Students in the Penn State Berks mechanical engineering and occupational therapy programs collaborate each year to create devices to meet the needs of individuals with physical challenges as part of the Pfreimer Adaptive Equipment Project (PADEP). The students present their collaborative work at the end of the fall semester. Then one or two teams advance through the competition and work with senior business majors to refine their prototype concept through business analysis in the spring semester.

This year, five teams developed and designed the concept prototype for assistive devices, and two of those teams were selected to continue their work in the spring with business students. The students were allotted a budget of $120 to create their prototypes, and projects were assessed by a team of faculty members.

The Black Team shared its idea for Easy Trash, a device with a large handle and adjustable heights that assists with weight distribution to make it easier to remove heavy trash bags from trash cans. The team theorized that its device would be helpful for users with arthritis or amputees, as well as anyone else who struggles to remove a trash bag from its can. The Black Team consisted of Abby Ackley, Armin Almasi, Aubrie Bollinger, Michael Cotter, Jacki Fulford, and Josh Miller.

The Brown Team presented its proof of concept for motorized adjustable shelving, which the team theorized would help users with muscular dystrophy and other mobility issues. The prototype featured a motorized system that allows users to not only pull the shelving out of the cabinet but also lift it, the latter being a unique feature in the market. The team explained that the device could be retrofitted for existing cabinetry or could be custom-built. The members of the Brown Team were Courtney Bolton, Jake English, Sam Eshleman, Patrick O'Donnell, and Karie Wagner.

The Red Team pitched a device that would help health care workers to care for individuals who are confined to a bed and would help prevent bedsores in patients. In its presentation, the team shared a motorized model prototype featuring removable side panels that would allow workers to move patients with the touch of a button. The Red Team consisted of Daniel George, Megan Kenny, Jakob Kopf, Andrew Omelczenko, Olivia Sheridan, and Dominick Shortridge.

The Orange Team's prototype was for the EZ-Clip Collar, a pet collar that aims to help pet owners who have grip issues. The team members discovered through market research that their idea, although simple, did not exist in many iterations or designs. Their prototype featured a strong magnet with an easy latch that would allow individuals with arthritis and other grip issues to easily put on and take off their pet's collar, without the pet's breaking away from it. The Orange Team consisted of Chris Adams, Jake Danko, Ryan Light, Morgan Lusch, Nicollette Moratori, and Maddie Smith.

The final team to present was the Yellow Team, which had devised a jar opener intended to put less strain on users' fingers and wrists and assist individuals with arthritis, carpal tunnel, and grip issues. The prototype adjusted to any size lid and any height jar and allowed users to break a jar's vacuum seal using just one hand. The bottom was encased with a rubber material to prevent the device from sliding on counters. The members of the Yellow Team were Lillian Byrd, Caleb Hooper, Ethan Link, Pedro Rodriguez, and Kristina Valera.

At the conclusion of the fall semester, PADEP faculty advisers nominated the Red Team's mobile bed frame and the Orange Team's pet collar to move forward with business analysis in the spring. To determine which projects would be nominated, Jim Laurie, assistant teaching professor of business, surveyed the faculty and staff members who attended the event, summarizing their input for the PADEP faculty advisers. Armed with that data, faculty advisers Amir Barakati, associate teaching professor of mechanical engineering; David Kresse, associate teaching professor of occupational therapy; and Rungun Nathan, professor of engineering, evaluated the data to determine if the projects have the potential to go through a second iteration.

Now that the Red and Orange teams have been selected to move forward, at least one occupational therapy and one engineering student from each team will need to continue in the spring as the business students take the lead.

To learn more about the PADEP and its history, contact Rungun Nathan at rungun.nathan@psu.edu.