Thomas Kaisen
The "Bike" Project: Sophomore Design Sequence
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The sophomore design sequence at JMU gave me student group an opportunity to face a real engineering problem and create a solution while working with a client. The aim of the year-long project was to develop a human powered vehicle, such as a bicycle. The client we were given had cerebral palsy and was unable to ride a traditional bicycle. We needed to create a design she could use that had the same functions as a bike. My group met with our client to learn about her needs, desires, and abilities. We created prototypes of subsystems and evaluated them to obtain the optimal solution. We integrated the best subsystems that met the functions of the design to create a working prototype, which our client was able to use successfully at the end of the year.
Shown above is the final prototype that my team presented to our client. This "bike" was built using parts machined from the JMU Machine Shop, reused pieces of bikes, and bought materials. Photo by K. Dawson.
Pictured to the right is a view of the final prototype that highlights the propulstion system of the design. Our client had difficulties performing full rotations with the propulstion system of a traditional bike, so we adapted a leg press motion into the design. Tie rods were attached from the pedals to the pedal arms to rotate a gear that held the chain. We used a chain to create a direct drive to the rear wheel. Photo by K. Dawson.