The YSJ (P)roductions

Group information | Project Description | Competitive Analysis | Weekly Build Updates | Final Documentation

Group Information 

• • YSJ (P)roductions
  •  Janvi 
    • Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program
    • In charge of communicating with Client
  • Shehara 
    • BS/MS Integrated Digital Media
    • In charge of updating the class website
  • Yilin 
    • MS Interactive Telecommunications
    • In charge of taking notes during meetings with Client
  • Pat
    • Community Partner

Project Description (Due 10/20/20)

Description of Team Name (describe how naming the team was a collaborative process)
Our team wants a name that not only recognizes its members’ presence but also portrays what we are planning to do. ‘The YSJ (P)roductions’ fit our criteria perfectly – Y, S, and J are the first initials of the group members’ names and (P) signifies Pat who is our partner and client. ‘(P)roductions’ well suits our plan of creating a product for our client that meets their expectations, preferences, and values. When ‘The YSJ (P)roductions’ was added to our list of potential team names, all the members immediately agreed! 

Identify the student who will be the main point of contact for the group to schedule meetings, and manage email
We have assigned roles to each member of the team. Janvi will be acting as the point of contact for the group’s communication to its client member. 

• •     Set a schedule for regular meetings throughout the semester

Our client has agreed to meet the team every alternate Saturday morning at 11am via Zoom meetings. Following are the meeting dates: 

• • 10/17/20
  • 10/31/20 
  • 11/14/20  
  • 11/21/20    

The meeting dates and times have been agreed upon by all team members and the client as well. The client has also agreed to meet with the team if required in between the scheduled dates. We will establish more meeting dates on November 14th.

What is the planned project? Provide a description of the goal(s) and subgoals.
The YSJ (P)roductions interviewed the client to identify their values and preferences. Our client recognized their top three preferred solutions. The top three solutions were a heat and massage knee brace, a step stool with a grab bar, and a way to raise the client’s furniture levels. Out of these, the team agreed to work on increasing the client’s furniture levels (potentially their couch or bed). We moved away from using the heat and massage knee brace because we realized that it would be unsafe for us to create. We don’t have the knowledge of Pat’s medical records so we wouldn’t know if adding heat was actually good for Pat’s knee.

Our goal is to create a product (or a product design) that is easy to install and does not require heavy lifting. Firstly, we will focus on researching the client’s couch and finding a suitable commercial solution for cushion risers. 

Subgoals: 

1. 1. Gather information from the client about the dimensions of her couch. 
   2. Research literature for finding evidence that directs us to appropriate solutions for easing getting up from the couch for the older population. 
   3. Search different commercial websites for finding a ‘cushion riser’ that meets the client’s needs. 

Our second goal is to provide an additional external ‘stander’ or ‘grab bar’ that supports standing up from any low seated position. 

Subgoals: 

1. 1. Gather further information from the client about her height and her couch’s height. 
   2. Research literature for finding information for configuring appropriate height and other dimensions of the ‘stander’. 

Create a mockup 3D model of the grab bar to visualize our solution

A|B

C|D

Design Highlights:

. Rounded corners
. Stable
. Adjustable height to cope with different needs
A: Put in between the sofa cushion and the base. Hard to move by one person
B: Easy to move and adjust. However, might be heavy to be more stable
C: One side is stuck at the bottom of the sofa, and using a slider inside to make it easier to move left to right
D: Fixed handle, cannot move.

What tools / expertise will you leverage to complete the project?
Some tools we will need to leverage in order to complete the project is 3D modeling, product design, PT expertise, and researching skills. We individually have separate sets of skills that when brought together can help us accomplish our solution.

What additional tools / expertise will you need to complete the project?
Some additional expertise that we may need to complete the project is with 3D printing. None of us have extensive experience in 3D printing and would love all the help and extra expertise we can get. We are not sure if we will go to the 3D printing route, but we are keeping it in mind as we brainstorm and research. 

What is your timeline?

10/25/20 — Get all the required information from the client

10/25/20 — Complete the literature search and compile the data. Team members have split the topics among themselves according to the goals.  

