We were all very excited to present for TCNJ’s Celebration of Student Achievement and present our results to the BME faculty. There was a lot of growth over the semester and it was a learning process for all of us. While there is always more refining to do, the results were quite good over the year, and it was a fun journey.
Circuit design is being started, and is going quite well. We are starting first with the linear actuator and load cell, because these will be the most challenging for us. As well, we are now ordering larger parts and starting the manufacturing process. Unfortunately we will not be going to NEBEC, though we are excited to be presenting at COSA.
Hey everyone, we are finalizing our design and starting to work on verification and validation of our design inputs. We are also now continuing to order the remaining project parts and adjusting our budget accordingly. Things are starting to come together as we finished a NEBEC abstract and hope to present at the coming conference.
Hi everyone! In the past week, our group presented the interim designs before the Biomedical Engineering faculty. In the presentation, our group went over the requirements of the device, three different design sketches, and decision matrices regarding the frame design, power source methods, and the remote control for the device. The designs presented, which can be found in the initial design page, consist of two different frame ideas. In the first design, the device is rectangular in shape with a folding seat that would be able to fit within the standard wheelchair seat width and slide under and also out from under the patient. The biggest criticism from the faculty about this design was that it appeared to be unbalanced. For the second and third designs, the base of the device consists of an “H” shaped frame with a pole of sorts that sticks up from its center. On both designs, the patient will be lifted using a sling, but the attachment style for each design is different. Within the decision matrices, it was decided that the H frame style was the better choice. It was also decided that the power source would consist of a wall plug and a battery. For the remote control for the device, it was decided that a wireless remote would be more beneficial than a wired one.
For the next step in the design process, our group is making improvements to the interim design presentation for the presentation before the Mechanical Engineering faculty. Our group is also planning on meeting with Dr. Lebo of the nursing department this coming Wednesday, November 9th, 2023, to discuss the possibility of utilizing their dummies to test our device in the future as well as the possibility of receiving feedback from the nursing staff.
The group is also currently looking into potential options for the lifting mechanism as well as ways the lifting can be accomplished without use of an electrical power source in the event of power source failure. In addition, the stress/strain analysis for the structure is currently being done in ANSYS.
We hope to keep the updates coming as we make our decisions regarding what has been mentioned above, sensors, microcontrollers, sling designs, and wheels.
Lindsay
Hi all! As we begin to make our way through the design process, the group would like to provide you with several important updates within the project designing phase. This includes the development of a preliminary and finalized budget on the necessary materials for this bed lift. Among them notably are the lifting and turning motors necessary to facilitate movement, the weight and position sensors for the perception of safe movement, and structural parts such as the aluminum tubing and aluminum sheets for the lift framework. In addition to circuitry components, these will provide a solid basis for a mechanism providing lift and rotation, and sensing a large degree of stability. Warning lights and audio alerts are also under consideration, in order to warn the user when the lift is lacking in stability.
To continue, the group re-evaluated its requirements to best fit the needs of the project. It is mandatory for the bed lift device to maintain stability while performing the necessary functions. Some key components include the sensors to aid in safe movement, the device providing a safe amount of leakage current, and the device warning the user and ceasing operation if the attachments are not securely fastened. These revisions as well as the addition of specification standards regarding general guidelines for safety provide a better scope on the experiment, as well as any limitations on the device.
The group also needed to ensure we considered any realistic constraints on the project. These include the limitations of our allotted budget, the electrical constraints of use among a variety of households, providing power efficiency using a limited amount of electricity, be easily repairable as well as have a manual backup for assistance when power is not available.
The group also considered several possible design frames for future construction, with a majority of the models containing a tall lightweight structure with a curvature at the top area of the lift, similar to that of a Hoyer or GRAVIS lift. Other models considered for possible design features include the sit-to-stand lift, as well as other motorized variations of currently available bed lifts. At present, the group is currently working on finalizing our designs as well as their necessary components for the upcoming interim design review presentation on November 1st, 2023. We hope to provide further updates on our progress once the designs are finalized.
Sera
Hello everyone! My team and I would like to welcome you to join us on our exciting journey to revolutionize the industry of bed lifts. At SmartRise, we believe that bed lift technology should be made accessible and affordable to those living at home. Together, we’re setting out to make our vision a reality.
Within the scope of our project, we hope to further fulfill our mission to redesign the bed lift experience for patients suffering from limitations in motion. With this, we intend for our studies to be sufficient in further development of at-home bed lift technology.
Sera