Help with Senior Design Project
 

Hello CD, I am an alumni of FRC# 1023 and currently a coach of FTC# 5237. I am in my final semester of college, and leading a senior design group.

My group has been tasked with creating an all-terrain wheelchair for a disabled veteran who enjoys hunting. Her land is full of challenges; sand, mud, and small branches. Another challenge is that she wants to be able to use it year-round. Being in Michigan means heavy rain and snow/ice will be a factor.

I would like to request your assistance in finding parts that we can use. More specifically, motors, batteries, treads, and control systems. We have a small budget of $500, but we're planning on doing some fundraising.

Thank you and good luck in the upcoming seasons!

Re: Help with Senior Design Project
 

I will just leave this here :)

Check out what GRIT uses. Old bicycle parts are cheaper and certainly more common that some of the things we use in FRC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uooNlA6n5pA

Re: Help with Senior Design Project
 

When designing this project, spend a fair bit of time understanding the task requirements. For example;
- How high a step does your user need to get over? Is it a 5" curb or an 8" tree?
- What about weight and size limitations?

I remember seeing a video on CD about a team with a wheel made out of 3 smaller wheels. Might that "climb" over a small tree?

Will your wheel chair be powered? If so, would tank treads be an option?
They are used on tanks and backhoes to go over rough terrain and not bog down.

With rough terrain, its critical to keep the users center of gravity low to prevent getting launched out of the chair.

Let us know if you need a cRIO. I think we have a few.
Dave