On November 30th Sarvenaz defended her dissertation, “REDUCING PATIENT FALL RISK VIA HOSPITAL ROOM LAYOUT OPTIMIZATION AND SENSORIZED INSOLE DATA”. Her work is supported by AHRQ grant (R18HS025606). Congratulations Sarvenaz!
IV Pole Redesign
A group of senior Mechanical Engineering students redesigned an IV pole for safer use by solving the problem of cord and tube management while making the IV pole more ergonomic. The project was advised by Professor Andrew Merryweather as part of the Capstone Course at the University of Utah. The new design provides better access for connecting pumps and accessories to the IV Pole, manages cords and tubing, and prevents tripping over the power cord using a creative magnetic breakaway plug.
Group Members: Hamam AlOraimi, Taylor Cook, Ricardo Nicolia, Ryan Wilcox, Austin Williams
Smart Insoles – Lifting Coach
Senior Mechanical Engineering students advised by Professor Andrew Merryweather showcased their work during Design Day. The purpose of the insoles is to quantify biomechanical loading to understand risk and reduce musculoskeletal injuries from material handling. I’m proud of the team’s accomplishments and their efforts on the project. You can read more about the project on their poster.
Project Team:
Zack Anderson
Tayt Cooper
Justin Starr
Taylor Van Roosendaal
Jacob Worthington
Off-Road Pediatric Walker
One of our incredibly talented senior design team completing the Off-Road Pediatric Walker in December 2020. Despite many setbacks and challenges during a pandemic, the team designed, manufactured and tested the new walker add-ons to improve off-road mobility without compromising safety or usability.
To improve the user’s mobility, the team designed and manufactured interchangeable wheel hubs that can be easily installable on R82’s Crocodile walker. These hubs interface with wheel extensions that allow the walker to be quickly adapted to specific terrain. Additionally, the team replaced the Crocodile’s front casters with casters designed to house a larger, pneumatic wheel.
To ensure the user’s safety, the hub has an integrated braking and anti-rollback system that can be engaged by the user. Additionally, all the hub components can support the weight of any Crocodile user.
The team also designed and manufactured a lightweight hammock seat that is easily installable on the Crocodile. The seat does not interfere with the user’s experience when not in use, but can be easily engaged to comfortably support the user.
Grace, an active seven-year-old who loves playing soccer, has been using the team’s add-ons on her Crocodile walker. According to Grace’s father, the walker’s improved mobility will not only help her on the soccer field but will also allow her to participate in a variety of new outdoor activities.
Student Team Members: Chad Andersen, Morgan Barron, Reid Gardner, Jordy Osborne, Arthur Steur, and Rulon Stitzer
Dorien Butter ASB 2020 Presentation
Despite decades of research into patient falls, falls and the injuries incurred continue to be a serious threat to patient safety. Fall rates continue to be unacceptably high. The purpose of this project is to increase the safety of a hospital room for patient mobility through patient-centric design.
This survey is a starting point to understanding and quantifying the effect object characteristics have on a patient’s safety and stability when used for support. Based on the results of the survey, the next step of my research is to quantify the relationship between height, resistance to movement, and type of grasp and how those three characteristics work together to provide stability to a frail individual. This will be done in a laboratory setting using motion capture.
Here is a 3-minute supplemental video explaining the results of the survey.
Do you think you qualify to take the survey? Read the consent document here, and follow this link to the survey: https://redcap01.brisc.utah.edu/ccts/redcap/surveys/?s=LKR3LEEPXW
Merryweather and TetraSki Featured in University of Utah Magazine-Winter 2020
“It’s such an honor to work with visionary people like Dr. Jeffrey Rosenbluth. Through his forward thinking, nothing is impossible attitude and the hard work and creativity of many student engineers, we can realize the impossible. Thanks to all those who dedicate countless hours and efforts to developing technologies unmatched anywhere in the world.” – Dr. Andrew Merryweather
https://www.tetradapt.us/
Welcome Visiting Student
Thomas Starzinger is a medical engineering student from the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria. His supervisor from his home university is Prof. PD Dr. Thomas Haslwanter. He will be participating in the TetraSki project for the next 4 months. His primary focus is to develop additional safety features for the TetraSki. The project will involve designing a roll over protection and improved seating system to allow skiers to safely push the technology to new limits.
We are looking forward to working with Thomas over the next four months and welcome him to the Ergonomics and Safety Lab!
E&S PADS Featured
The PADS (Portable Accessible Dock System) is highlighted in the Student Innovation at the U 2018, 11 Ways Students are Creating the Future…and How You Can Too. This publication is produced by the University of Utah‘s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.
The PADS was developed by Ergonomics & Safety Program graduate student Nicholas Brown (MSME 2018) and Prof. Andrew S. Merryweather in conjunction with Dr. Jeffrey P. Rosenbluth, Medical Director of the Spinal Cord Injury Acute Rehabilitation Program at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center.
PADS is also discussed in the E&S Program’s Enabling Technology page.
NORA 2019
The University of Utah’s Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (RMCOEH) and Department of Mechanical Engineering will be holding the 17th Annual Regional National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Young/New Investigators Symposium.
The goal of this conference is to assemble interested students (undergraduate and graduate) and young/new investigators from the region, as well as other interested parties, in a forum where NORA-related research can be presented and discussed in a non-threatening atmosphere. It is expected that, for many of the students who choose to present, it will be the first formal presentation of their research.
The NORA 2019 Conference will be held at the Officer’s Club 150 Fort Douglas Blvd, Salt Lake City, UT 84113 on April 18th & 19th. Please visit the NORA 2019 website for the latest information.
There will be two special presentations this year at NORA. The Opening Keynote Speaker is Sarah A. Felknor, DrPH. Her talk is entitled Expanded Focus for Occupational Safety and Health and will start at 8:30 AM on April 18th.
Dr. Felknor
At 8:30 AM on April 19th, the Dr. Paul S. Richards Endowed Distinguished Visiting Lectureship in Occupational Medicine will present Donald C. Sinclair, II, J.D., who will speak on The Role of the Epidemiological and Exposure Sciences in the Resolution of Medicolegal Disputes.
Mr. Sinclair, Esq.
The Richards Lecture is FREE and open to the public, however, registration is required. To register for this lecture ONLY, register for attendance with the “Richards Lecture Only” option at the NORA 2019 website.
Moriah Henning at Research on Capitol Hill
Undergraduate researcher Moriah Henning was selected to present her work at the 19th Annual Research on Capitol Hill event on March 5th 2019. Moriah completed two semesters of research under Dr. Andrew Merryweather on characterizing the open-source, 3D-printed, InMoov robotic hand as part of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). She analyzed the hand’s limitations and abilities through computer and physical testing to better understand improvements that could be made to the design.