10/31/20 — Develop our product design and begin creating the first prototype 

11/2/20 — Create Rough Mockup for first prototype

11/9/20 — Begin iterating the first mockup with clients notes

11/16/20 – Create a 3D model of the current prototype

Broader population who might be interested in your solution: Who (other than your community partner) might be interested in this solution. This can include information such as age, diagnosis or functional limitation, environments for use.
A broader population who might be interested in our solution are people who have difficulties getting up from their low leveled furniture. This will also include people with limited mobility in their arms or legs. Some environments for use of the solutions include sitting down on a couch, standing up from a bed, getting up from a toilet seat, etc. Another population that our solution will benefit are the elderly individuals (60 years of age or older) with frail joints and muscles and at the risk of fall.  

Competitive Analysis and Literature Review (Due 10/27/20)

• • Should include at least the following and may include additional sections depending on your project and findings.
  • What is commercially available to solve the problem?
  • Describe at least 3 potential approaches (either commercially available products or DIY tutorials) that could be used by your partner. 
  • Include pictures and URLs for the products you found. For each, describe what differentiates your solution.

Commercial solutions for the ‘stander’

There are numerous ‘standers’ in the market currently available. These devices have quite creative adaptations as well for daily activities use by the elderly population. Out of the multiple standers that we found online, here are our top three picks:

Assist-a-Tray

This device provides external support through its handle for standing up and sitting down from a furniture surface (eg; couch, chair, bed, etc.). Both the handle and the tray can be pivoted for 360 degrees along with height adjustment according to the individual’s preference. The multi-swivel tray is built with a cup holder as well. It costs $229.99 on the vendor’s website. This is an expensive option and does not provide support on both sides of one’s body. Check it out HERE!

EZ Stand-N-Go

  

 This device is made of steel that provides a solid foundation to push from while getting up from furniture surfaces. It comes with an adjustable leg and handles heights along with adjustable width and breadth of its frame. It is available for $99.00 on Amazon’s website. Our solution is inspired by this design, however, we aim to make it more budget-friendly. Check it out HERE!

Stand-A-Roo

 

 Stand-A-Roo is a two-in-one, no assembly device available on Amazon for $49.95. The handle is adjustable. It can be mounted on the couch or the bed of the user. However, it cannot be stabilized and is not sturdy enough like the solution that we aim to provide. Check it out HERE!

Commercial solutions for the cushion riser

While doing a search for commercial solutions to raise couch cushions, we found that there wasn’t anything specifically for raising the height on a sofa using cushions. The solutions we found were mainly for chairs, but we did find some that could directly compete with our solution.

DMI® Deluxe Seat Lift Seat Riser Cushion Pillow, 16″ x 16″ x 4″

This one costs $24.75. As seen below, this would raise the height for a single person while they were sitting on a couch. It would add 4 inches of height to the sofa to help one get up from a raised height.

Carex Upeasy Seat Assist 

Another solution we found is a lot more “high-tech”, it is called “Carex Upeasy Seat Assist – Chair Lift And Sofa Stand Assist – Portable Lifting Seat With Support Up to 200 Pounds, Provides 70% Assistance” and it costs $82.77. This commercial solution is 9 pounds and it essentially does 70% of the work of getting up for you. It is a self-lifting device with a hydro-pneumatic gas spring in the chair lift releases slowly as the user begins to stand. We definitely think that this is a lot more high-tech than our solution. Furthermore, our solution is intended to be put on top of or under our client’s existing couch cushions to raise it up. This solution only provides a lift for one person. It is also a lot more expensive than we aim for our solution to be.

DIY solutions for the cushion riser

There are many videos teaching people how to make cushion risers and the main difference exists in the materials picking. The recommended cushion riser material includes Roho cushion, old mattress, and memory foam.

Outdoor waterproof cushions	Plastic reusable zip bags; bean bags or foam	Cheap; waterproof;
DIY cushion	Matrix from walmart; Brown paper and cloth; also gadgets to fix the cushion onto the chair	More properly sized shapes
Backrest	Cloth, old clothes	Simple materials	Need some sewing skills.

