Protecting an Electric Wheelchair’s Screen from Damage
The electrical components of electric wheelchairs are vulnerable to damage. For people who rely on them for mobility, a broken chair can leave them stranded.
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I helped to design and build a protective case to shield a chair’s screen from impact and water damage.
Prototyping:
Testing Ideas with Mockups
Initial ideas were tested by the creation and user testing of cardboard mockups. Each design was evaluated on its effectiveness on several metrics:
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Enclose and waterproof
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Does it protect the screen from all sides and effectively shed water?
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Intuitively attach and detach
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Can someone unfamiliar with the design use it effectively?
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Deter rough handling
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Does it warn against using the screen as a handle or towing point?
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Shock protection and padding
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Does it protect the screen from impacts to the case?
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Fabrication:
Building the Final Design
Based on our testing, we combined the best features into a final design: a rigid plastic box with foam padding, a buckling rubber flap, and a rubberized exterior coating.
I took charge of the fabrication process, milling the polyethylene plastic panels into shape.
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I milled an inset into the plexiglass window and the front panel to ensure a close fit
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Polyethylene (chosen for its strength) is impossible to glue, so we needed to hold it together with screws
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I drilled aligned pilot holes to aid in the construction of the box
It felt really good to be able to hand our user a functioning design that could protect the screen. Our product was simple but effective, fulfilling all needs in a dependable and cost effective way.