WHEELCHAIR HANDWARMER
About The Project
Working in collaboration with the team at the Assistive Technology Department at the Health Sciences Centre, BMED designed a device for individuals with Muscular Dystrophy (MD). MD is a group of muscle diseases that lead to weakening and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time, resulting in impaired mobility and progressive weakness. With the harsh winter temperatures, especially in Manitoba, patients may experience worsening symptoms of muscle weakness and trouble sensing when temperatures are too extreme. The BMED Team was tasked with creating a device that maintains a temperature to allow for safe use of a wheelchair in extremely cold temperatures.
The team designed a custom hand-warmer device which automatically regulates the temperature inside the warmer based on the outside temperature using temperature sensors. If the outside temperature is below the set minimum temperature the device will turn on, allowing voltage to pass through to the fan and heater. The constantly automatically fluctuating heat will prevent the client from becoming too cold or overheating.
RESNA 2019 Conference
The team attended the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology of North America's annual conference during rehab week of June 2019. The team observed a variety of technologies created by other teams to learn different kinds of perspectives of assisting people with disabilities. This includes 3D Printing and Assistive Tech integration, technologies that help improve physical fitness and locomotor abilities, and engaging rehab games to promote exercise.
