Engineering
I studied human factors and ergonomics engineering to see how people used knee scooters and crutches, but also aimed to design something that is mobile, adjustable, lightweight, yet durable.
I looked at many different models of knee scooters, knee walkers, leg braces, and crutches designed for people with broken legs. By comparing these, I was able to take the best parts from each of them to create the most optimal design.
Scooters are good, but not great...
About 44% of all patients fall off using the knee scooter. Although they have trouble going up and down sitars.
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There would be many cautions with a scooter with steps. As you can see in this video:
COMPARING DESIGNS
When designing the prototype, I needed to consider the pro's and con's of both crutches and knee scooters.
I wanted to try to incorporate as many of the pro's from each design as possible.
The advantage of my prototype is that a user can easily switch between the two, depending on the situation they find themselves in.
PICTURED ABOVE: These are just a few of my early prototypes. The earliest prototype was made out of cardstock and later versions were made from rolled up paper. The final is made out of plywood, PVC pipe, casters, and metal hinges.
Areas for improvement:
Like the crutch, scooters can be made of metal. So, if I could make another prototype and refine my design further, I would make the scooter crutch out of a welded metal or lightweight aluminum. For first the prototype I made a scooter out of paper. Moving onto a larger prototype, I used paper as well as some foam. Then, for the third prototype I used paper, foam, and wood to make a semi functioning scooter. After I had most things in place and knew how I wanted everything; I made my final model out of PVC pipe making it sturdy enough to get the job done and hold weight temporarily.
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I'd also like to design better hinges that are sturdier and able to lock easier and hold more weight, especially for the seat.
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And speaking of the seat, I'd like to make a seat out of foam and cover it in pleather.
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I'd also like to make the height of the crutch, seat and handlebars fully adjustable to ensure a comfortable fit for all, no matter how tall or short they are.