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Category: Walking

All Terrain Walker

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---- PROTOTYPE --------- PURPOSE: To design a walker that can be used to travel more efficiently on all terrains for an adolescent girl with cerebral palsy. An Otto Bock Busy Bee frame was modified by adding large front wheels, swivel rear wheels with shock absorption, an additional frame member for stability, and padded handlebar grips. These modifications yield a responsive and stable all-terrain walker that allows the user to travel on rough surfaces such as trails and grass, as well as on pavement and other smooth surfaces; which allows the user to participate in more outdoor activities with her family. The All Terrain Walker was created by modifying a commercial walker frame (Busy Bee; Otto Bock, Minneapolis, MN). The modifications included: large front wheels to allow the client to negotiate rocks, roots, and other bumps, swivel rear wheels, frame stabilization, and padded handlebar grips. The front swivel wheels of the Busy Bee were removed. 20 inch alloy wheels (Baby Jogger, Richmond, VA) were mounted to the front of the frame by welding on steel cylinders that accepted the quick release axles of the commercial wheels. The cylinders were welded at the proper height to keep the frame level with these large wheels. The fixed rear wheels of the original frame were replaced with two shock-absorbing swivel wheels (Frog Legs, Inc., Vinton, IA). The swivel wheels were attached using standard caster housings built for wheelchairs, which were bolted to a steel plate welded to the legs of the walker frame. The walker frame was shortened in this area to account for the larger size of the Frog Legs casters compared to the original wheels. The walker frame was stabilized by adding a ¾ inch steel tube, bent to allow more rear clearance for the client’s feet. It was welded to the walker frame at the bottom of the rear legs. The grips on the handrails of the original frame were replaced with tennis grip tape, which the client found more comfortable. The client tested the All Terrain Walker on rough grass and found the walker to be easier to roll on such surfaces. One disadvantage is that the large front wheels also made it somewhat more difficult to control speed when going down a steep paved hill. Because the walker is designed for off-road travel, it will require supervision until the user learns how to control its response. Cost of parts for the All Terrain Walker was approximately $470. TITLE: All Terrain Walker. JOURNAL: NSF 2005 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities. REF: Chapter 7: pp. 64-65. PAGES: 3 with cover. 2006.

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07/29/2009
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