Student team works on walking device with real-life impact for woman – Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

CHAMPAIGN Raising two children while managing cerebral palsy isnt easy, especially when your walker is long past its prime.

With a little help from a friend, Jasmine Brown of Champaign will soon be fitted with a custom walker designed by four seniors in the University of Illinois mechanical engineering program.

The unique project came about through Browns friendship with Diane Gottheil, a retired UI administrator and president of the Josh Gottheil Memorial Fund for Lymphoma Research.

The two met when Brown, 28, moved to C-U seven years ago. Gottheil knew her brother and agreed to take Brown and her baby daughter to look at some apartments.

They became friends, and Gottheil learned over the summer that Brown had run into insurance problems while trying to replace her specialized walker which is essentially held together with duct tape and a couple of oversized screws.

Its awful, Gottheil said.

So Gottheil checked out the faculty research profiles on the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineerings website and found Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler, a professor who specialized in developing devices for people with disabilities.

To her amazement, Hsiao-Wecksler responded immediately and, after checking with her department colleagues, agreed to offer the case to students as part of a senior capstone design project.

I made the right choice, Gottheil said. I felt so good about the world.

As it turned out, Hsiao-Wecksler had been considering ways to democratize disability design and make innovations available without patent restrictions, so they can benefit more people.

Its only fitting, she said, given the UIs pioneering work on disability research.

This particular project is very specific, she said, but theres the potential that there are people out there who could use it, too.

Four students ended up being assigned to the design team: Sung Jae Hwang, Adam Rosales, Jamie Sergay and Abigail Steimel.

This was my top choice, and Im very happy that I got it. I think everyone in the group is really excited about it, Steimel said.

The project is still in the early stages. Students last week presented a preliminary design plan to faculty members and hope to have a working prototype by the end of the semester.

Theyd been brainstorming about whether to design a device from scratch or try to modify an existing product available commercially, Hsiao-Wecksler said. They decided to buy something on the market, so that it could be easily replicated, she said.

What Brown wants is actually a gait trainer, typically used for children who need assistance walking. Walkers go in front of patients, who push them along as they move; a gait trainer sits behind patients, and they pull it as they walk.

They add more stability, Hsiao-Wecksler said.

Most gait-trainers are made to fit children, but Brown has something known as crouch gait, which means her knees and ankles are permanently bent. She prefers to use a gait trainer because she can sit down on it.

The style shes using now was first purchased through her fathers insurance when she was 8 years old, so its too small, Hsiao-Wecksler said.

Shes using a device made for children, so it doesnt fit her properly, she said.

Gait trainers arent designed for long-term use, Steimel said, and Browns is completely falling apart. Parts are missing, the seat comes off and when she presses on the handle bars, it actually tilts forward. Brown said it fell apart once as she was sitting in it.

Its been really difficult trying to get another one. I wanted to hurry up and try to get something before winter came, she said.

Because gait trainers arent readily available for adults, the UI student engineers plan to adapt whats known as a rollator, a walker that has four wheels, hand brakes, a basket and a large seat. Theyll redesign it to go behind her.

Most of the elements are the same, Steimel said. All were doing is taking the back and putting it in the front.

The students will also adjust the frame to better fit Brown, who is 5 feet tall, she said.

That means theyll have to do more calculations to ensure the walker still meets required standards and will support her weight, as the changes could affect its stability, Steimel said.

Their main focus is durability, so it can last awhile.

We need to make sure it can withstand a decade of use without falling apart, she said.

The students will add other features that Brown requested, such as adjustable handlebars, so they can be at a comfortable height. She also wants to be able to fold it easily to store in the trunk of her car, so it has to be lightweight.

The students met Gottheil and Brown at MedServ Equipment Co. in Urbana recently to let her try out a few models they could adapt, with help from owner Dave Beshoar.

He spent an hour with them, Gottheil said. It kind of warms your heart. The kids are taking this very seriously.

Steimel said the project is more rewarding than other design challenges shes worked on.

This has such tangible, real-life impact that we are able to see right before our eyes, she said. Its kind of intimidating, but also very motivational. We need to do a good job. This woman needs a good walker.

Brown is really excited about it, and not just for her own benefit. This could be something that different people can utilize, she said.

She uses her walker every day, 24 hours a day. Whenever Im up, Im using it, she said.

But she demurs from talking about how cerebral palsy affects her life, saying shes adapted.

I dont want to make it seem like its a complaint, she said. Ive been doing it all my life. Its OK some days, and some days its not.

Gottheil said Brown is bright and very strong. Shes a tough woman.

Next on Browns list, after the walker is sorted out: finding a way to pay for the repairs and modifications needed for the van she bought this year after finally getting her drivers license. While she has trouble standing, she is able to drive. Her husband works, but money is tight.

With her younger son now in kindergarten, Brown hopes to go back to school at Parkland and eventually earn a degree. She also wants to move closer to the center of Champaign, to make things easier.

Gottheil has been helping all along the way.

She is outstanding, over and beyond, Brown said.

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Student team works on walking device with real-life impact for woman - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette