Department - Author 1

Mechanical Engineering Department

Degree Name - Author 1

BS in Mechanical Engineering

Date

6-2013

Primary Advisor

John Ridgely

Abstract/Summary

A need has been identified by a school in Nepal intended for children with Cerebral Palsy, called Sathi Sansar, to develop a more effective solution to loading and unloading students onto the school’s Toyota HiAce van. Currently, a combination of the driver, parents and teachers manually help the students on and off the van. However, this task has proven to be both laborious and time consuming for all parties involved. A solution to this problem needs to be designed and one is currently being developed by a team of engineering students from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo and Katmandu University. The project intends to develop a solution that both eases the labor and reduces the time required to load and unload students while also creating a more independent environment for the children. The final design presented is a wheelchair lift using linear actuators to lift passengers to the height of the floor of the van. Analyses completed verify the ability for the design to function properly while the cost analysis accurately shows a relatively inexpensive solution.

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