Due 3/27/19

Proposal of Proposal

Writing for Engineering

Problem At Hand

The easiest form of transportation is by walking. Without legs, people will only get as far as only a few meters by crawling. We have invented the wheelchair for those who are unable to walk, providing assistance to those who cannot walk. As helpful as the wheelchair may seem, it can still create problems for the user such as having difficulty pushing the wheels, and using weak material.

Proposed Solution

Responding to the challenge, our group would like to focus on improving the wheelchair’s mechanism to provide easier maneuvering and quick accessibility. We would like to design a wheelchair with a system that mimics the gears of a bicycle to allow easier navigation for those with weak arms. By pushing with less strength and increased speed, the user can get travel from one place to another with little to no assistance. It is great for children who are not yet strong enough to push themselves, those who have weak bones and muscles, and the elderly with insufficient strength. Like a bicycle, the wheelchair will have two gears: one for the user to turn, and the other to turn the wheel. These two gears will be placed on both sides of the wheelchair for the two large wheels. By having the user push the larger gear, the wheelchair’s smaller gear will turn faster, allowing the person to move further and faster without too much power. We are also planning to create a lighter, cheaper, and more durable frame for the chair to have it cost less than the normal wheelchair while providing a long-lasting build. Combining the lower costs, stronger frame, and more accessible navigation, our wheelchair is without a doubt a revolution for the people who need it.

Potential Obstacles

As good as the innovation may sound, there is no good idea that comes without drawbacks. Some potential challenges or problems that may arise include difficulty in finding the right material for the chair frame, conflicting group members’ schedules, and obtaining the parts for the wheelchair. The average wheelchair costs approximately ____. Finding stronger, lighter, and cheaper material will definitely pose an obstacle because light and strong objects do not often come cheap. This material will be difficult to find as well because of such specific requirements. In hopes to overcome this obstacle, we will perform thorough research to find the optimal source of material for our wheelchair. Next, because of our busy schedules and large course loads, it will be hard to find time to work on the proposal. In addition to midterms and multiple classes, meeting in person will be near impossible. Hence, we plan to meet online and discuss our plans from there. As for the parts of a wheelchair, we plan to attach the two gear systems to both sides of the wheelchair. Finding these parts are simple because we can reuse gears from an unused bicycle; on the contrary, in addition to imitating a bicycle’s gears, we plan to create a braking mechanism. Though we are not trying to make anything complex, finding the parts will definitely pose some difficulty. This is because we do not know what parts we will be using to create the brake; however, we may look at the bicycle’s anatomy again and mimic their braking system as a possible solution.

Plan and Schedule

The entire process of the proposal will take a month. During the first week, we will  identify a research topic and formulate questions to start the research design of our innovation. On week 2, we will meet during club hours to start writing the research proposal, collect our data (for the costs), and write the first draft. On the weekend, we will meet through skype and use google docs to write the second draft and create the product of our innovation. At the end of the second weekend, we will also meet up and test the product at a park in order test the brakes and gears. After trial and error (week 3), we will finalize the product and make minor adjustments to see if the product works and functions properly. Finally, by the end of week 3, we would be at our last stage and manage to finish the final draft of our proposal.

Group Roles

As for our roles, we plan to have equitable roles for each person in the making of this innovation. Rasha will find a material that is inexpensive and sturdy. She will also account for the sizing and comfort of the wheelchair. Benjamin will distinguish between the gears of the wheelchair in order to find an effective means that is not electric. Finally, Tamzid will create an effective brake lever that is easy to use. The gears and the brake are two very important key concepts to the wheelchair. Once we have the right parts, we will be able to completely revolutionize the wheelchair with a new, productive structure.