Parkinson's Disease Assistive Walker
Length: eight months Topics Explored: assistive device design, mechanism design, structural analysis, design of experiments This product was built for my senior capstone project at the University of Portland. The class spanned a full year, with the first semester spent largely on design and exploration, and the second used to build and test. As part of a team of 4, I helped to design, manufacture, and test a walker with the specific purpose of assisting people afflicted by Parkinson's Disease. Features of the finished product included:
Having adjustable wheel resistance was perhaps the walker's most technical function and required the most amount of planning and experimentation. Those with Parkinson's often experience "freezing gait", during which they become unable to move mid-step and are at risk for losing balance. Adjustable magnets on the wheel fixture allow the user to vary the speed the walker may travel at to their own comfort levels. |
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