College - Author 1
College of Engineering
Department - Author 1
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 2
College of Engineering
Department - Author 2
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 2
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 3
College of Engineering
Department - Author 3
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 3
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 4
College of Engineering
Department - Author 4
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 4
BS in Mechanical Engineering
Date
6-2025
Primary Advisor
Sarah Harding, College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department
Abstract/Summary
Professor Sarah Stewart from the Animal Science Department at Cal Poly seeks to develop a solution to help people with disabilities mount horses. Users need a mounting block that can bring them closer to the horse’s back to ease mounting. The current system, consisting of two plastic two-step blocks, is inadequate—unstable, too small, and inaccessible for wheelchair users.
The required solution must meet several key specifications: it should accommodate at least three people standing side by side, be sturdy enough to support their combined weight, and remain stable on rugged terrain like gravel or sand without tilting or sinking. Additionally, it needs to be portable, collapsible, and lightweight enough to be carried by two people.
Our primary stakeholders are our sponsor, Professor Sarah Stewart, and the users of the Oppenheimer Equine Center. Our team, Team RMB (Riding Mount Block), is responsible for designing and manufacturing a new mounting block to help mentally disabled people from Professor Stewart’s program mount horses. She also requests that in the future this system can be easily modified to cater to people with physical disabilities. The existing solutions on the market are too big and bulky, cost too much, and don’t have the height variability our sponsor requests.
This report provides a broad overview of our design project and demonstrates to our sponsor our understanding of the problem with a clear definition. To align our understanding with our sponsor, we’ve incorporated background research and a detailed project plan, via a Gantt Chart [Appendix C] with established milestones and task assignments. Additionally, this Scope of Work (SOW) serves as the initial step in our formal project documentation, and we invite our sponsor’s input on any concerns as we move into the ideation phase.
This report is structured to provide clear and thorough coverage of our engineering project. A key section is the Customer Needs table, which aligns engineering specifications with customer requirements using the Quality Function Deployment (QFD), process [Appendix A]. This table not only ensures traceability but also evaluates the feasibility of the engineering specifications. Another important section is the Engineering Specifications table. It lists each specification along with the planned verification methods and highlights the challenges involved in meeting target values and tolerances.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/mesp/852