Matthew Baird
Disability aid – 'The Grabber'
St John's College, Hamilton
Year 13 Technology, full-year project
Teacher : Steve Andrew
Matthew's client Tony Granger is immobile from the waist down and in a wheel chair – due to this disability he is unable to pick up items on the floor. Tony has been using a 'grabber' to help him pick things up, but it had a number of shortcomings. Matthew designed and constructed an improved version, and thus has helped provide Tony with greater independence and ease of living.
Tony needed a tool to not only help him pick up his clothes to get dressed but also other items such as flat paper and hard cylindrical and heavier flat objects. It had to be light enough to use easily but strong enough to withstand large amounts of stress without bending or breaking. It also had to be able to be carried around easily.
To help Matthew with his development work, teacher Steve Andrew arranged for him to work with Peter Botting at RML Automation, a local equipment manufacturing company (see the profiles: Enterprise Links and Technological Practice). It was hugely beneficial to have access to this level of mentoring, and, through careful planning, Matthew rose to the challenge of coordinating ongoing contact with both the company and Tony in producing his highly successful outcome.
Matthew undertook a detailed analysis of existing products and the problems that Tony had been having, and identified that many of the required improvements could be achieved by re-designing the end 'gripper' part of the tool.
Steve Andrew was particularly appreciative of the skill development that RML design staff were able to assist with in the design and functional modeling stages of the development process. Because of the absolute need for functionality in the product, the manufacture of Matthew's final design was done at RML and other local manufacturing outlets. As design engineer, Matthew was responsible for the final quality assurance on the outsourced components, taking all of the manufactured components and checking each with calipers against his drawings.
Tony's evaluation of the final prototype identified that its weight and length significantly affected its usability. Matthew responded by replacing the stainless steel external tubing of the shaft with aluminium, thereby solving the problem without major changes to the design or large-scale reconstruction, and without reducing the robustness of his design.
The changes delighted Tony and he is now making good use of the final product. He says that he was impressed with not only the quality of the final product but also the process Matthew used. "It's been a very special project for me because Matthew sat down and actually listened to what I needed. He took all the information I've given him and he has developed what has become my third arm."
