attachment that will improve the quality of life of those
patients in need
3.1 Introduction
According to research by Max Mobility Inc., the majority of manual wheelchair users
experience some form of upper extremity discomfort or injury. This most commonly occurs in
the shoulders, but can also manifest in the elbow and wrist area. These overuse injuries result
from strain during everyday propulsion and transfers. The goal of the project is to develop, test,
and optimize a power add-on device for manual wheelchairs to assist in propulsion, especially
across strenuous environments such as uphill terrain. By easing the burden of propulsion, the
project aims to reduce the prevalence of upper extremity injuries in wheelchair users. The power
unit will also be modular, allowing for it to be easily removed when not being used. Installation
should be quick and easy, allowing for the addition of the power unit when needed while also
allowing for the easy removal of the add-on unit when the user prefers to use manual power.
Thus the project will allow a user to incorporate propulsion assistance into their everyday life,
without it becoming a permanent addition to the wheelchair. This should assuage some of the
burden the task of propulsion puts on the user’s upper body, helping to prevent damage to this
region from long term wheelchair use. This project will be undertaken by a team of four
Vanderbilt biomedical engineers and two mechanical engineers in conjunction with Max
Mobility Inc. with Dr. Mark Richter serving as the liaison between the Vanderbilt engineers and
Max Mobility Inc.
3.2 History and Context
Early customers for the more finely tuned power assisted wheel chair will be
handicapped persons who are not capable of comfortably powering their own wheelchair either
due to a lack of upper body strength from age, lack of exercise or youth, or repetitive strain
injuries to the shoulder area from unpowered wheelchair use. A large group of users will be
upgrading from fully powered wheelchairs or battery powered scooters, which are directed by
joystick or control yoke or throttle. These units are heavy, cumbersome and expensive. For
example, a Hoveround wheel chair weighs 195 pounds and costs $3000. To offer greater
mobility, a $2000 car hitch mounted lift is available for easy transport. Lightweight, unpowered
wheelchairs cost less than $200 and weigh less than 40 pounds. A power assist unit costing
around $1000 and weighing only 20 pounds would provide a manageable and transportable
mobility package for less.
Max-Mobility has created both a flexible rim to reduce stress on the upper extremities
and a removable power assist unit to provide additional thrust to standard sized wheelchairs. The
powered unit is intelligent: it can modulate the power assist by interpreting the user’s inputs
through the wheels of the wheelchair. No additional command input is necessary. The device is
small, lightweight (battery and power unit of 19 pounds), and modular (fits onto 1-1/4” axle
wheelchair with rigid frame).
3.3 Team
Our team essentially has three functional parts that will work together in conjunction with
our outside advisor, Dr. Mark Richter, the president of MAX mobility, LLC. These three parts
align with the basic elements of this project: mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering,
and engineering management. As a step coinciding with initial team formation, each team
member completed a DISC personality profile. Upon examining our scores, it can be observed
that collectively our D rating is low. This is good because it means that there won’t be multiple
people fighting for control or leadership of a situation. On the other hand, we will need to be
aware of the fact that someone may not be there to provide us with a sense of direction; thus we
will have to make sure to maintain a strong sense of self-motivation. The majority of our scores
are instead weighted towards the I, S, and C characteristics. In terms of social interaction and
work tasks, these types of people tend to work well together, according to a compatibility chart
provided by Carlson Learning Company.
Alexander Breg and John Narozanick will focus on the mechanical engineering aspects of
this project, as both are due to complete their ME degree this spring. Xander is very
knowledgeable with powered vehicles, having built cars for formula SAE competitions through
VU motorsports. He’s currently working on human car interfacing and steering, something
which may prove useful for this project. John already has a good amount of design experience
under his belt. His skills with rendering models through CAD and other methods may prove
invaluable.
The biomedical engineering portion of this project will be the focus of Sam Fraifeld and
Jack McKeown, both of whom are BME majors. Sam and Jack have both had substantial
experience performing medical research. As president of Vanderbilt rowing team, Sam is
comfortable with how the upper extremities of the body may be used to propel motion. Jack was
recently in a research position in which a system was monitored over multiple iterations and
analyzed for optimization.
Responsibility for the engineering management part will fall to Jonathan Kokot and
Matthew Thompson. This responsibility will include communications, organization, and
scheduling. Slated to receive a minor in ENGM from Vanderbilt, Jonathan and Matthew will be
enrolled in the course “ENGM 296 Capstone Project,” which will serve as a platform for
developing a business model concurrent to the technical component of the project.
3.4 Work Plan and Outcome
The ultimate outcome of this design project is the creation of an effective device to
supply power to a standard wheelchair. This product must be cost efficient and commercially
viable, as well as easy to attach, simple to operate, and visually appealing.
With regard to patients, the desired outcome is increased mobility and quality of life. This
product extends the range of wheelchair users as well as decreases the likelihood of injuries
associated with the overuse of wheelchairs. This grants users more freedom and ease during
daily life.
With regard to Max Mobility Inc., the commercial goals of this project are to create a
device that is profitable. Thus, the device must be relatively cheap to manufacture and be
marketed effectively. There is already a demonstrated consumer need present, thus the device
must be designed such that it is appealing to use and efficient to produce in order to be
commercially successful.
At the end of the grant period, our goal is for the project to continue its market life, and
continue is sale and use by Max Mobility, Inc. The project will likely succeed because it fills a
greatly demonstrated need. The user base is large and their need is significant. The product is
highly effective at solving this need, and visually appealing as well. In addition, the product is
relatively inexpensive.
Work Processes Gantt Chart:
ID
1
2
3
4
5
Name
Start
Create Grant Proposal
Meet with Max Mobility,
Inc.
Create Design Plan
Create Website
Predecessor
-
Expected
Time
Complete
Complete
3
3
1 week
1 week
2 weeks
3.5 Evaluation and Sustainability Plan
Success is based on our ability to provide a significant, useful service to the wheelchair
user population. Max-Mobility’s SmartDrive device aims to relieve the user of upper extremity
pain and injury caused by overexertion, as well as improved mobility, by providing real-time
individually tailored propulsion. The goal now is to design and optimize a biofeedback strategy
for the SmartDrive that is efficacious and durable. Therefore, there will be many steps towards
the final product at which our success will be measured. Our first success shall be achieved upon
the development of instrumentation and methods for the propulsion technique biofeedback. Our
next goal will be the creation of a model that provides the desired results – stress-free propulsion
triggered by a simple tailored command – via simulation of the model. Finally, by creating a
strategy that is exhibits efficacy and longevity in repeated, real-life scenarios, our input to MaxMobility shall be deemed a maximum success.
Our team shall consistently assess our success to ensure we maintain focus and direction.
We will commence each meeting with a report from each member on his personal
accomplishments toward the project since the last meeting. Next, an evaluation of our progress
in relation to the final goal creates a running measure of success understood by the group as a
whole. By assessing success in individual pieces as a part of pie that is our ultimate success, we
can better communicate our progress with Max-Mobility, as well as sustain high motivation and
moral.