Wheelchair Backpack Transfer Device
Posted on Monday, March 28th, 2022
| Client | Tetra society of North America |
| Professor(s) | Bijan Borzou, |
| Program | Mechanical Engineering Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Students | Team Leader and Mechanical Designer: Jackson Gougeon Mechanical Designer: Burke Walsh Mechanical Designer: Sebastian Menendez Electrical Designer: Alexander McKenzie Electrical Designer: Musugiramanz Moise |
Project Description:
In September of 2021, this team was fortunate enough to be paired with the Tetra Society of North America. Tetra is a not-for-profit organization that creates a space for volunteer engineers to design products and systems to aid those with disabilities. We were given the task of designing a wheelchair transportation system to allow individuals that are in powered and non-powered wheelchairs to have access to their personal belongings.
Our design consists of a 90-degree rail that is attached to the rear and right/left side of the users’ chair, depending on their preference. Attached to the rail is the backpack holder that can hold a bag that weighs up to thirty pounds. This entire system is controlled by a NEMA 23 servo motor, this motor drives a single wheel along the bottom of the rail to move the backpack holder to the side of the chair and back. The motor is controlled by two Arduinos one controlling the motor and the other attached to a joystick on one of the armrests. The second Arduino is attached to a joystick that controls the motor via a Bluetooth chip.
The market currently does not have a product such as this one, that can be fitted to any chair and that is at a reasonable price. This product is yet to be finished; this team was tasked to create the transportation system but not the mounting system. The team’s hope is that whoever continues this project will produce a mounting system that will allow it to be completely universal to make this wonderful product a reality.
Thank you to Algonquin College and Tetra Society of North America, for the constant support and guidance in the creation of such an amazing product. This group is proud to say that we have worked for such a fantastic company with such a great cause.
Short Description:
The Wheelchair Backpack Transfer Device is a universal system for any wheelchair to transfer the user's belongings from the rear of the wheelchair to the side, to ensure easy accessibility to the user's belongings.