Reverse Engineering Design
- 1. A Car for People in Wheelchairs
- 2. The Problem The world, over the past few years, has evolved to be much more accessible for people with disabilities. However, there is still a lot we as engineers have to work on in order to make everyday life easier and more efficient.
- 3. Difficulty of Wheelchairs People who use wheelchairs to get around have no reliable method of long range transportation.
- 4. Introduction • The purpose of this reverse engineering project is to ensure that the needs of the disabled are met when it comes to the issue of transportation. • This will be solved by designing a vehicle that is constructed to enable handicapped people to travel around more independently.
- 5. Introduction Cont. • We really wanted to stress a ‘green’ design when creating our product. So, by using electric motors, the car’s eco efficiency increases drastically. The vehicle reduces the amount of greenhouse gases emitted, reduces smog forming pollutants from about 39%- 99%, decreases the dependence on fossil fuels etc.
- 6. Introduction Cont. • The reason behind choosing this project we saw this gap in transportation methods for the disabled population which we knew we could fill in. • Our design is a product of reverse engineering as it has taken apart a normal vehicle and what would be the unnecessary components to the use of the handicapped population, and instead incorporated into the vehicle, components such as wheelchair lifts that would be more beneficial to the handicapped population.
- 7. Statistics (Bureau of transportation statistics) • the majority of people with disabilities (62 percent) leave the home five to seven days a week. • In the handicapped population, manual and powered wheelchair users make up 22 percent and 10 percent of the population respectively. • The population that has access to no or limited public transportation is 33 percent • According to the disabled population, 17 percent find transportation hard to use and another 12 percent have no one to depend on to provide them with transportation.
- 8. Background • When we where creating our design we analyzed many previous technologies and attempts on creating a vehicle for the handicapped population. • This analysis let us scope out the key features and many drawbacks of various designs so that we are able to design the best possible vehicle for our costumers.
- 9. Previous Designs • Too small • Too slow • Unsafe • Unappealing design • Not practical
- 10. Previous Designs • Add onto current car • Cost effective • Practical • Same controls • No easy entrance • Mobility issues
- 11. Background Cont. In order for our design to appeal to our target market and succeed it needs to do the three following things: • Provide the handicapped person with an easy way to enter the vehicle, such as a ramp with a low incline or a lift. • Provide a practical way for the user to operate the vehicle without the use of their legs. • The vehicle must be practical and have the ability to seat more people that just the driver.
- 12. Target Population • Our target population is the handicapped population. • Especially the ones with an inability to use their legs no legs at all.
- 13. Application Details Creating a car that is suitable for people in wheelchairs requires some key components to enable them in operating the vehicle like any other able bodied person. This includes: • Physically getting into the car • Being able to operate it without the use of legs • Making sure that it is safe and good for the environment
- 14. Getting into the vehicle As we can see in this video, the Ricon wheelchair lift takes a long time to come down and still requires the assistance of another person. We need to make this system more efficient and operable by one person.
- 15. Getting Into The Vehicle One way that we can build on the previous idea is by applying the system that is used to get grocery carts from one floor to another. The way that the system works is by securing the wheels of the shopping cart onto the track and carrying it to the next floor.
- 16. Final Solution For Entering Vehicle By putting the two systems that where just seen together, we can create an ideal system which will be much more efficient. By using hydraulics like Ricon we can bring the track( like the shopping cart track) down. after which the track will carry the person in the wheelchair into the car.
- 17. Operating The Vehicle After the person is in the car, he/she needs a safe way of operating the vehicle without the assistance of others. One way we can bring this to reality is by placing a system that allows the person to drive without the use of their legs.
- 18. Operating The Vehicle To remove the need for legs in the operation of a vehicle, we decided to equip the automobile with a steering wheel that can be easily used with a single hand, and a throttle / brake lever that will be used with the other hand.
- 19. Safety Most importantly we must make sure that the vehicle is safe. There must be an adjustable seatbelt to fit around the shape of various wheelchairs. Locks must be installed into the floor of the car so that the wheelchair can be locked into the ground securely. The design concept for these locks has to maximize security, while being simple enough to fasten easily for the disabled driver.
- 20. Sustainability and Ecological Footprint • As future engineers, it is our responsibility to take sustainability metrics into serious consideration when we're engineering our projects. • We must strive to have the smallest ecological footprint we possibly can. • To do this we will be using recycled materials such as recycled aluminum and plastics when building our vehicle. • We will also make sure our factories make use of green energy sources to minimize pollution.
- 21. Green Design The vehicle runs on electric power which will greatly reduce the emissions and help battle against pollution and global warming. In the design of the vehicle it is very important to also consider the aerodynamics. Having a high air resistance means that the car will travel through the air more efficiently, therefore making the vehicle more efficient.
- 22. Results • The key aim of this project was to design a vehicle that can be driven by the physically disabled. • First, we decided to install an electric engineer as they are 39%-99% more carbon efficient than regular engines. • The design and the materials used to build this vehicle were carefully selected so as to reduce the cost of the vehicle. Other vehicles have been priced at around $20,000 - $80,000 which is very expensive. • Unlike other vehicles designed for the disabled, our vehicle will also have the capability to accommodate for three to four passengers other than the driver. • Finally, our vehicle will be very easy to operate as the driver will only require to use his hands to navigate the car.
- 23. Future Work There are many key aspects that could be improved when it comes to our wheelchair accessible vehicle. -To improve the functionality there could be sensors that are mounted the doors and trunk of the vehicle which allow the doors to be open by a gestures of wave. -A door with a passcode or finger security system would also be ideal for accessibility
- 24. Future Work cont. Filling the vehicle’s gas tank can be a tiresome and difficult for a person in a wheelchair let alone anyone during the colder and harsher seasons. By implementing renewable and more convenient ways to power a vehicle the person will have more time to spend otherwise whiling reducing the carbon footprint on the environment.
- 25. Marketing the product -Directly Approach the source -Marketing in the disability industry -Through our social media -Word to mouth -Mainstream Marketing
- 26. Advantages of a car for wheelchair users -Handicapped person doesn’t have to rely on anyone to get around -It is a very safe; extra precautions taken One of the main points of our marketing campaign will be to stress the freedom that this vehicle will bring into their lives.
- 27. Resources To make this project a reality, we have done excessive research in the market of wheelchair accessible vehicles. There are many products that allow for a wheelchair to gain access into a vehicle through lifts that use a hydraulic system, or ramps. However, these options do not fully give people with disabilities the freedom of going where they want, when they want and in an efficient manner.
- 28. Resources Cont. Upon further research we began to look for vehicles that give control to a disabled consumer. One product that failed to do this effectively is the Kenguru EV. Continuing our research into the wheelchair-accessible market, we found another product that allows a person in a wheelchair to drive the same car as an able bodied person. However it has no way for the driver to get inside the vehicle in his wheelchair.