Patient - Heather

• 58 year old female
• Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis
• Travels in a mobility scooter
• Limited mobility and strength in left side
• Currently needs a PSW present to assist in everyday activities
• Bathroom storage very inconvenient

Figure 2: Front view of the Glide N’ Grab.

Design Specifications

• Spring mechanism to ease drawer into open position and allow for easier closing
• Pin and track mechanism made with smooth materials for smooth opening and closing
• Future iterations would have customizable inserts to separate and hold different volumes of items
• Future iterations would have a protective coating around them to prevent damage due to spills

Figure 1: Finished CAD model of the Glide N’ Grab.

Solution - Glide N’ Grab

• A drawer for her bathroom
• Replaces current false drawer
• Designed to improve independence
• Simple design
• Straightforward installation process

Figure 3: Back view of the Glide N’ Grab.

Looking Back on Design Project 4

<aside> 🛠 I attempted many new things while working with this team. Our prototype was made of wood, PLA and acrylic so I got to practice using the laser cutter, which I hadn’t gotten to attempt before this project. I was able to help with every aspect of this project since there were no coding and modelling sub-teams, so I felt that the team and I did a good job working as a team and taking every idea into consideration. I think that the 3D modelling and 3D printing was my favorite part of the project since I got to apply what I had learned throughout the course and from previous design projects.

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<aside> 💡 During the project, I thought about how we could make the drawer slide easier, and what other materials could have accomplished this. This gets me thinking about what next steps we could have taken given more time for this project, like customizable inserts or spring mechanism considerations.

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<aside> ⛔ The main issue during this project was a lack of communication during the early stages of the project*.* This was most likely caused by the fact that design project 3 was in full swing and the first meetings we had for this project were online. Another main issue was our initial indecisiveness and inability to pick one idea. Through this issue we learned the importance of tools such as Pugh matrices in the process of picking a prospective solution. Again, despite the team improving communication by the end of the project it is still something I personally need to work on.

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<aside> 🚧 I believe that my biggest shortcoming in the project was my lack of punctual communication with the group online. Many important topics were discussed online, and despite keeping up with the group, I did not think I needed to message since I had understood what was discussed and planned to follow through with it. Despite this, simple confirmations online would have cleared up some worry and assured my group I was on task, and that is an improvement I started to make by the end of the project, but that I need to continue improving upon.

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