Team Members
Tyler Detsouvanh, Duncan Elliott, Michael Hedrich, Madisen Holton, Mathew Martins, Rafael Rodriguez, Philip Staudte
Abstract
The AlliGAITor is a patient support device that controls a user’s position on an elliptical through a dynamic offloading system. A motorized winch is used alongside a continuous feedback controller system to lift the patient and provide a desired amount of weight offloading. The winch produces an adverse force to the patient’s weight to lessen the relative load on the patient’s legs while they train on the elliptical. Once the patient is securely fastened into their harness, they are lifted into the air by a steel rope connected to a motorized winch. The steel rope runs through a pulley setup that is fixed to a motorized trolley on a rail system. When the patient is at a desired height, the trolley moves horizontally to place the user over the elliptical and the winch lowers them down. After the patient is secured on the machine, the winch initiates offloading and reduces the load on the patient’s leg. The controller receives a consistent stream of the user’s relative load through a load cell attached to the patient’s harness. A mechanical fail-safe setup is constructed to restrict the lower boundary of the patient’s height by jamming the pulley system through an adjustable stopper.