Novita Research Report January 1999 - Novita Children's Services

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Computer aided customisation of walker designs David Sanders 1 4th Year Biomedical Engineering Student Alex Svistounov Senior Testing Engineer Kevin Clements Manager, Mobility & Seating Department 1 School of Informatics and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia Objective The aim of this project was to automate the current manual process of designing a walker for an individual client by developing a system that automatically produced the necessary design plans for a given client’s measurements. Method Initial attempts were made to complete this project using a software package called Pro/DESKTOP by P.T.C. Although the models were completed successfully, the user interface (which was used to simplify the use of the software and drawing creation) failed due to limitations in the software package. Given this limitation, another drawing package called Solid Edge V9 by Unigraphics Solutions was investigated. An academic version of the software was obtained and the models were recreated in this package. Visual Basic was the language used to program the user interface and it provided a solid, easy to use platform for the job. Results The project again encountered problems when it was discovered that the version of Solid Edge being used had functional limitations, e.g. the Visual Basic interfacing libraries were disabled. This halted any further progress with this project, however the concept was adequately demonstrated. Implications An automated drawing or modelling package would allow for quick and easy designs to be created without the need for time-intensive hand drawings. It would also allow for quick adjustments or modifications to be made to the drawings, and would provide a way of storing and documenting future designs. Current fully functioning retail packages are being investigated to further the work of this project. Project commenced in 2003 34 Novita Children’s Services Incorporated • Research Report January 1999 – June 2004
Integrated control of wheelchairs & communication devices Ben Symonds Rehabilitation Engineer Sue van de Loo Senior Occupational Therapist David Hobbs Senior Rehabilitation Engineer Rob Garrett Group Leader, R&D, Engineering & Support Rebecca Gallio Rehabilitation Engineer Colin Clayton 1 1 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, The Wolfson Centre Objective Individuals with limited movement may only have one functional ‘access site’ which they must use to drive a wheelchair, control their communication aid or control the environment around them (eg: TV’s, personal computer, radio, etc.). The aim of this project was to enhance an individual’s independence by enabling them to incorporate driving a powered wheelchair and their ability to interact with their environment through the same control mechanism and site. Ideally it was also hoped that the solution would remove an individual’s reliance upon others when alternating between driving and control of other technology. Method Preliminary research was undertaken to identify or develop a solution that would enable someone to access both their computer and wheelchair using the same controls – be it a joystick, switch or other alternative control. A comparison document of identified devices was collated. This document compared three major systems to each other in a comparison table format, enabling a feature-based comparison to be made. When a particular system was selected for trial a referral form was completed providing background information about each client. Using this information and video footage of the current access methods of the clients, the system was then configured to the clients’ specific abilities. Each client then spent a day trialing the system. Results Early research identified three potential integrated systems – the Dynamics IRIS, the wiseDX and the SRS100 system. After assessing all three, the wiseDX system was chosen for a trial with two Novita clients in 2003. The wiseDX was preferred for its flexibility to meet the needs of different users and for the relative ease of use, set-up and configuration of the system. Investigators from engineering and therapy worked together to achieve extremely significant results for both these clients. The wiseDX system enabled the first client, a single switch user, to independently drive her wheelchair and switch to controlling her Pathfinder communication device. The second client was a joystick user, who was able to control his wheelchair and several other devices with his joystick, including a television, infrared phone, and the mouse on a laptop computer (wirelessly) with complete independence. Implications The project identified an effective, easy to use and versatile integrated system that was demonstrated to meet the initial project aims. Engineering, technical and therapy staff were accredited by the inventor of the wiseDX system and gained valuable experience setting up the system for clients. This expertise and experience has given Novita the confidence and credentials to prescribe and support this system, thus providing an exciting solution for individuals who require such technology. 35 Project completed in 2004 Novita Children’s Services Incorporated • Research Report January 1999 – June 2004
Page 1 and 2: Research Report January 1999 - June
Page 3 and 4: foreword Novita Children’s Servic
Page 5 and 6: PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR PROJECT TITLE
Page 7 and 8: esearch evaluations (http://bluewir
Page 9 and 10: Clinical Research Selection Process
Page 11 and 12: Researcher Profiles Susan Bostock B
Page 13 and 14: Society for Augmentative and Altern
Page 15 and 16: Paediatric dysphagia and physical d
Page 17 and 18: Can typically developing preschool
Page 19 and 20: Handwriting of children who have he
Page 21 and 22: Now I can eat too: The impact of an
Page 23 and 24: School vocabulary in typically deve
Page 25 and 26: Unravelling handwriting: an investi
Page 27 and 28: Convergence of AAC and portable com
Page 29 and 30: Predictors of device abandonment: t
Page 31 and 32: Vocabulary Organiser - enhancement
Page 33 and 34: Vocabulary Organiser - the addition
Page 35: Movement-to-m usic therapy David Ho
Page 39 and 40: Toan Nguyen 1 Master of Engineering
Page 41 and 42: Mobile phone access via an augmenta
Page 43 and 44: Technological options for people wi
Page 45 and 46: Using product features to select ap
Page 47 and 48: Use of the Canadian Occupational Pe
Page 49 and 50: The prevalence of low back pain in
Page 51 and 52: Comparison of feedback conditions i
Page 53 and 54: Evaluation of family centred practi
Page 55 and 56: Motor and functional outcomes of ch
Page 57 and 58: Australian representation on ISO TC
Page 59 and 60: Development and delivery of an unde
Page 61 and 62: Rob Garrett Group Leader, R&D, Engi
Page 63 and 64: Evaluation and scoping of a movemen
Page 65 and 66: Resource allocation project Sonya M
Page 67 and 68: conference presentations Novita’s
Page 69 and 70: Australian Cerebral Palsy Associati
Page 71 and 72: DESIGN AND PRODUCTION CORPORATE PRO

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