Team Members
Anthony Marquez, Christian Brame, Jack Reinke, James Wheeler, Lucas Mir, Ryan Brouillette, Sean Stelzer
Abstract
A balancing and reactionary automatic moveable elevator frame has been developed to lift patients who have lost the use of their legs and provide body weight support during elliptical training. The system is composed of two symmetric motor assemblies that lift the patient out of their wheelchair and provide balancing during elliptical operation via a closed-loop control system. Both motors work in conjunction to lift and stabilize via wire ropes attached to a lift block which is then connected to the patient harness. Trainers will manually move the patient forward to the elliptical using a guided rail system, locking the structure in position when correctly placed. Most structural members used to support the lifting system are created from steel and are in the form of square tubes which provide ample strength at low weight. Using the same motor assemblies for both the primary and secondary lifting systems allows for easier design and fabrication. The user interface computes the controls operations of patient movement. This subsystem is fulfilled by an iPad which provides not only a smoother workflow for the technician operating the machine but also a simple yet adaptive control panel.