University of New Brunswick
There are many people that are faced with the struggle of being restricted to a wheelchair to transport themselves. To help improve the quality of life and assist these people with moving to or from their chair to another location such as their bed or a vehicle, there is a device called a transfer board. A transfer board allows the person to slide themselves along the surface of the board and to the other end. The design for this transfer board has been loosely based off of the Beasy Board, which is an existing design currently used by the client. The first prototype, photos of which can be found in Appendix C, is fabricated out of oak, and incorporates an aluminum track that the rollers will be able to run on. The seat is also made out of oak and will have bearings fixed to it. The oak board has been shaped by the technician in the wood shop at UNB, along with all of the seat and wooden cover. The aluminum track has been milled and will be fixed to the board once the bearings arrive. While the board was being shaped, the brackets and the shafts for the rollers were fabricated. The board will be completed before the design symposium on March 31, 2016. Upon completion of construction, testing will begin on the board and modifications will be made accordingly to ensure client satisfaction. The testing will first incorporate sliding a group member across the board to make sure that it slides properly. The second step of testing will involve sliding the seat from one side of the board to the other in a setup similar to how it would be used by a patient. Weights will then be placed on the seat, with a towel between the surfaces, and the board will be slid from one end to the other approximately 1000 times to test for wear and fatigue.