Aisle Assist

Objective:

As a student in 2.009, MIT’s Mechanical Engineering capstone class, teams of 20 students work together in Pappalardo Lab to develop and present a marketable product. Over the course of the semester, students experience the design process of a product development firm, ranging from ideation, studying market data, building models, and ultimately the construction of a quality alpha prototype. Ultimately, the semester culminates in a product demonstration and presentation broadcasted online.

Solution: My team (Silver) designed and manufactured Aisle Assist, a compact aisle wheelchair that eliminates the uncomfortable lifting of paraplegic flyers from their wheelchairs to their airplane seat. It takes advantage of removable, height adjustable seat panels and a backrest attached to linear rails, to gently slide and deposit users onto their aisle seat.

Aisle Assist is rated for 99th percentile male (350 pounds) with a 2x Safety Factor ensuring it is safe for users of all shapes and sizes. The device is sized to pass airline regulations and the narrow space constraints of airline aisles.

The chair works by lifting the wheelchair seat above the plane seat, sliding the user over, and retracting the backrest and seat panels once the user is comfortable. Linear rails and carriages enable the sliding action while the seat panels are raised with a winch situated behind the seat. With a 10:1 gear ratio and non-back drivable winch, the lifting mechanism is safe and requires 10 pounds of force from the flight attendant. The design was also included a deployable stabilization leg to prevent the chair from tipping during the transfer process.

My primary responsibilities included selecting linear rails given our load conditions. Since the system is essentially cantilevered, I was responsible for loading and bending calculations to prevent deflection and other beam failure modes. Additionally, as a member of the backrest assembly, I was responsible for the design and machining of key structural components on the mill, lathe, and waterjet. I presented during our teams technical review and helped with other deliverables throughout the semester. As our team’s financial officer, I was accountable for managing team finances, tracking expenses, and placing part orders.

Various Prototypes, Back Winch Assembly:

Applied Skills: Design and Manufacturing, MATLAB, Computer Aided Design, Machining/ Fabrication, Autodesk Fusion