DIY solutions for the stander

Reviewing literature for the project 

Our partner and client presents with unique challenges in her everyday life inside her own home. She is elderly, experiences knee and back pain everyday, and suffers from falls while accessing her own furniture. She claims that multiple solutions like canes, grab bars, walkers, etc. have been recommended to her by the physical and occupational therapists in the past. However, she likes her independence way too much to begin relying on such external devices to access her home. And we agree, one can convince her to use assistive mobility devices but compliance is questionable given her personal preferences. 

Yet, we feel empathetic about her pain and fall experiences in her home and want to build a partnership with her to find solutions that she would prefer and value. Targeting fall prevention by raising the height of her furniture and providing an external supportive device for standing up and sitting is all the partners’ priority for improving our partner’s quality of life. This project aims to generate recommendations for the external environment in the client’s house.

Due to aging, falls and fall-related injuries are an indicator of frailty that constitutes a major risk of health and well-being to older adults (Pynoos et al., 2012). As our partner experiences significant back and knee pain, we realized that understanding the biomechanics of sit-to-stand is important to design our product ergonomically. The knee flexors, extensors, and trunk movement muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings, and lumbar paraspinal) are identified as the major involved muscles in the sit-to-stand action in elderly (Dehail et al., 2007). Muscle strengthening could be one potential solution. However, given our partner’s frail elderly being, safe external environmental modifications to reduce falls and strain on her joints should be looked into more closely. 

As reported in a cross-sectional study by Lindemann et al., (2014), trunk flexion and extension during sit-to-stand motion can be reduced by increasing the height of the surface. Additionally, use of hands to push-off also gave similar reduction in trunk movements. In accordance to this study, we are looking to raise the furniture height such that our partner’s hips and thighs are slightly more extended than the horizontal position. 

An experimental study conducted by Valipoor et al., (2018) concluded that higher (28 cm) and farther (67 cm) armrests promote a safer stand-sit-stand transition with improved upper body posture. Our team aims to design and produce a stander that incorporates these evidenced findings for improved and safer functioning for our partner. 

Seat height is the most important factor for sit-to-stand movement. Also, the seat should support the full length of the thigh, and we need to leave enough space behind the knees for circulation. Besides, Users tend to use cushions as extra back support to reduce the seat depth. Users tend to pull forward to sit straight, lean forward, and push up on armrests during STS transition (Blackler et al. 2018).

A woman is trying to lean forward by gripping the armrests to pull forward and then she tries to stand up by pushing up the handrest.

Reviewing literature for 3D printing

Another research paper that relates to our project is “Uncovering Challenges and Opportunities for 3D Printing Assistive Technology with Physical Therapists” which was co-written by our amazing professor, Amy Hurst! Although this paper is mainly aimed at physical therapists, there is a lot of great information that we could use for our grab bar/stander. Specifically, the process of creating a crutch tip as well as the grips for canes, both of which we may try to implement. This paper gave us an insight into what worked and what didn’t work, how important prototyping is, specific materials to use, and some tips for how to approach 3D printing for accessible technology. It also taught us how 3D printing does have a lot of potential for creating assistive technology because we weren’t sure if it would. Overall, this paper really helped us realize that our solution is feasible although there may be some limitations (McDonald et al., 2016).

Reflection on the impact of the solutions

What is the relationship between your proposed solution and the current technologies your partner uses?

As of right now, our partner does not use any type of technology (in terms of couch risers) to help them get off their sofa and bed. They have canes and grab bars that their PT/OT had recommended to them, but they prefer to be independent.  They said that they struggle with getting up, and have not looked into anything to help them. Hence, our solution would be the only thing that our partner will be using at this point in time which is why we are working on two solutions to see which one, the cushion riser or the grab bar/stander would be most effective/useful/preferred by them. As well as which solution they would use in the long run.

How will your group ensure that your solution won’t interfere with your partner’s current daily activities?

In the ideation session for the product, we will confirm the size and the usage of the product with our partner to make sure that the size of the device is proper and leaves enough room for wheelchair use or other body movements. Also, we will brainstorm about potential risks while drafting designs. After the initial prototyping, we will conduct a user test to spot the problem and iterate the design.

