Walker Redesign Sam Barclay Tanya Holubiak Jordan Landreth

Background Standard basic walker useful for those who are injured or disabled to get around More mobile and convenient than crutches or wheelchairs

Motivation & Purposes Walkers are not designed to go up and down stairs The current method is to use the walker on its side to go up and down stairs with a handrail

Design Problems There isn’t a ramp in every facility Not every set of stairs has a handrail Very unstable to use a walker on its side All sets of stairs are not the same size

Goals To design a walker that is stable and safe to use when going up and down stairs The walker must also be able to be used on level surface as well

Social Impact Having limited mobility can be a burden, especially for adolescents and youths Dependent on someone to aid going up and down stairs Confidence plummets Lack of independence Lead to defeatist attitude Curtail physical therapy Having a walker that increases mobility up and down stairs will increase a sense of independence, which will lead to an increase in confidence

Advisors & Mentors Teresa E. Plummer, OTR/L,ATP Occupational Therapist, Clinical Staffing Resource Center at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital Clinical Instructor, Belmont Occupational Therapy School Amber Yampolsky, PT, MPT Assistant Manager Rehab Services, Physical Therapy Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital Doug Burton Vender, Medical mobility

Met with advisors: Teresa Plumber, Amber Yolanpolovsky, and Doug Burton to discuss project goals, timelines, complications and feasible design solutions Researched the standard walker, its design specifications, and brainstormed possible solutions for adapting the conventional walker to be used with stairs First Idea - Assessed the Rollator model of the walker, specifically its usefulness for transversing stairs with the incorporation of the hand brake. Supporting Work and Documents: Obtained standard walker from Ed Medical Weekly Progress Reports NCIIA Proposal First design schematic Built Website IWB (Innovation Situation Questionnaire & Problem Formulation and Brainstorming)

Current Work Primary adaption to rollator design and determine feasibility Research current walker technology and manufacturers (attempting to gain warehouse access for spare parts: springs, front column inserts, ect. Two column system where the adjustable height column will be held in position related to the fixed column that runs parallel

Current Work Continued Assessing available materials & and relative costs Assess the marketability of the product & its clinical requirements Weight requirement of 300 lbs (160 lbs for pediatric walker) Design appropriate stabilizing mechanisms for walker legs Hand Wire brake (similar to bike) for locking mechanism Preliminary sketches and diagrams

Project Description

Aspects and Parts Hand Brakes Hooks & Holes System Spring System Height adjustable front legs Rubber bottoms for back legs

Future Work Adjust weight capacity of our primary model Adult walker must bear 300 lbs Pediatric walker must bear 160 lbs Find parts necessary for our design at the Medical Mobility and/or ED Medical warehouses Meeting with our advisors and mentors