The simple task of sitting and standing comes very natural for us. We never stop to think about the motion and strength it takes to stand. However for those who are handicap or elderly, they go through this everyday and understand how much effort and pain there is to this simple task.
The Arc of Monroe is a disability center that has changed the lives of thousands of individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities. In collaboration with the center, we set out to design a tool that would make the lives of the caregiver simpler.
One of the most common problem that a caregiver have is helping a handicap person out of his chair. Often times there are machines and specialized chairs that help the caregiver, but they tend to be highly mechanized and intimidating.
After analyzing how we stand up from a chair, When standing from a chair there are three major steps to the process. First step is to scoot forward to the edge of the chair, then lean forward to create the momentum, and lastly rise up from the seat.
Initial ideation phase using 1/8th scale foam core mock-ups to explore seat lifting mechanisms.
The mock-up uses a 4 bar mechanism and a lever system. As down force is applied to the pedal in the back, the seat begins to push forward and rise.
A full-scale mock-up was created to analyze the amount of force that is required to lift a person.