How will your group design a solution so it doesn’t interfere with other devices in your partner’s environment?

We are reducing interference in our partner’s lifestyle by providing an external solution that will blend-in in her home’s environment. An adaption to her couch with not too large parts is our aim. 

References 

Blackler, A., Brophy, C., O’Reilly, M., & Chamorro-Koc, M. (2018). Seating in aged care: Physical fit, independence and comfort. SAGE Open Medicine, 6. https://doi-org.proxy.library.nyu.edu/10.1177/2050312117744925

Dehail, P., Bestaven, E., Muller, F., Mallet, A., Robert, B., Bourdel-Marchasson, I., & Petit, J. (2007). Kinematic and electromyographic analysis of rising from a chair during a “Sit-to-Walk” task in elderly subjects: Role of strength. Clinical Biomechanics, 22(10), 1096–1103. https://doi-org.proxy.library.nyu.edu/10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2007.07.015

Lindemann, U., Becker, C., van Oosten, L., Evers, J., van Dieen, J. H., & van Lummel, R. C. (2014). Effect of bed height and use of hands on trunk angular velocity during the sit-to-stand transfer. Ergonomics, 57(10), 1536–1540. https://doi-org.proxy.library.nyu.edu/10.1080/00140139.2014.933889

McDonald, S., Comrie, N., Buehler, E., Carter, N., Dubin, B., Gordes, K., McCombe-Waller, S., & Hurst, A. (2016). Uncovering Challenges and Opportunities for 3D Printing Assistive Technology with Physical Therapists. ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility, 131–139. https://doi-org.proxy.library.nyu.edu/10.1145/2982142.2982162

Pynoos, J., Steinman, B., Do Nguyen, A., & Bressette, M. (2012). Assessing and Adapting the Home Environment to Reduce Falls and Meet the Changing Capacity of Older Adults. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 26(1–3), 137–155. https://doi-org.proxy.library.nyu.edu/10.1080/02763893.2012.673382

Valipoor, S., Pati, D., Stock, M. S., & Bazuin, D. (2018). Safer chairs for elderly patients: design evaluation using electromyography and force measurement. Ergonomics, 61(7), 902–912. https://doi-org.proxy.library.nyu.edu/10.1080/00140139.2018.1427804

Midterm Presentation:

Weekly Build Updates

11/3/20

On 10/31/2020, we had a meeting with Pat where we discussed next steps of our project. Here are some of the things that we discussed:

• • We need the measurements of Pat’s couch so that we can recommend her a cushion riser that is the right dimensions. So we will be sending her a how-to video on how to use a measurement app on her phone. We will also send her a picture of what dimensions we need her to measure for us.
  • We asked her what she did and didn’t like about her canes that she has. She discussed how her quad cane is hard for her to use. She doesn’t really know how to use it.
    • In regards to this, we have decided to make her a guide on how to use the type of cane she has because she said that she likes the grip she has on it.
  • Grip that she has:  

• • We asked her how much she would want the couch to be raised. We decided on about 3” would be good. She said she would get us the measurements this week. 
  • We also discussed her intended budget, she said that she would like us to stay within $100 and that she is able to send and receive mail

Some action items that we want to do this upcoming week are:

1. 1. Finalize the dimensions of the cushion riser
   2. Look into creating a grab bar for her couch out of pvc pipes
   3. Cost and how we would be able to do it
   4. Look into 3D printing a grip at the makerspace

11/10/20

This week we sent Pat a reminder email because she still has to send us some measurements for her couch. We ended up finding this tutorial for the measuring app on her phone, so we sent it over to her to help her learn how to use it.

In terms of the grab bar for the center of Pat’s couch, we have decided to make it out of PVC pipe as it is an affordable, low-cost option. After doing some research we learned that it would cost $30 at the most to make the grab bar for pat.

