Postural Support Device for Children in Low-Income Families

Abstract

Alison (14) and Monica (9) are two young girls, suffering from poor posture due to stages 4 and 5 of cerebral palsy. They are in need of a postural and neck support device, which helps with spinal alignment and does not cause them pain. The problem of Alison and Monica’s need for a postural support device that will help manage the side effects that occur with cerebral palsy has been defined. Their background, as well as the introduction to our project, stakeholders, and cerebral palsy have been explored. The stakeholders are listed and described, and the problem statement is defined around the three requests that the device should be adjustable, accessible, and affordable. An updated stakeholders engagement section has been added to represent communication through our design process. Available devices on the market were assessed and supported by our benchmarking for the design and concept exploration phase. The three requests were analyzed and used to produce the requirements and specifications of the device with the justification and evidence for each specification. The morphological chart separated each function of the device into subsystems, which specified the scope of our concept generation. Ideation techniques were utilized over multiple brainstorming sessions in order to ensure a large variety of ideas. The concept development phase of design focused heavily on 5 separate designs, which were evaluated using a pugh chart. Kate’s overall design was selected as the leading concept, but we are still focusing on the finer details of certain subsystems (i.e. knee separation). Having developed a CAD model through DR3, specific design choices have been solidified for each subsystem. Engineering analysis consisting of force and moment analysis is detailed to justify the beginnings of project verification, and future plans for both verification and validation are outlined as well. The next steps for the project, as well as the project plan for how the team will proceed with solution development, are outlined. After finalizing the details of each subsystem, our team completed the CAD and manufactured a prototype. The overall project plan, status, and challenges are provided, where both past and future challenges have been defined. The biggest challenges upcoming are finalizing material selection, as well as creating a physical product while following COVID restrictions. Lastly, the feedback from the Design Review presentation is discussed, mainly leading us to focus more on the aesthetics of the device to make it look more child-friendly moving forward. Overall, the team is confident in its ability and current route to generate an effective solution to Alison and Monica’s postural support problem.