wall-c

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Design and Engineering’s project report. Autumn 2013

CONTEXT

Of study

Design & Engineering Master’s programme is a joint programme by Tallinn University

of Technology and Estonian Academy of Arts to combine students from various

backgrounds to develop the framework for a strong interdisciplinary collaboration.

Besides gaining multi-disciplinary experience the students are gaining a firm

understanding of contemporary entrepreneurial process and practice with industrial

partners. The programme provides engineers and designers to combine in the design

process, managers to lead creative development teams integrating design and

technology, entrepreneurs to notice possibilities on the market for users.

Of the project

Design & Engineering 2013/2014 is focused on field of Medicine, investigating the

issues in healthcare design, including the needs of doctors, nurses, caretakers and of

course the patients. Creating better solutions for rehabilitation and treatment for

patients at hospitals as well as home care is the main aspect. To create a better

healthcare environment, students investigate and tried to improve several projects in

product development and service design.

Students investigate working flow at the departments of Põhja-Eesti Regionaalhaigla

to identify hospital life, systems and services. The aim of the research is to improve

medical care at the hospital with emphasis on safety and dignity. The project groups

conducted several visits to the hospital, interviewed by hospital staff and investigate

the hospital itself, also create interaction with several companies which could provide

assistance in their design process.

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Team ……………………………………………………………………………………………………......3

Tutors ……………………………………………………………………………………………...……….3

Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………….....4

User research …………………………….………………………………………………………….....5

Hands on research …………………………………………………………………………………...6

Existing Designs ..…….…………………………………………………………………………….....7

Wheelchair & Components ………………………………………………………….……….....8

Basic dimensions for wheelchair .…………………………………………….….………....10

Wheelchair Problems ..………………………………………………………………………......11

Characteristics to fulfill ..………………………………………………….……..………………13

Generating Sketches & Concept Ideas ……………………………………….………....14

Concept Selection ………………………………………………………………………………….17

Work in Progress ............................................................................................................19

Creating Process .............................................................................................................20

Prototyping …………………………………………………………………………………….……...21

Rendering ..........................................................................................................................23

Conclusion & Further Development….....................................................................24

Technical Data & Sheets ............................................................................................25

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People Involved

The Team

The lecturers and consultants

Ruth-Helene Melioranski, Lecturer, Tallinn University of Technology

Janno Siimar, Creative Director & Service Designer

Henrik Herranen, Researcher, Tallinn University of Technology

Janno Nõu, Designer

Sema Aksu

Architect

Turkey

Guillaume Speurt

Mechanical Engineer

France

Kristjan Jagomann

Mechanical Engineer

Estonia

Ender Özgün

Mechanical Engineer

Turkey

Professor Martin Pärn, MA,

Estonian Academy of Arts

Head of Design in D&E

Martin Pärn, MA, Estonian

Academy of Arts


Martin Pärn, MA, Estonian

Academy of Arts


https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1167585696

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INTRODUCTION

Our content and the topic of the semester project consist of designing a product for

transporting the patients who are staying in the hospital from one place to another,

by the hospital staff.

Based on the aim; we conducted several visits to Põhja Eesti Regionaalhaigla

(Estonia´s Biggest Hospital) to observe the current situation about the patients,

doctors, nurses, caretakers and hospital itself.

From the visits and observations our group and head of the department; Prof.. Martin

Pärn agreed on usage of the wheelchairs would be a great pick to dig in and improve.

Therefore, our further interest is to be focused on wheelchairs and navigating them.

Initially we tried to analyse the object from every perspective possible, such as

hygiene, storage, usage from the patient and pusher perspective, protection and etc.

After the discussion and using design selection tools we came to the conclusion of an

interest in the practical storage of a wheelchair. On the further pages you will find

deeper content about the process.

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USER RESEARCH

As mentioned in the introduction, the whole designing process began with the

observation of the environment and its users that are composed by the hospital staff,

the patients and the visitors.

After attending a general introduction of the hospital life at Põhja-Eesti

Regionaalhaigla; we were allowed to move into the buildings, to observe and to take

notes. There we realized several issues from interviews with the caretakers and

patients about the wheelchair and the usage of it.

