CUSTOMIZED PATIENT SOLUTION
PROBLEM STATEMENT
• Design + build a completely custom desk, footrest, + keyboard for a patient with Muscular Dystrophy (MD)
CURRENT SOLUTION
Desk Keyboard Footrest
• 3 axes of adjustability
• 15 sec disassembly time
• Noticeable reduction of pain and swelling in feet/ankles
• Increase in range of motion
• 150% increase in characters/minute
Recognition of Challenge Information Gathering Problem Definition Idea Generation
Idea Evaluation Build Validation
Prototyping
DESK - 3D MODEL SOLUTION
FOOTREST SOLUTION
Customer Needs:
• Size
• Angular adjustability
• Sturdiness
Solution:
• Split design – one footrest per foot
• Each footrest is fully adjustable + can swing out and away from wheelchair to allow greater caregiver access
Image from Seating Dynamics
FOOTREST PADDING + STRAPS SOLUTION
• Commercial off the shelf solution integrated into custom footrest design
FOOTREST: BEFORE + AFTER SOLUTION
Before: No Footrest
After: Footrest Attached
Customer Needs:
• Increased typing efficiency
• Less arm movement to reach keys
• Shorter distance from keys to hand
• Cursor navigation integrated into keyboard
KEYBOARD SOLUTION
Solution:
• Split keyboard design, each half with an ergonomic design customized to the muscular capabilities of each hand
• Custom keyboard layout based on patient usability + keystroke data
●Commercial off the shelf joystick, buttons, + trackball integrated into left hand keyboard for cursor navigation + click capability
●Patient has options for cursor navigation + can switch between the options as hand muscles fatigue during extended use
SOLUTION CUSTOM KEY LAYOUT
IMPACT
Desk
• 3 axes of adjustability
• Assembly: 13.5 seconds, Disassembly: 10.5 seconds
Footrest
• Patient experienced a significant reduction in swelling + pain within a month of footrest installation
Keyboard
●Significant increase in patient’s characters per minute
●For a control test sentence typed sentence:
Old (standard) keyboard: 27.9 seconds
New (custom) keyboard: 21.8 seconds
Client’s Final Remarks:
IMPACT CONTINUED
“The swelling in my feet is going down. They’re at least half the size. I might even be wearing shoes again by graduation time.” (April 10th)
“I’ve spent my whole life adapting to things in the world, so it’s been really great having things adapted to me for a change.”
