Automatic Telescoping Reach Extender
By Kuss, Peter; Deavers, John; Mollendorf, Joseph C.; NSF 2006 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons With Disabilities, pp. 164-165Publication Date: 2007
Description of a device enabling people in wheelchairs or those with limited mobility to retrieve objects that are out of reach. The automatic telescoping reach extender is based around the telescoping characteristics of three round thin-walled aluminum tubes. The three sections are each of different diameters so that they can slide within the next larger diameter tube, extending or retracting a total of 14 inches. The extension and retraction of the aluminum sections are achieved with the use of a small motor that is geared down in order to decrease the speed and increase the torque. A setup of 50-pound test fishing line is used to extend and retract the two smaller tubes. The other automated portion of the device is a gripper mounted at the end of the tubular assembly and powered by a modified servo that drives a threaded rod going to a coupler mounted in the gripper. The gripper is mounted by use of an L-bracket, which allows a plastic part at the end of the tubular assembly to thread into it. The power for the gripper servo is provided by wires running through the tubes and down the handle. The device was developed by the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Published by: Creative Learning Press, Inc. (Website:http://www.creativelearningpress.com)
Link to text: http://nsf-pad.bme.uconn.edu/2006/Chapter10,SUNY%20Buffalo.pdf
ISBN: 1-931280-08-8
