body forward project
Click Here for the list of parts we used for our camera installations. Click Here for instructions on how to install the system.
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Our project this year is the "Body Backward” system, a rearview camera and sensor system that attaches to the back of a wheelchair. This system uses a camera, monitor, and sensors to get a clear view of what is behind the wheelchair. The monitor has night-vision capability and is positioned high on the chair facing downward, for visibility for the person using the wheelchair and privacy of the people around.
As the user backs up, three feet away from an object the sensors will say ‘Object Detected’. At two feet away they will say ‘Watch out’ and one foot, ‘Stop’.
The camera and monitor that we used are about $120. We will also need a step-down converter to hook the camera up to the wheelchair battery.
To learn about the neuromuscular system, we interviewed Dr. Florence Barnett, a neurosurgeon. We also consulted some other resources which are listed in our bibliography.
We found out that the neuromuscular system is the nervous system and the muscles working together to let you move, through electrical signals between your upper and lower motor neurons.
Quinn is ten and has a genetic neuromuscular disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA. He can’t move his muscles easily and can’t walk, so he uses a wheelchair. One of the problems he faces in his wheelchair is not being able to see behind him, especially when he’s backing up. His mom says, “It’s been a huge problem for Quinn ever since he got his chair because he hasn’t been able to see behind him.”
On February 25th, we went to CATEA and installed the camera on Quinn's wheelchair! He loves it and is very happy with how much easier it is for him to back up.
We went on a field trip to the Healthcare Robotics Lab and talked to Tiffany Chen about robots in biomedical engineering. Then we searched the internet and talked to our new friend Doctor Sprigle (a.k.a “The Wheelchair Guru”), who works with the Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access, or CATEA. He’s a biomedical engineer and works with people with disabilities like Quinn’s. We went to the CATEA building at Georgia Tech and got to see how electrical wheelchairs work. We also got to test electric wheelchairs to see what it was like to maneuver them.
We also researched about existing solutions to this problem and learned that you can use rearview mirrors, curb feelers, or an assistant to help.
Check out our outreach page for over 30 ways we've shared our project.
