Design Challenge
Our project partner, former schoolteacher Judy Geigner, has osteoarthritis and Parkinson’s disease, which impact her ability to perform everyday tasks. One such task is getting groceries, as lifting the heavy bags and moving them from her car to the house proves difficult and painful.
Our Solution
Our design, The Go-Getter, consists of two components: a cart and a door latch.
The door latch is a simple prototype constructed of a resistance band and duct tape intended to be screwed into a wall near a door. The door into Judy’s house from her garage self-closes, so the door latch will keep the door in place when stretched over the handle. This will allow her to get her groceries into the house without worrying about keeping the door open.
The cart is the more complex component and consists of the following parts:
- A battery-powered linear actuator allows the cart to be height adjustable.
- Lockable swivel wheels for ease of movement.
- A mesh basket to keep the groceries in.
- A basket side that can come undone at the top and fold down to form a ramp. This ramp can be used to easily slide groceries in and out of the basket without having to lift them.
- Horizontal handles made of 1 inch PVC to easily maneuver the cart.
Future Development
One recommendation for future improvements is to find a way to make the cart lighter. When built with PVC pipes and plywood, it became heavier than we wanted, especially when we consider the added weight of the groceries.
Another recommendation for future improvements is creating a sturdier base for the linear actuator to stand on without adding additional weight. Our current prototype includes two supporting layers for the linear actuator to stand on. If we could find a way to make the structure sturdier, it would truly be beneficial for the user.