Arm-Mounted Carry Assistant
By Glasgow, Mark; Mollendorf, Joseph C.; NSF 2008 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons With Disabilities, pp. 140-141Publication Date: 2011
Description of an assistive device that distributes the weight load of carried items for individuals who have weakened strength in one arm following stroke. Designed by an engineering student at the State University of New York at Buffalo, the arm-mounted carry assistant consists of a foam lined plastic cuff with Velco fasteners which envelops the user’s forearm and continues up the back of the elbow. It is split into semicircles and hinged on one side, where it is equipped with two steel hooks allowing the user to carry items such as grocery bags. As the arm is not supposed to support the majority of the load, the device has been designed to transfer it to the shoulders and hips. A support belt worn by the user aids the load distribution, and a strap from the opposite shoulder goes through a loop on the cuff to bear some of the load on the shoulder. A female end located on the hip of the belt locks with a male feature found near the elbow on the cuff, disbursing some of the weight to the hips.
Published by: Creative Learning Press, Inc. (Website:http://www.creativelearningpress.com)
Link to text: http://nsf-pad.bme.uconn.edu/2008/Chapter%208,%20State%20University%20of%20New%20York%20at%20Buffalo.pdf
ISBN: 1-931280-15-0
