April, 2021

We have made a lot of progress this month. We have started working with sophomores Sophia DiPaola and Jillian Petty, who have had many good ideas. Sophia’s brother is currently in a wheelchair, so she has experience with wheelchairs. Her brother is also willing to help us by giving us feedback on our arm. With their help, we have started a new prototype that will be stored under the arm of the wheelchair and be able to slide when a gear turns, which will be powered by a servo motor. There will also be another servo motor in the back that will tilt the arm up and down so that you can reach up to hit the button. We will also add a joint at the tip of the arm that will have side-to-side motion and make it easier for someone to use the arm.

After we came up with this idea, we started to build it. So far, we have taken a square metal rod and attached a pinion on the side of it so that we can make it slide by using a gear attached to a servo motor. We also 3d printed a piece that holds the rod and allows it to side. We have coded the servo and are getting ready to connect the motor and begin working on the tip and how to mount the arm to the chair.