Portable Wheelchair Ramp Challenge
Students follow the steps of the engineering design process while learning more about assistive devices and biomedical engineering applied to basic structural engineering concepts. Their engineering challenge is to design, build and test small-scale portable wheelchair ramp prototypes for fictional clients. They identify suitable materials and demonstrate two methods of representing design solutions (scale drawings and simple models or classroom prototypes). Students test the ramp prototypes using a weighted bucket; successful prototypes meet all the student-generated design requirements, including support of a predetermined weight.
Engineering designs, such as portable or retractable ramps help people in wheelchairs access structures that are not handicap accessible.Copyright (call button) Washington State Department of Transportation, (bus) King County Metro Transit
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Viaduct/Milepost31/Visit http://metro.kingcounty.gov/travel-options/bus/rapidride/
The engineering design process is a widely accepted way of arriving at desirable solutions to identified problems. This activity guides students through the engineering design process steps as they apply basic engineering concepts to real-world design problems. Through the development of assistive devices, students are exposed to the humanitarian nature of engineering.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Identify and describe the steps of the engineering design process.
- Describe how to use the engineering design process to develop solutions to problems.
- Explain the reasons for their selected designs and material choices.