ENGR 103 - Spring 2013 Freshman Engineering Design Lab The Title of Your Project Project Design Proposal

Date Submitted: May 16, 2013

Submitted to: Group Members:

technical advisor, email address Kirtan Shelat, kvs36@drexel.edu Ahmed El Salamony, ame65@drexel.edu Nick Lane, nbl32@drexe.edu Jeff Liu, jal433@drexel.edu

Abstract: The problem that many nurses and caretakers face when transferring patients with sever medical conditions, such as paralysis or obesity, is that some patients are to heavy to move without the nurses hurting themselves. Also, current transfer techniques create unnecessary risk to the patient and put them in uncomfortable positions. What this device does is it implements a lift system into a wheel chair that is able to elevate the patient. The seat that the patient then sits on will then be able to recline and detach from the seat. This process will make it easier and safer for patients from the wheel chair to the bed.

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1 1.1

Introduction Problem Overview The motivation behind this project is to improve the transfer between the wheel chair and

the bed. Patients who suffer from chronic conditions, such as paralysis or obesity, need assistance when moving from wheelchairs to beds. Current transfer methods involve nurses assisting when moving from a wheel chair to a bed; however, this process can be dangerous for the nurse/caregiver because this process puts them at the risk of back injuries. Also, during the transfer project the patients are exposed to unnecessary risks and discomforts. The task is to improve this transfer process through a mechanical system.

1.2

Existing Solutions The existing solution to the wheelchair are known as dangerous procedures that might put

patients and nurses in the face of harm and eventually causes more harm than good. One method is lifting the patients from the wheelchair to the bed. Lifting the patients, subjects patients and nurses to large chance of injuries. Many reported cases of nurse injuries are from lifting heavy patients from their wheelchairs into their beds. Also many patients have filed complains from nurse errors while lifting the patients. The other solution is a sling that raises the patient and allows the nurses to carefully put him on the bed. This method is known for its many errors hence many slings have malfunctioned and many patients felt uncomfortable and pain during the procedure. Unfortunately, all the existing solutions have proved to be inefficient and harmful to both patients and nurses.

1.3

Project Objectives This project provides a new method of transferring a patient from wheelchair to bed. A

custom wheelchair has the ability to recline into a flat position and elevate to the height of most 1

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beds. The flat wheelchair seat can then be detached from the rest of the wheelchair so that it and the patient can easily be transferred to a nearby bed. A prototype will be used to display these major functions of the wheelchair. The most common method practiced by a nurse to transfer a patient from a wheelchair to a bed is to lift the patient without any mechanical assistance. This method can be physically stressful on the nurse, and can lead to major spinal problems. This method also requires a low or elevating bed, which is not always accesible. This method requires a lot of movement on the patients part as well, which can cause additional pain when the patient is contrained due to injury. This modified wheelchair will both lower the amount of physical stress put on a nurse and keeps the patient in a stable position throughout the transfer. There would also be no need for an elevating bed since the wheelchair can elevate to the height of a standard bed. This makes it possible for the patient to spend more time at home with the assistance of a family member and less time in a hospital.

Technical Activities The two main mechanisms of the seat are the reclining mechanism and the lifting

mechanism. The lifting mechanism of the wheel chair is based on two metal car jacks, which are turned in tandem with a belt, and is powered manually by a crank. Initial ideas on how to turn the car jacks simultaneously ranged from electric motors, to pulleys, and even a bicycle chain. For the seats folding mechanism, it is operated by pegs that are latched into holes lined around the seats turning points (the leg rests and back seat). To recline the chair, the pegs attached to the axis of the turning point would be pushed out of the holes, and then lined up to a new desired 2

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position. Initially, the reclining mechanism would have used a gear with a stop lever held by a spring to hold the seat in place, but the possibility of the gear simply slipping out of the lever provided too much of a safety risk. Currently, the lifting mechanism has been mounted, with the exception of the belt and crank. The peg based reclining system is still currently in development.

2.1

Project Timeline
Week Task 1 X 2 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Background Research Wheel Chair Base Wheel Chair Lift Base Attachment/Wheel Chair Frame Wheel Chair Seat Wheel Chair Recline Testing Final Report

2.2

Project Budget Projected Cost $125.00 $55.00 $35.00 $200.00

Category Structural Materials Lifting Mechanisms Action Mechanism Total

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The final deliverable of the wheel chair is 80% similar to the original plan. The wheelchair has 4 small wheels attached to the main base then the carjacks are attached to the top of the main base. The chair uses pins to initiate the folding mechanism and to detach from the bottom base. The bottom base of the chair is attached to the top of the car jack in order to raise and lower the chair to bed level. Most of the original ideas have been incorporated. Only the slide-able layer idea has been cancelled due to high cost and inefficiency. Also the plan to use a hydraulic lift was replaced by car jacks due to car jacks being less expensive and more user friendly. The project is also designed to handle all weights and sizes, it can support up to 3 tons of weight. Many testing was preformed in order to make sure that the project was up to standards. The first test conducted was a maneuverability test. The wheelchair was tested for movement in all directions and the braking capability was also tested and calibrated. The second test was a carjacks test. The carjacks were tested for simultaneous movement and were tested for minimum power needed to lift. The third and final test was for the weight of the chair. The weight of the chair had to be measured and calibrated in order to offer nurses the least amount of weight in order to transform patients to the bed.

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Figure 1: Wheel chair base with lifts attached

Future Work The wheelchair can be developed further through its prototype process and become a

marketable product. The first prototype is a skeletal product which is only used to display important functions of the wheelchair. Comfortability and appearence were completely ignored for this prototype. Padding would need to be applied to the seat so that a person would feel comfortable sitting in the wheelchair for several hours. Certain mechanical parts will have to be hidden for the wheelchair to improve aesthetics. This is important since the wheelchair would be part of the consumer's overall appearance. An electrical version of the wheelchair could be produced. Both the reclining and elevating systems can be electronically wired to separate electric motors. This would allow for these two

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systems to be controlled by a remote control or buttons attached to the wheelchair. This would allow the patient to be slightly more independent and decreases the amount of work required by the assistant. It would also allow for a aesthetically cleaner model without and reclining or elevating handles.

References