Ancer Wheelchair by Ran Zhou |
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| DESIGN NAME: Ancer PRIMARY FUNCTION: Wheelchair INSPIRATION: The story of Ancer begins with my grandma, a wheelchair user. When she sits in the same position on the wheelchair for an extended period of time, she requires help from someone to change her posture every once in a while. Failure to do so would cause pressure ulcers, especially in the hip area. However it is a huge burden on my family, physically and mentally. It led me to start thinking about designing a wheelchair with focus on reducing bedsores so that disabled people with weaker limbs are able to change their body posture by themselves easily and prevent bedsores. UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Ancer is a dynamic,bedsore preventing wheelchair. By helping disabled people shift their body, it will help relief the pain in their hips from sitting in the same position for too long. Through sensors and reminders, as well as built in airbags, bedsores can be prevented as well as an improvement in user's experience. Ancer offers high quality solutions for extended use of wheelchair and is one of the few products that uses dynamic seat cushions with focus on disabled people with more complex demands. OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: When the wheelchair user starts to slide downwards or if they have been sitting in the same position for more than 1.5 hours, the cushion will vibrate to remind the user that their hip is at risk of bedsores. Then the user can select the mode. Should the user in a downwards position, they should press the up button. The armrests will turn backwards and airbags underneath hip will tilt backwards, helping them sit properly. When the user wants the hip to relax, the down button will cause the cushion to inflate, the armrests to turn forward, creating a slope which helps disperse the pressure on the hip. PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: started in April 2019 in China and finished in August 2019 in Germanz |
PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Ancer's reminder system consists of two sensors and a timer. All devices are integrated into the seat cushion. The sensors are able to detect the temperature and position of the hip. Paired together with timer, it is able to analyse the current condition. As soon as any potential risk of hip damage is detected, the motor in the cushion will start to vibrate. Users then select different modes with the electronic switch according to their needs, and the electronic airbag in the cushion will change its shape accordingly. A motor embedded in the center of the rear wheel propels the armrest rotation. SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: wheelchair:Width 660 mm x Depth850 mm x Height1200 mm Front Wheel Diameter:220 mm Rear Wheel Diameter:300 mm Armrest rotation angle Seat Cushions:Width 460 mm x Depth430 mm Battery:Lithium-Ion (25.2V 10Ah) Charging Time: 5 Hours Handles Rotation Angle:-10 to 15 degrees TAGS: bedsore preventing, wheelchair, Elderly disabled people, dynamic seat cushions, airbag, Armrest rotation RESEARCH ABSTRACT: The ultimate question whilst searching for a bedsore preventing solution is: How to prevent? The first step of the research is to understand. By reading academic papers regarding the causes and conditions from bedsores, I was able to understand the situation better. The next step is observation. I interviewed disabled person and also restricted myself to a wheelchair to gain firsthand experience on using a wheelchair. Based on the observations and results collected, I came up the design principles of the bedsore preventing wheelchair, which is: mobility, safety, ease and reminding. CHALLENGE: The challenge during research was that the disabled disliked being treated as research respondents for bedsores. To overcome this problem, I sat in a wheelchair and acted as if I was a wheelchair patient and talked to them about bedsores. Through that I was able to glean useful information for the design of the wheelchair. The challenge during development was safety. Due to weaker limbs, the chances of them falling due to the design would be increased.The solution was to adjust the angle, height and speed of the cushion movements so that it is safe. A safety belt is added too. ADDED DATE: 2020-02-07 14:02:50 TEAM MEMBERS (1) : IMAGE CREDITS: Ran Zhou, 2019. |
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NAME: Northeastern University PROFILE: Northeastern University is apublic universityinShenyang,Liaoning provincewith strengths in engineering and architecture. With a total enrollment of over 20,000 students, Northeastern has received significant government funding through the211 Projectand985 Project, initiatives which sought to elevate the research standards of rising Chinese universities. In 2017, Northeastern was selected by theChinese Ministry of Educationas a Class B institution in theDouble First Class University Plan, a major government initiative to comprehensively develop a group of elite universities into "world-class institutions" by 2050. This design was completed under the guidance of Associate Professor Lv Chunmei of Northeastern University. |
| AWARD DETAILS | |
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Ancer Wheelchair by Ran Zhou is Winner in Differently Abled and Seniors' Assistance Design Category, 2019 - 2020.· Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Ran Zhou. · Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Ran Zhou. |
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