General outcomes of the interviews and observations were:

1. Wheelchairs are generally being used by caretakers

2. Patients learn quickly to use the wheelchair by themselves

3. Elderly patients show to have more drawbacks with using and navigation

4. As a design, some parts are harder to use, some are relatively easy

5. Storage of the wheelchairs is an issue to think more; even there were lost

wheelchairs no one knows where they were.

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HANDS ON RESEARCH

Doing observations and interviews are crucial to start the research phase. Yet it is not

fully enough to understand the user experience. Hence we also paid a visit to Astangu

Disability Information and Resource Centre to examine the different types of

wheelchairs and had a chance to use them against the various road obstacles.

Interviewed with physical therapist in the centre to comprehend the behaviour and

needs of a typical wheelchair user. Additional equipment invested to understand their

daily requirements. This opportunity provides us to get to know the various

ergonomics, designs and materials of wheelchairs according to different needs.

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EXISTING DESIGNS

Researching also means to investigate and examine existing wheelchair and transport

chair designs. It is crucial to present the most notable ones to compare our ideas and

concepts.

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WHEELCHAIR & COMPONENTS

A wheelchair is a transportation system made up from many parts. Its complexity may

differ from one to another according to the option and degree of freedom it give as

well as the comfort and easy-to-use provided to the user.

Footrests

Support your feet and lower legs. They can be fixed, folding or swing-away and come

in many different styles.

Armrests

These are places to rest your arms when you’re not moving. They can be wraparound,

full-length or desk-length; fixed or height-adjustable; removable or flip-back. Fit is

important because armrest position can alter the way you propel your wheelchair.

Many individuals choose not to have armrests because they don’t like the way they

look or they get in the way of propulsion.

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Wheel locks

They act as parking brakes to stabilize your wheelchair when you transfer to other

seats or want to remain in a particular spot. They may be push-to-lock or pull-to-lock,

positioned low or high on the wheelchair, and retractable or not, depending on what

the user finds easier. Wheel locks can get in the way during propulsion and add

weight to the wheelchair. For this reason many individuals choose not to have wheel

locks, relying on their hands to keep their chair still. Not having wheel locks can

increase the risk of the chair moving during a transfer, however, which you should

consider when making this decision.

Tires

Tires are most commonly air-filled (pneumatic) and therefore lightweight. They also

require maintenance and can puncture. If you maintain them, this is usually the best

choice. Pneumatic tires may instead be filled with solid foam inserts; these won’t

puncture but are slightly heavier and don’t perform as well. Solid tires are low-cost

and no-maintenance, but make for an uncomfortable ride and are not usually

recommended.

Backrest

Sling backrests are the most common, but provide little postural support. Adjustable

tension backrests can provide more support and can be adjusted over time. Rigid

backrests provide the best support, but may make it more difficult to collapse the

chair. The weight and height of the backrest are important. In general, the lighter the

better, with carbon fibre backrests are a nice option. If support is not needed, a lower

backrest is better as it does not get in the way of pushing

Cushions

Come in a huge and ever-changing array of different types and materials and

comprise a major topic unto itself. While pressure relief is an important consideration

when selecting a cushion, you should also keep in mind that you want a firm base

and a lightweight cushion. A firm base refers to feeling stable, not sliding on the

cushion when reaching for an object or propelling your chair.

Push-rims

There are a variety of push-rims with different friction coatings and shapes that may

assist with propulsion and reduce the risk of injury to the hand.

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BASIC DIMENSIONS FOR WHEELCHAIR

To start designing we have to find a standard dimension suggest by some website

and organization of disabled people. These values should guarantee proper size and

comfort for most of the people, patient.

The current regular wheelchair and its components are evolving around similar

dimensions. And the reachability area of the user and its dimensions were crucial to

examine and fully understand the interaction of the movement with the environment

or the structure of the hospital.

Patients must be navigated easily in the hospital meaning; they have to reach the

wheelchair from bed or the opposite situation, they must be prevented to hit their

arms and legs to corridors, it has to have dimensions for wide range of heighted and

weighted people since they cannot be individual based designs due to hospital and

their huge range of patients.

