Mechanically assisting transfer chair
“The aim is to provide a way of moving patients that is safe, easy and simple to use and that helps ambulance crews avoid the risk of injuring themselves and further injuring their patients”. (NHS: NIC)
My approach has been to prioritise the problems that need to be overcome. With manual ascent of stairs being the riskiest operation this was my starting point and main focus for the project. My proposal is a simple system of levers and gears reducing the load on paramedics by more than a third during ascent of stairs. It also enables the paramedics to lower patients down the stairs in a controlled and safe manner.
1.Top paramedic supports the chair during ascent and descent. Levers provide mechanical advantage
3.Gears reverse lever direction easing strain on backs. Further mechanical advantage is introduced also.Levers can be moved out the way for patient access, by unmeshing gears
When choosing which degree to do product design engineering appealed to me as it applies both creativity and technical understanding to solve problems. It is refreshing to work on projects which always offer different challenges, and so hope to continue enjoying variation within the work place in the future. For me it is important that products should be beneficial to society, i.e. medical products. I will continue to work on the transfer chair project with Frazer Nash Consultancy and the NHS: NIC.
