Up Up and Away

A New Walker Design by The Waka Waka Company

APD2010 03

Rohan Agarwal

Shira Bennett

Nancy Lai

Andy Raina

December 14, 2010

ABSTRACT

In the current assistive device market, there are mobility devices that help the elderly walk and there are rising devices that help the elderly stand. The Waka Waka Company is introducing a newly designed walker, the Up Up and Away, which provides both mobility and rising assistance to the elderly population. The Up Up and Away performs these primary functions as well as meets the needs for portability, adjustability, and durability, at a low cost to the consumer. The walker is designed and dimensioned to ergonomically accommodate the physical characteristics of the middle 90% of the elderly population. A prototype and Computer Aided Design (CAD) models have been developed in order to correctly model the dimensions, structure, and important mechanisms. Through market research, and an iterative design process, the Up Up and Away has been designed to meet the aforementioned needs better than the competition. Furthermore, The Waka Waka Company has conducted market and financial analyses in order to develop a business plan that details the outlook of the companys future.

Table of Contents

1.BACKGROUND51.1Design Problem51.2Product Need51.3Intended Users51.4Previous Designs61.4.1Walkers61.4.2Rising Devices71.4.3Combination Devices71.5Preliminary Design Research71.6Design Objectives92.PRODUCT DESCRIPTION102.1Concept Generation102.2Concept Selection112.3.Prototype Evolution112.4 Comparison of the Up Up and Away to Current Assistive Devices123.ANTHROPOMETRIC CONSIDERATIONS134.NOMENCLATURE135.ENGINEERING ANALYSIS145.1Analysis Model145.2.Engineering Optimization Problem Set-Up165.3.Variable Constraints175.3.1.Weights per Unit Length175.3.2.Angles185.3.3.Handle and Foot Length185.4.Engineering Optimization196.ECONOMIC ANALYSIS206.1Profit Factors216.1.1.Fixed Costs216.1.2.Variable Costs216.1.3.Revenue227.ECONOMIC OPTIMIZATION237.1Variables237.2Constraints238.MARKET ANALYSIS248.1Market Size Estimation248.2Marketing Optimization248.2.1 Utility of Design Attributes248.2.2 Calculation of Demand258.2.3Constraints258.2.4Results259.FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION269.1Feet269.2.Adjustable Legs279.3.Folding Mechanism279.4.Handles2810.EMOTIONAL AND AESTHETICS ANALYSIS2810.1.Emotional Design2810.2.Proportionality2911.SUSTAINABILITY ANALYSIS2912.PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS3013.BROADER IMPACT3114.CONCLUSION3115. REFERENCES33

APPENDIX A: PROJECT GANTT CHART34APPENDIX B: TEAM ROLES35APPENDIX C: USER SCENARIO36APPENDIX D: SURVEY38APPENDIX E: SURVEY RESULTS40APPENDIX F: PUGH CHART43APPENDIX G: QFD MATRIX44APPENDIX H: ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS45H.1Walker Height45H.2Handle Diameter45H.3Handle Distance from User46H.4Distance Between Handles47H.5Force Supported47APPENDIX I: ECONOMIC MODELS48APPENDIX J: MACHINING AND ASSEMBLING COSTS50APPENDIX K: BILL OF MATERIALS51APPENDIX L: MARKET SIZE DERIVATION52APPENDIX M: CHOICE BASED CONJOINT SURVEY54APPENDIX N: CBC SURVEY RESULTS55APPENDIX O: MARKETING OPTIMIZATION RESULTS57APPENDIX P: DESIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT60APPENDIX Q: DESIGN STRUCTURE FLOWCHART62APPENDIX R: DESIGN STRUCTURE MATRIX63

1.BACKGROUND

The motivation for the Up Up and Away was based on a gap in the current market and flaws with current designs. The design concept for the product evolved through consumer research and the development of clear design objectives. The following sections describe the preliminary process from the initial design problem to the final concept selection. The progression of the design and the roles of each designer can be found in Appendices A and B.

