Welcome to my capstone site! Here you’ll learn about my work this semester with the Rehabilitation Engineering Center, as well as what the REC is, and how PT students can get involved!
The Rehabilitation Engineering Center (REC) is a new venture between UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University. It serves to bring PT students together with engineering students to develop products for patients. I was the first DPT student to participant in this program. Going through the process for the first time was interesting and rewarding. For my capstone, I performed some research on the process and the benefits of interdisciplinary education. For more information, you can take a look at my annotated bibliography.
Working with engineering students is very different than working with fellow PT students! They are very concrete, black and white thinkers, while we tend to be more creative, with that ever-present statement of “it depends!” To assist other DPT students who are not familiar with the REC, I developed an in-depth slideshow all about the process of designing a product. I included pictures and information about my own project.
Check it out here: REC Presentation
I also made a brochure about the REC that can be handed out to both PT and engineering students who want to know more!
To find out more about the REC, the website is: rec.bme.unc.edu
I came up with my product idea while working with SCI patients in inpatient rehab on my 3rd rotation. Traditional transfer boards were heavy, cumbersome, and large. I wondered why, with all of the new materials and technology, we were still using these boards! They were heavy for the therapists to transport, and patients with weakness and limited hand function had difficulty placing them. I also thought that it would be embarrassing to carry around a plank of wood the whole time the person was out in the community–something that collapsed or folded would be much more portable. I worked with 3 Industrial and Systems engineering students to develop a very light carbon-fiber version the board, and also a wooden hinged version that locked open.
I designed a quick evaluation form for feedback from all 3 levels of DPT students. Feedback was generally positive, but included suggestions to have a “table of contents” slide initially, and also to add more information about my personal project. I edited my presentation to incorporate this feedback.
Here’s some pictures of our prototypes, and then the final product!
Hinged prototype
Roll-up prototype
Telescoping prototype
Carbon fiber prototype
Final hinged board
Final products (carbon fiber and folded hinged board)
A word of thanks:
I just want to extend thanks to my advisor, Karen McCulloch, and my committee members Dr. Rick Wysk and Nicole Hebert.
I would also like to thank Dr. Rick Segal for his assistance, Ben Davis, Will McCall, and Calvin Brown for their work in developing the transfer boards, and all of the therapists that provided great advice along the way.
8 Responses to “Rehabilitation Engineering Center”
akinsey
Hey everyone,
Thanks for the great comments! I’m excited to see all of the positive feedback! Brittany– to answer your question, I’m planning to pursue this project past this semester. I have not figured all of the details out patent-wise, but that’s the eventual goal with it! It would be amazing to see these really produced some day.
Alicia
jlkowals
Alicia,
This is such a neat project, and one that truly makes an impact for patients and PTs alike! I would love to see these slide boards on the market and being used by individuals. I was particularly impressed by the roll up prototype as it could be extremely portable if it were able to be developed so that it would be not only foldable, but supportive! Wow! Very cool!
Jesse
Amanda Reed
WOW!! Great work Alicia! This is such a great project idea, and I loved that you worked with other disciplines to make this happen. Hopefully more capstone projects in the future will follow your lead and help to produce needed therapeutic devices. The end product looks great, and would be much easier for patients to take with them in the community. Thanks for all your hard work!!
Brittany
Alicia,
This is certainly a different capstone project and I love that you did it! You showed us how disciplines that typically do not work together can achieve common goals and you also reminded us that there are other people out there besides the DPT students. I do have one question, after a prototype is developed like the ones you showed us, what happens next? These products are very valuable and are great options for people who need this type of assistive device. Again, great job on your project!
Brittany
Michael Lewek
Alicia
I commend you for taking this route for your capstone. What a great idea. I hope more students decide to pursue this route in the future.
You’ve certainly served as an excellent example of how well this can work.
Great job.
mike
Karen McCulloch
Hi Alicia,
Great job at the symposium on Friday – it was good to see you with your engineer team and to get to pick up with different prototypes and see how light the carbon fiber one was. I think the materials you put together will make it much easier for other students to go this route in the future, so thanks for developing all of that guidance! I don’t have any specific FB from cmte folks as yet – so let me know if there are snags in getting that info…..otherwise I am all set. Great work and YAY you!!! kmac
atortori
I finally get to see it! That is so cool Alicia! Your creative mind is something very special! Great project!
droneal
Alicia,
This is such a cool project! I really like the fact that you saw something in clinic and helped with other students from other disciplines to help make used of a sliding board for transfers a)easy to use, and b) lightweight and more cosmetic than a solid slab of wood that was hard to carry around. Also, great powerpoint and brochure helping to explain what the REC does. Hopefully other students can get involved in the future to follow your path and make something either new or improve upon an older idea. Great work Alicia!