• • A 24” straight PVC pipe costs about $2
  • We would be able to cut it to form the length of the pieces we need. We are going to use the Stand A Roo which we presented during our midterm as a model
  • A 5 pack of the elbow connectors is $8
  • The most expensive part would be the grip we put on top of the pvc
  • Also if we decide to paint it, that would be an extra cost

It is hard to calculate the actual total until we get the measurements from Pat. Shehara will be going home to NJ for thanksgiving where she will use the tools she has at her house to start cutting the pvc pipes.

Shehara also made some 3D models – they are the exact dimensions of pvs we will be using. This is just a prototype that we will be sending Pat to see what she thinks.

   

We also started drafting the guide on how to use a quad cane for Pat, which you can see HERE!

Some action items that we want to do this upcoming week are:

1. 1. Finalize the dimensions of the cushion riser – Pat still hasn’t gotten back to us with these dimensions
   2. Start looking at prices and maybe purchase PVC Pipes
   3. A second draft of the how to use the quad cane document

11/17/20

This week, our project development experienced a short pause. Our community partner had a fall recently in her home that led her to a rest period because of which she couldn’t contribute to the project. 

Fortunately, our TA was able to get in touch with our partner and assist her in providing us the inputs. We are finally back on track! We have received the measurements of Pat’s couch and will be continuing further development this week. We have shared the 3D model design with Pat and received her feedback as well. She likes the ideas and is also excited to see how the final product turns out. 

We have also begun pricing the PVC pipes out and Shehara will be buying them next week. So far it looks like Lowes has the cheapest prices. We are also looking at painting or adding some color to the grab bar. We will be talking to Pat about color schemes she would like for it. 

11/24/20

This week Shehara purchased the materials to make the couch grab bar. You can check them out below, we bought 2 1-inch 5 feet PVC pipes, 2 PVC ends, a bag of 5 PVC 90-degree corners, and black spray paint. The total ended up being $20.25. The price break down without tax was:

• • • $4.00 – 5 PVC 90-degree corners
    • $2.00 – 2 PVC ends
    • $8.00 – 2 1-inch 5 feet PVC pipes
    • $5.00 – Black Spray Paint

Before Shehara started cutting up all the PVC pipes, she made sure to look back at the measurements that Pat and Rita sent us!! She then decided what sizes to cut the PVC pipes to.

To cut the PVC pipes, Shehara used a hacksaw (pictured below). She had a little trouble cutting some of them so her dad and mom helped out a little (shoutout to them). 

Shehara’s first measurements for the pvc pipes were to make the top horizontal bar 15 inches, and the 2 vertical pipes 20 inches. When she put all the pipes together she realized that there were 2 things wrong. She forgot to cut a second vertical pipe as well as the fact that when you add the 90-degree corners on, it adds 3.5 inches to the length. Which made it too big for Pat’s couch. So, she had to rethink her measurements and she decided to re-cut the 3 pipes as pictured below.

So she ended up deciding to make the two vertical bars 15 inches and the top horizontal bar 12 inches. With all the pipes finally cut to length, Shehara assembled the grab bar. Check out what it ended up looking like below.

   

The next day, Shehara spray painted all the parts black – we will include pictures in the next update as we have to do another coat.

Next week, we are going to figure out how to send the grab bar to Pat. We definitely need to send her an instruction guide for how to put it together!

Yilin also created this amazing guide that we will send to Pat about how to use her cane.

The manual

Here was her process

1. 1. Considering Pat’s needs, found the resources online and summarized into one document
   2. Then drew the drafts with steps that are necessary for Pat specifically
   3. Added color and organized the graphics to make it easier to understand

12/01/20

This week we created a guide for how to put the stand-bar together which you can view here. This is to make it super easy for Pat to put it together when we send it to her. We also looked at shipping costs. We decided that we would ship the pieces of the stand-bar to Pat along with a print out of the instructions. 

12/01/20

This week we had a meeting with Pat and we showed her all the updates we had. She loved the grab bar and the How to use her cane guide. We sent her the instruction sheet for the grab bar to make sure she understood how to put it together and she said that it was clear. You can check out the instruction sheet here. Shehara also finished painting the grab bar and she mailed the grab bar to Pat today so hopefully, she gets it by the end of the week! 

