JWOD/JETS National Engineering Design Challenge Finals
By Stein, Therese; NISH Workplace, Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 4-8Publication Date: March 2006
Article describes assistive devices designed by finalists in an engineering competition for high school students. Winning entries in the first annual JWOD/JETS National Engineering Design Challenge held in partnership with NISH and the Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS) included (1) the Simple Electronic Ergonomic Box Opener (SEEBO), a lightweight, handheld device designed for people with grasping disabilities due to arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome to open boxes with significantly less pressure than would be required for a standard model; (2) the EZ File System, a modified file cabinet with a gear and chain mechanism that forces the files to create a waterfall effect, enabling a user with fine motor and grasping disabilities to pull files without much finger movement; (3) the All Purpose Photo Electric Counter, featuring a chute with a photoelectric sensor wired with an automatic reset, designed to solve a laundry service problem scenario where an individual with a cognitive disability needed to count washcloths efficiently; (4) the Handy Grip, constructed of two lightweight poles and a self-shutting clamp, to aid grounds maintenance employees with little or no hand strength to pick up trash; and (5) the Easy Access Chair, a modified manual wheelchair equipped with a sliding board and extendable arm that can be adapted to a commercial lawn mower, enabling an operator with limited mobility to move back and forth from the chair to the mower.
Published by: NISH (Website:http://www.nish.org/)
