ATDF Project (A resolution to Bedsores)

Team Members Anthony Spencer Senior at BMHS Antonia Gruning Senior at TMHS Ali Welch Junior at CHS

Requirements/Constraints Safety (Must have NO sharp edges) Construction time (3 months) Battery that can be rechargeable and long lasting (approx 12 hours). Cost (only have $150) Durability and Efficiency. Clean-looking and presentable Must be easy to control Size Weight Must keep the spine strait at all times

Client Our client’s name is Mrs. Gibbs. Mrs. Gibbs awhile back went into a surgery to get her stomach stapled. When she came out, she was paralyzed from the waist down. The main problem Mrs. Gibbs faces and has faced is bedsores. Statement of Need: Our client needs her wheelchair to prevent bedsores instead of causing them.

On the Market The closest product to preventing pressure sores caused by wheelchairs are the type of products made for massage chairs. None specifically for curing pressure sores. None have been made readily for the wheelchair, and it is hard to find one that can fit. Many do not have batteries, thus eliminating the movement done by a wheelchair. Another product that could be used, is a gel pad seat made for wheelchairs.

The Magnetic Ball Plan The idea behind this design is to increase blood circulation in our client's butt as she is sitting in her wheelchair. There would be metal balls under the gel pad, with electromagnetic walls on either side. We are going to shift the North and South poles, causing the metal balls to move back and forth underneath the gel pad. This will then stimulate blood circulation, and stop the blood veins from being blocked up.

Magnetic Ball Plan (cont.)

Popcorn Machine Another method was based off the idea of a popcorn machine. The purpose of this method, was to alleviate different pressure points, in a random order. The randomness would eliminate the problem of consistent pressure.

Popcorn Machine (cont.) Two magnetic fields would be used, one on top and one on the bottom of the device. Metal balls would be pulled to opposing fields at random. Thus, creating a popcorn like effect.

Gel Pad This design would essentially be a massage pad for a chair covered by a gel pad layer to relieve pressure. It would be attached to the seat and back of the chair with straps that clasp under the seat and behind the back of the chair. The battery would need to hang off of one of the sides of the seat or to be somehow attached to the bottom of the chair.

Pros and Cons PROS Gel Pad creates comfort, and spine secure placement Popcorn machine creates random pressure relief Magnetic balls increase blood flow and circulation CONS Gel Pad’s thickness, as well as already on the market Popcorn machine requires a high voltage Magnetic Balls is extremely costly as well as a high power necessity for magnetic field to function

Final Design An electro-mechanical actuator is the least expensive linear actuator that can be controlled be electronics. We will redesign a premade massage pad for a chair to use less drastic motion in order to shift the spine best.

Parts List - 12 Volt Battery - Gel Pad (bike) - Massage Seat - Resistors - Transformers - Relays - Touch Sensors - Remote - Wheelchair! 3D Design Coming Soon!