The inspiration for this project was an 18 year old girl named Sara. She has Cerebral palsy, a disability that affects the subject's control of their own muscles, and can make it very difficult to hold things. We met with her a couple times over a two week period and she expressed a very strong passion for drawing. Sara's first way of drawing involved her using her left foot to draw, but she wanted to learn how to draw with her left hand as well. We proposed a couple designs to her which were made to help her change the color of her marker without assistance.

The one which we decided on was built off of the principle of the multicolor pen. It works in almost the same way except that instead of pens, there are markers. All four colors are held in a central compartment and connected to servos with wire. The servos are connected to an Arduino which is then connected to a set of pedals. The two pedals cycle through 5 servo positions(1 per color and an off setting) and are easily accessible by anybody. The main part fits in someones hand and can be strapped in if necessary. This devise makes it easy for her to draw with multiple colors, and switch the colors easily and efficiently.

Nick's Brief: The Drum Garden: a device that brings a drum set to a wheelchair without having to carry around big and heavy equipment. The Drum Garden was designed for Sara, who is a teenage student at the Cotting School and she has cerebral palsy. This device is designed to help her be able to drum without getting out of her wheelchair. She has difficulty with holding onto things and sometimes with controlling her muscles. She can use her left foot really well; in fact, she writes and makes paintings with her foot. She has the same a good sense of humor and social awareness, as any teenager and she has a lot of energy. When asked her if she was interested in anything musical. She said, “Drumming”. The Drum Garden is not a regular drum set. It attaches not only to Sara’s wheelchair, but also to other drums . A wire is connected to Sara’s wrist by a conductive fabric wristband which all connect to a computer. The computer provides the sound by a through makey makey software. Using PVC pipes, connected to a drum frame and a clamp for other drums, the makey makey wires go along the pipes while being connected to conductive fabric which comes back to the circuit . Sara controls what sound and rhythm is through the pads and pedals. The drums can help not only Sara, but anyone who wants to drum but has trouble with their muscles or is in a wheelchair that can't drum on a real kit. The hope is to highlight the way music enriches people’s lives and that it is something anyone can engage in, This reminds people that music is everywhere and anyone can play music. It shows how important music is and it is possible to give that to anyone, no matter what physical difficulties one has. 

Nico is a 15-year-old student that goes and works at the Cotting School, a school for people with disabilities. When interviewing Nico Nico voiced that he finds it hard to dribble and push his chair so this device was made to help him with that. The device uses a square metal rod and laser cut circle with a square hole to look the wheels together so that they turn in sync. This mechanism will allow Nico to dribble with one hand while pushing his chair with the other. Without this device, Nico would move in circles because only one wheel could turn at a time. To activate the device Nico will push the dowels into the spokes. To deactivate it so he can turn all he has to do is pull out the device far enough that the dowels aren't touching the spokes so the wheel can move freely. This device is also made to let anyone who wants to play in their own chair do so with ease instead of buying a whole new chair.

Today, we refined our project more specifically to incorporate a wider range of movement that Sarah deals with. This includes two cymbals to the top, and another to her left side. We also had to begin to consider the mechanics of our project, and how to expand the idea of it beyond just a drum kit. We are pursuing two softwares to simulate a drum kit, and began the process of learning how to incorporate them into our project. I'm excited to use revolutionary/commercialized drum software to make this all work. I'm also very excited to introduce our idea to Sarah and see how she reacts to it. We are unknown to the dimensions of her chair, and want to learn those.

Daria's Brief: 

As a student at the Cotting School, a school for people with disabilities, E.B. uses a wheelchair and is an active participant in Waypoint Adventures, which offers hikes, rock climbing, and other adventures for people with disabilities. Participants have to borrow all-terrain wheelchairs, and E.B. has found them to be uncomfortable and tiring to self-propel. Freedom Skis take a wheelchair already custom-fitted to the user and adapt it so that it can be pushed over the varied, snowy terrain by an able-bodied person. This allows the user to experience the joy of skiing instead of focusing on propelling themselves through the snow. E.B. has never been hiking in the snow, partly because Waypoint's existing wheelchairs for skiing in the snow are uncomfortable for her, an issue that Freedom Skis solve.  Existing ski chairs are also expensive for families who do not have access to a program like Waypoint.

Freedom Skis improve on current options in several ways. Designed to be affordable for everyone and to allow more families to experience the joy of winter and skiing together, Freedom Skis were made mostly of PVC, 3D-printed connectors, and used skis, keeping the cost under $100, whereas the current ski wheelchairs on the market cost in the thousands. Freedom Skis also improve on current options by incorporating a system of springs that helps absorb shock for a smoother ride and allow the skis the necessary vertical freedom to navigate uneven trails, but not so much that the skis get caught in holes and come out from under the chair.  Lastly, all of the current ski wheelchairs force the user to move from their usually custom-fitted chair into a different chair not designed with comfort in mind. Freedom Skis keep down costs and the user comfortable by using the user's own wheelchair.  They also help normalize having a disability by allowing people who use wheelchairs ski, a popular and fun winter sport.

Ronan's Brief:

People with disabilities often face unnecessary limitations in their activities, due to a lack of innovative, affordable design to meet their needs. EB is a client who loves the outdoors and exploration but is in the the wheelchair. She has expressed that on these hikes her legs become sore and stiff because it is not her personal chair. These chairs are often not durable, efficient,comfortable, or affordable. Freedom Skis takes EB’s original chair and transforms it into a snow terrain chair. This adaptation allows EB to stay comfortable while allowing her to explore.

The basic design of the project uses PVC piping, skies, springs, and two to three pieces of three-dimensional modeling. There are two bigger skies that are on the back which [remove words wherever you can without sacrificing meaning] give support and stability and two front skis that help with steering. Each individual ski has its own suspension system, which allows helps with rough terrain and limits rotation of the skis. The four skis are screwed in with bolts that would normally be used for the wheels. The goal of the design is to provide the easiest way to put on the skis while still having efficiency, stability, and durability.