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By: Ian Care
We challenge you to use your TRIZ skills and your knowledge to help solve a
humanitarian or social problem. We hope that you will submit your results for
publication in the TRIZ journal. Every few months we will set a new challenge -
but that does not mean that you cannot continue to work on previous challenges,
indeed you may have chosen to work on this for your project or coursework.
Send your results, ideas, comments and suggestions for future challenges to
challenge@triz-journal.com.
This month's challenge is an engineering challenge with a social aspect. How
can a person in a wheelchair carry their drink and move their wheelchair around
to socialise at a party?
Imagine yourself to be a (non-motorised) wheelchair user at a party. You are
handed a drink (this could be a wineglass, a beer bottle, a tankard, a cup, or a
mug) and a plate of small eats (pretzels, nuts, salad etc.). The plate and
drinks container belong to your host, so you cannot assume that they have any
special adaptations to suit your device, to feel included with everyone else you
prefer to use what is provided rather than bring your own crockery. Now where do
you put the drink and plate while you use your hands to propel the wheelchair
over to the group over there that appear to be having an interesting
conversation - but without spilling the food or drink, nor asking for help, nor
leaving them behind.
For someone in a wheelchair to feel socially independent, they do not want to
have to ask for help whenever they want to move around.
Can you devise a device that will do this?
Can it either be of use at other times or out of the way, when for instance
going around the supermarket?
What happens when you go down the step out to the barbecue on the patio?
Does it get in the way when your (prospective) partner sits on your lap to
kiss you?
------
A few years ago I tackled this problem for a friend of ours. My device used
an adjustable gripper based on half of a pair of handcuffs mounted in a double
gimble bearing arrangement. The bearing allowed it to twist parallel to the side
of the arm of the wheel chair and house itself under the arm similar to a table
on an aircraft seat. This worked well for moving around a smooth floor and going
down slopes. The 'shock' of the chair going off the edge of a carpet or going
down steps tended to make the drink splash.
Can you improve on my design?
Sadly my friend died shortly before Christmas last year. His long term
partner died on the day of his funeral.
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