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THE WHEELCHAIR PROBLEMS

We made our selection of the simplest wheelchair, which is the most common and

spread around the world, holds on to 1933, Herbert A. Everest and HC Jennings

invention and of course that is widely being used in hospitals. We named out the

features that we consider problematic for both patients and nurses so our solution

will provide a real plus-value.

Main Problems:

1. Large wheel that can hit the nurses legs

2. General dimension of the wheelchair unfolded and space they consume

3. Time and process to fold the wheelchair is long and unnecessary complicated

Things to modify for the patient

1. General comfort

2. Wheelchair is way lower than the bed

3. Feet are exposed to obstacles

4. No space of additional equipment or personal objects

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The Storage Problem

The Navigation Problem

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CHARACTERISTICS TO FULFILL

Observing the wheelchair use in hospital environment where it can be an obstacle

itself in the corridors or in rooms and experiencing it by ourselves creates the list that

we can improve about it.

Care taker 1. Easy to push

2. No obstacle to the legs

3. Cleaning

Patient 1. Easy to sit in, and to leave it (from bed, standing)

2. Provide protection to the patient (safety issues)

Environment 1. Hospital: calm, logically planed, relatively quiet, secure

2. Flat floor: no big obstacle, mostly easy rolling surface, no slop

3. Open and closed door: Door came in front of the wheelchair, can be

dangerous

4. Hygienic issues: By definition a hospital is a place to get healthy and not to

develop new diseases. Germs have to be fought, the chair must be clean

Use 1. Cleaning, easy for maintenance, anti-bacterial

2. Can be under the shower, water-proof materials

3. Easy maintenance, clean parts

4. Can be stored, easy to fold in the hospital rush during dealing with the patient

5. Absence of bag or hanging equipment; uncomfortable for patients, caretakers

6. Marked code; unable to identify the departments which own the wheelchair.

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GENERATING SKETCHES & CONCEPT IDEAS

After the certain goals had been set, we have moved to generating new ideas

according to the needs we set or being futuristic and thinking outside of the box.

CONCEPT 1

Concept 1 has been generated for solving the patience reach on wheelchair by

adjusting the seat height by pulling the handles which enables sliding mechanism.

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CONCEPT 2

Concept 2 is relatively easier approach to store the wheelchairs as supermarket

trolleys. Solving storage problem by pushing them into each other is the key feature.

The correct angularity of the seats and profiles allow them to store by stacking them.

CONCEPT 3

Concept 3 is the first approach towards storage. It is side folded chair by the help of

bearings and shafts.

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CONCEPT 4

Concept 3 has been generated due to messy environment of the hospital corridors

caused of the storing wheelchairs randomly or carefully.

The design has the hanger concept where you can hang the wheelchair on it and

have more space for the patients and doctors and the other equipment on the

corridor.

CONCEPT SELECTION

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Since our team generated different ideas and concepts, it is crucial to follow one of

them and work on it. So the most logical solution was to rank them according to

certain criteria such as simplicity, material selection, user intervention, fold-ability and

mainly the problem that they solve.

Also about this design process, we evaluate the selection based on real time

interviews and observations. Based on the several interviews with the caretakers and

nurses whom deal the wheelchair highlighted as mentioned below;

Patience is quite intelligent to use it.

They don’t have major problems with the wheelchair.

Complaining about the obstacles, it occurred in the corridor

WALL-C & THE SOLVED PROBLEM

Wall-C is the compact wheelchair which is designed to fold in easiest way and store

by hanging it on the wall at hospitals efficiently. While storing will be more practical

and comfortable, navigate in the corridors with bed in hospital is also will stop being

a problem. After choosing the main concept, we moved on a detailed 3D designing

for the SOLIDWORKS environment to understand the mechanism fully and optimize

it. The design has changed a couple of times to require the optimum needs according

to the users need, comfort and technical requirements.

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FOLDING

LOCKING

On this project the handle get a more important role than on regular wheelchair. In

addition of moving it is now meant to fold and lock the system on the wall.

As seen previously the chair is folded when it has hit a wall and the user keep pushing

it toward it. Here the locking idea was to use handle to guarantee the fixation on the

wall.

On the wall is a rode on which the handle is mounting. To lock the folded wheelchair

it is just necessary to turn the handle to the top.

