Team Members
Brian Behrens, Ezinne Chukwunenye, Logan Fitzgerald, Bryan Fu, Robyn Natherson, Tiffany Saballos, Felipe Tamayo
Abstract
An innovative body weight support system was designed to aid a patient in recovering from impaired leg movement. This primarily ceiling-mounted system is able to lift the patient from a wheelchair and suspend them above an elliptical trainer. The novel, winch-like support system is guided by easily removable steel rails that mount to any ceiling’s structural beams and allow for the smooth translation of the patient through lubricated track rollers. The Easy-Weight Elliptical Exercise (EEE) system is comprised of a single electrical motor that turns a shaft to take-up and unspool a steel rope around a reel that offsets the patient’s weight by a certain amount specified by the user. A series of gears attached to the motor allow the system to maintain a comfortable lift speed of ~10 inches per second. The user-friendly interface of the remote has two LCD screens with three buttons to make the therapy programming fast and easy. The EEE system includes a reliable backup failsafe system that is just slack enough to catch the patient mid-air with a sturdy nylon rope in the case of any electrical failures. A lightweight aluminum suspension and an ergonomic nylon harness makes a previously burdensome therapy process less tiresome. The system is also rated for the standard outlet. The user will be mounted onto an elliptical trainer equipped with boots that use functional electrical stimulation to rehabilitate the mind-to-muscle connections that the patient is lacking.