Event Title
Enhancing Mobility and Exploration in Young Children with Motor Delays
Location
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
Description
PURPOSE: Young children with severe motor, cognitive, and communication deficits are often dismissed as either too young or too physically involved to use the common power mobility options such as power wheelchair, ride-on-toys for lack of external support necessary to ensure safety and effective access to motion initiators (joystick or switch). Given that self-initiated locomotion is critical in the development of you children’s perceptual and social skills, the Play & Mobility Device affords an opportunity for them to safely explore power mobility while providing sufficient external support to optimize a child’s safety, posture and access to motion initiators. PROCEDURES: The Play & Mobility Device was designed and built following medical device design procedure, which takes customer’s requirements (sponsor’s in our case) as inputs, develops the design and then the device using engineering know-how and skills, and finally validates the performance of the device through test runs by the customer. Safety, power mobility, maneuverability and control components constitute this device. Small size and maneuverability of the device, allows its transportation and storage without any special requirement. OUTCOME: A child can drive and control the device through the joystick or switch as interface. Parent or attendant of the child can set the speed of the device and override child’s control as safe. Because of the use of FDA licensed, crush tested car seat with 5-point harness system, the child’s posture remains secured. Use of a universal arm to hold the joystick or switch ensures any child’s convenient access to these motion initiators. IMPACT: Building the Play & Mobility Device utilized the involved students’ electromechanical and biomedical design know-how. The process got them through the regulator’s manufacturing guidelines, licensing and patenting procedures. Engineering discipline enriched its footprints with the contribution of a performing device to the real field of pediatric physiotherapy.
Enhancing Mobility and Exploration in Young Children with Motor Delays
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
PURPOSE: Young children with severe motor, cognitive, and communication deficits are often dismissed as either too young or too physically involved to use the common power mobility options such as power wheelchair, ride-on-toys for lack of external support necessary to ensure safety and effective access to motion initiators (joystick or switch). Given that self-initiated locomotion is critical in the development of you children’s perceptual and social skills, the Play & Mobility Device affords an opportunity for them to safely explore power mobility while providing sufficient external support to optimize a child’s safety, posture and access to motion initiators. PROCEDURES: The Play & Mobility Device was designed and built following medical device design procedure, which takes customer’s requirements (sponsor’s in our case) as inputs, develops the design and then the device using engineering know-how and skills, and finally validates the performance of the device through test runs by the customer. Safety, power mobility, maneuverability and control components constitute this device. Small size and maneuverability of the device, allows its transportation and storage without any special requirement. OUTCOME: A child can drive and control the device through the joystick or switch as interface. Parent or attendant of the child can set the speed of the device and override child’s control as safe. Because of the use of FDA licensed, crush tested car seat with 5-point harness system, the child’s posture remains secured. Use of a universal arm to hold the joystick or switch ensures any child’s convenient access to these motion initiators. IMPACT: Building the Play & Mobility Device utilized the involved students’ electromechanical and biomedical design know-how. The process got them through the regulator’s manufacturing guidelines, licensing and patenting procedures. Engineering discipline enriched its footprints with the contribution of a performing device to the real field of pediatric physiotherapy.