1.1Design Problem

Today, 4.6% of the elderly population uses a walker for mobility assistance. However, there is no device on the market that assists the user in rising from a seated position to a standing position and walking. The Waka Waka Company has designed a new walker, the Up Up and Away, which provides both mobility and rising assistance to the elderly population. The primary design problem was to add the functionality of rising assistance to the walker without sacrificing the performance of other functions such as mobility assistance, portability, adjustability, and durability. The Waka Waka Company also designed the walker to be financially feasible by keeping production costs low and capturing a sufficient market share to ensure profitability.

1.2Product Need

Many elderly Americans struggle with both walking mobility and rising from a seated position. As shown in the Figure 1 below, there are devices on the current market to assist people with walking and there are devices to assist individuals with standing up, but there are very few devices to assist with both of these physical activities. Since there is not a good combination device on the market which serves as an assistive device to stand up and to walk, people need to buy multiple products for each function. However, it is cubersome to a have separate rising assistive device for every chair, couch, and bed in the home, especially because these devices are typically fixed and not portable. In addition to multiple rising devices, the user would need to buy a device to assist with walking. Buying multiple devices is inconvenient and can become very expensive for the user. The Up Up and Away would solve the problem of these current assistive devices by combining the functions of rising and walking assistance.

Figure 1: There are no options for combined walking and rising assistance in todays market

(Assists in standingAssists in walking)

1.3Intended Users

The target consumer for this product is over 75 years of age, and living independently. The user may have trouble with daily tasks, such as driving on their own, but is not living a sedentary lifestyle. Instead, he/she is participating in daily activities, and may require rising and walking assistance to transition between each of these. This is where the Up Up and Away would be of assistance - helping in the mobility transitions required to lead an independent life. The complete user scenario is shown in Appendix C. The answers to the questions posed provide a complete description to the user, and how this user will interact with the product.

1.4Previous Designs

Currently in the market, there are devices which aid in walking and there are devices that aid in standing up, but there are very few devices that incorporate both aspects into a single device. Many of the current walkers which aid in walking only are not stable enough to help someone into a standing position from a sitting one. The current walkers designed to aid in standing up from a sitting position are usually immobile, because they are attached to the object in which the user is sitting in. The Up Up and Away walker would solve the problem of these current walkers by having the dual function of helping someone to a standing position and also aid in walking.

1.4.1Walkers There are a number of devices currently on the market to assist individuals with mobility. These walkers can be grouped into four different categories. The first category is the most common version, the standard walker. Standard walkers can be purchased with zero, two, or four wheels, and are adjustable to fit the height of the user.

The second type of walker is the rollator, which is a popular alternative to the standard walker and operates similarly. All rollators have four, large wheels and are equipped with handbrakes and a seat, and, like standard walkers, also fold for ease of storage.

Platform walkers are the third category. These walkers are adjustable by height and include a padded tray with a body cutout. To operate a platform walker, the user places his body weight on the padded platform, grips the handles, and walks normally. Platform attachments can be purchased and added to standard walkers to serve the same function without the full body cutout.

The final category is ambulators, which are a combination of a wheelchair and a walker and are sometimes referred to as enclosed walkers, because the handrail completely surrounds the user. Ambulators also have a built in seat, but unlike rollators, the seat does not fold.

These four types of walkers are shown in Figure 2, below. It is important to note that with all of these devices, there is a tradeoff between increased maneuverability and the need for increased control from the user.

Figure 2 (From Left to Right): Standard Walker, Rollator, Platform Walker, Ambulator

1.4.2Rising Devices There are a number of devices currently available to assist the elderly in rising from a seated position. Lift chairs and cushions, one of the most popular systems, rotate to a 45-degree angle so that the user can place his or her feet firmly on the floor before standing. While this product helps the user reach the floor, it does not supply support for the actual standing motion. Toilet frames and mount bars are mounted in place and provide the user with a solid support system when standing. Similarly, the CouchCaneTM is mounted to the bottom of a couch or chair and has an oversized handle that the user can grasp to assist with standing. While these devices are useful for standing, they are not portable or versatile. A separate device is needed for each seated location.

1.4.3Combination Devices US Patent No. 5794639, US Patent No. 5133377, and US Patent No. 4987912 all describe devices that convert the standard walker to a device that assists with rising. This is accomplished through additional legs, retractable wheels, and brakes. While these walkers are not specifically designed to help the user stand up, they are designed to provide the dual functions of stab