This week, we also used the measurements provided to us by Pat to find a cushion riser. Finding and recommending a cushion riser/ couch riser is another one of our goals. As we discussed with her earlier, she wants ~3 inches to rise in her couch’s height. Janvi was able to find a website that can ship a high-density foam that is cut out according to the custom measurements provided which you can find here.

We chose the ‘Lux foam – high quality’ type of foam from the various kinds of choices given on the website. Lux foam is firm and is suggested for indoor use. According to Pat’s measurements, the length of her couch is 66 inches and breadth is 17.50 inches. We reduced those numbers by a couple of inches to accommodate a great foam fit of her couch (64″ x 16″ x 3″).

Additionally, we found a dycem roll on amazon that can be easily cut with scissors and placed between the foam and couch’s cushion to reduce slipping and incorporate a non-slip surface. You can find that here.

The total cost of the foam, with shipping and handling, comes up to approximately $49. The dycem roll costs $55. Total cost would be around $104. Pat has mentioned to us that her budget is $100.

12/08/20

Pat has received the prototype of the stand bar, a printed ‘How-to-assemble’ guide for it, and a printed version of ‘How-to-use-cane’. We hopped on a zoom call with her to make sure the device is assembled, installed, and used correctly. She was satisfied and happy with our prototype while stating that the stand bar has largely relieved her knee and back pain during the sit-to-stand transfers from her couch.

(Photo Taken with Pat’s Permission)

We will also follow up with Pat in the upcoming weekend to analyze the efficiency of the stand bar and ‘How-to-use-cane’ guide. We will also ask Pat if she wants to go ahead with ordering a high-density foam for raising her couch height and provide recommendations as required.

 

Final Documentation (Due 12/15/20)

Final things we sent to Pat:

• Goal 1: Stand Bar (Price: $20.25 – breakdown show in 11/24/20 weekly journal)
  • We sent Pat the Stand Bar and she loved it. In our presentation video, you can check out how it turned out. We created the stand bar to help relieve the stress of Pat’s knee when she gets up. Using the stand bar helped her a lot and allowed her to go from sit to stand position a lot easier.
    • Sub Goal: Stand Bar Guide
      • We realized that in our presentation we mentioned that we only had 3 main goals we had for Pat. The Stand bar guide is not a new goal,  but a sub-goal of the stand bar. This was just a guide to help Pat put the device together when she received it.
• Goal 2: Foam Riser (Price: $32.70 + shipping and handling) & Dycem roll ($46.91)
  • For raising the height of the couch, we recommended Pat to order a high density foam (3″ x 16″ x 64″) from www.foambymail.com. As discussed earlier (the week of 12/01/20), Pat’s couch measurements are 66 inches length and the breadth is 17.50 inches. We reduced those numbers by a couple of inches to accommodate a great foam fit of her couch (3″ x 16″ x 64″). The total cost of all this comes up to around $100 (with all the shipping costs); which is also the budget that Pat has set for us. 
• Goal 3: How to Use Quad Cane Guide
  • We created this because there were 2 weeks or so where we were at a stand still for our project because we didn’t have the measurements of Pat’s couch. Instead of not contributing anything to the project, we asked Pat if there was something else she needed help with that we could do while waiting on the measurements. She mentioned that she has a cane, but she doesn’t know how to use it – which is why she doesn’t use it. 

We sent Pat a box with the dissembled parts of the stand bar, a print out of the Stand Bar Guide, and a print out of the How to Use Quad Cane guide. The shipping cost was $8.77. When she received it, we had a zoom call with her to help her put the stand bar together. Next week, we are going to meet with Pat again to see if she is still using the grab bar and whether or not she needed help with any of our other goals.

12/15/20 – Update: ANALYZING THE PROJECT

We met with Pat on Saturday (12/12/20) to see if the grab and the cane-guide has worked for her. She reported that she loved the grab bar and that it was perfect. She said she had no questions or improvements for it.

For the cushion riser, we have emailed Pat step-by-step instructions for how to order it online when she decides to do so. We have also shared our contact details if she needs any further assistance with it.