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All-Terrain Wheelchair Challenge
Design Brief:
Your cousin José uses a wheelchair to get around. He’s a fun guy but you don’t always invite him to go places with you because you know his wheelchair will get stuck in the mud, be thrown off course by a gravel, or have to be pushed up hills. So why don’t you and your design team build him an all-terrain wheelchair? You’ll both have a lot more fun when José gets to go hiking with you and your friends. And, José thinks that you can probably sell this design and make enough money to take him on vacation to Puerto Peñasco. One thing that will really make it sell is if it solves some indoor frustrations. For example, José would really like to be able to reach the top shelf of the cupboard where his sister keeps all of the best snacks.
Design Features:
These are the things José thinks will make a marketable design. If it’s not marketable, you can forget the beach vacation. That wheelchair must:
- Move forward, backward, and turn right and left
- Be controlled by the person sitting in it
- Go around obstacles
- Go up and down hills with a very large man sitting in it (exact is unknown José’s a little sensitive about his weight and keeps it a secret)
- Travel over various kinds of terrain (gravel, sand, mud)
- Never get stuck against the wall
- Help the user reach a shelf that is 7 feet from the floor
Getting Started on Design:
Go to the Conexiones Web site. Look at what other people have created. Soon you’ll get a sense of the great potential of Lego Robotics. But other people’s ideas aren’t going to match all of José’s requirements. So this is only a place to start.
http://conexiones.asu.edu/curriculum/roboticideas.html
Think About the Client:
José knows that boring products don’t sell. He’ll probably tease you if your wheelchair design looks just like all every other wheelchair—that would be too boring!
Brainstorming:
Look carefully at those design features (above) and start asking yourself some questions. For example, What kinds of wheelchairs are currently available to handicapped people?
What’s the difference between a power wheelchair and a manual wheelchair? Make a list of questions and use the Internet to search for answers. But don’t get lost while you’re surfing the Web. Start with key words that relate to your questions. For example "average man size and weight." Search the Web until all your questions are answered.
While you’re doing your Web searches, think ahead to the presentation you will give.
Sell the Idea:
Selling the idea is part of the design challenge. José is your cousin, he’ll give you hard time whether your design is good or bad. BUT if it’s going to be built (and you know there’s no beach vacation unless it does), then you’re going to have to make your ideas clear to a lot of people.
You’ll create a project Web site to get your ideas across. These are the things you must include on your project Web site:
- Describe the design challenge
- Describe your research (the questions you came up with while brainstorming a and the answers you found on the Internet
- Describe how the mechanics of José’s wheelchair satisfy those design challenges
- Include plenty of details about those mechanics. Remember, if other people can’t understand it, then José’s still stuck at home.
- What are the mechanics involved in going over different terrains?
- What are the features of a standard wheelchair?
- What are the mechanics involved in making the wheelchair turn?
Be sure to include some interesting stories about physical disabilites?
How much people in the United States rely on a wheelchair for mobility?
Who designed the first wheelchair?
In what ways are the mechanics of that wheelchair different than the one you made?
What challenges did you come across while designing and programming the all-terrain wheelchair?
What research information helped you design and build the all-terrain wheelchair?
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