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WORK IN PROGRESS

THE START

To understand if the mechanism works or not, the easiest way is to start to build the

cardboard prototype which gives you the idea, feeling and the freedom to

manipulate the ideas to improve them.

From the cardboard we saw that our idea will work and it is really comfortable to fold

the wheelchair and with the right material selection it is easy to lift it and hang it.

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CREATING PROCESS

To create a concept, firstly we have to determine which type of elements going to be

used and how they will behave through our conceptual idea. Therefore, testing in

real-scale is important and we started to build a wood structure for Wall-C project

where we studied in Mektory which belongs to our university. This was the first

prototype attempt for our concept. The idea of gaining more space for the patients’

usage not the wheelchairs is seen in real scale.

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PROTOTYPING

From the first prototyping experience we understood that our structure will work. So

it was the time to move on more rigid structure. The second and final prototyping is

again conducted in Mektory, with aluminium profiles and tubes. We used driller,

grinder, rivet gun, and several different technics to build our product.

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RENDERING

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CONCLUSION & FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

As a conclusion, we can clearly say that idea itself covered the solutions that we

wanted to apply according to the problems we set during the research phase. You

can see on the images presented how much space had been saved and with the

different handle positions we can store many more wheelchairs than usual. As a

further development we have to work on a prototype and improve it mainly on

footrest part and the strength and deciding all parts material. Strength tests and real

user test will be conducted after reaching the optimal prototype.

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TECHNICAL DATA & SHEETS

440 400

B

B

3

1

2

33

1

2

140°

4x 11

THRU ALL

510,09

0

310

520

0

423

548

341

483

0

20

40

871

,29

SECTION B-B

2Welding Seams

Class:C

Drawing: POS. NR.: QTY.: DESCRIPTION: LENGTH,

mm: ANGLE 1: ANGLE 2:1 2 Square tube 40x20x2 520 0.00 20.002 2 Square tube 40x20x2 548 20.00 40.003 3 Square tube 60x40x2 400 0.00 0.00

Project

Tolerance:

Drawn:

Date:

Sheet:

1/1 A4

1:5

Format:

Scale:Weight (kg):

Wall-Chair, D&E 2013 spring

12.01.2014

Material:

Drawing number:

G. SpeurtKristjan Jagomann

Supervisior:

Front wheel supportTitle:

ISO 2768Aluminium alloy

01.01.001

2.43

40 3x10

THRU ALL

135°

45°

486,21

401

,28

0

10

317

0

20

40

0 26,50

226,50

0 20

40

0

39,

50

141

,50

3

1

2

Note:* Other piece is symmetrical

Welding SeamsClass:

C


mm: ANGLE 1: ANGLE 2:1 1 Square tube 40x20x2 141.5 45.00 22.502 1 Square tube 40x20x2 317 0.00 0.003 1 Square tube 40x20x2 226.5 22.50 0.00

0.37

01.01.002

Aluminium alloy ISO 2768

Title:

Back wheel supportSupervisor:

Kristjan JagomannG. Speurt

Drawing number:

Materjal:

12.01.14


Weight (kg): Scale:

Format:

1:5

A41/1

Sheet:

Date:

Drawn:

Tolerance:

Project:

10

THRU A

LL

303 8

20

15

R33

0

20

22

325

428

0 14 30 40

81

150

R33 119

263

2

1

Note:*Internal bending radius 11mm* Other piece is symmetrical

2


mm: ANGLE 1: ANGLE 2:1 1 Round tube 22x2 431.12 0.00 0.002 1 Square tube 40x20x2 428 0.00 0.00

ITEM NO. QTY. DESCRIPTION LENGTH1 1 Ümartoru 22x2 431.122 1 Nelikanttoru 40x20x2 428

Welding SeamsClass:

C

Project

Tolerance:

Drawn:

Date:

Sheet:

1/1 A4

1:3

Format:

Scale:Weight (kg):


12.01.14

Material:

Drawing number:

G. SpeurtKristjan Jagomann

Supervisior:

Seat handleTitle:

ISO 2768Aluminium alloy

01.01.003

0.37

wall-c

Documents

design process

healthcare design

project design engineering

hospital staff

hospital life

caretakers patients

design selection tools

engineerings project