The E-Racer: A Go-Kart for a Child With Cerebral Palsy
By Arpin, Kevin; Marquis, Michael; Meisner, Allison; Ward, Travis; Enderle, John D.; NSF 2008 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons With Disabilities, pp. 180-181Publication Date: 2011
Description of a modified electric go-kart designed for a child with cerebral palsy. The E-Racer was developed by engineering students at the University of Connecticut for their client, who has no use of his legs and very limited use of his left arm. Per request of the client, the E-Racer has two modes of operation, a joystick and a steering wheel. The steering wheel is a modification of the one from the stock go-kart used as basis for the design and includes switches between forward and reverse, training and normal modes, and the breaking and acceleration control for when the joystick is in steering wheel mode. The braking and steering are modified to be controlled electrically with the addition of linear actuators. The steering system also required the use of a linear position transducer. The design incorporates several circuit boards, including speed controllers for the steering and braking systems, and a motor acceleration controller connected directly to the motor. In addition to the 36 volt battery controlling the motor of the stock go-kart, a supplemental 12 volt battery was included. Additional features include a safety harness and a seat providing lateral support for the driver. Total cost of parts and material for the E-Racer was about 1,500 dollars.
Published by: Creative Learning Press, Inc. (Website:http://www.creativelearningpress.com)
Link to text: http://nsf-pad.bme.uconn.edu/2008/Chapter%2010,%20University%20of%20Connecticut.pdf
ISBN: ISBN 1-931280-15-0
