Wheelchair Bowling Attachment
By Jain, Ankita; Mahesh, Srivatsa; Mollendorf, Joseph C.; NSF 2009 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons With Disabilities, pages 220-221Publication Date: 2011
Article outlines the development of a wheelchair attachment that enables wheelchair users who have limited use of their arms to play a game of bowling. The device is a track that has been designed to simulate a person’s arm movement. The attachment has three main components: a clamping mechanism, a height adjuster, and a width adjuster. Assembly is accomplished by clamping two rods on each side of the user’s wheelchair; then the width adjuster is attached to the rods, using springs. Finally, an aluminum plate fastened to the back of the track is screwed to the width adjuster. Castors are attached to the track’s base for portability. To accommodate for wheelchairs of different heights, an aluminum bar is attached to the outer sides of the track. A locking knob, located in the bars, may be loosened, allowing for vertical motion of the assembly. Once the desired height is reached, knobs are re-tightened. During use of the wheelchair attachment, a bowling ball rests on the wooden track before the user approaches the bowling lane. As the user stops at the foul line, the ball’s momentum causes it to roll down the track and onto the lane. The wheelchair bowling attachment was designed by engineering students 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/2009/CHAPTER%2014%20STATE%20UNIVERSITY%20OF%20NEW%20YORK%20AT%20BUFFALO.pdf
ISBN: 1-931280-16-9
