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UWindsor projects aims to get kids wheelchairs faster

University of Windsor engineering students have been working with the John McGivney Children’s Centre. (Source:  John McGivney Children’s Centre) University of Windsor engineering students have been working with the John McGivney Children’s Centre. (Source: John McGivney Children’s Centre)
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University of Windsor engineering students have been working with the John McGivney Children’s Centre to help improve the wheelchair seating manufacturing process.

The project aims to reduce the time to produce wheelchair seats so that children with special needs could receive their wheelchairs sooner, while maintaining their highly customized, high-quality seating product and reducing production costs.

“Our current approach was a mix of internal and external processes that could be costly and labour intensive at times, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated those challenges, introducing unpredictability in the cost and delivery of materials,” said Gerry Demers, seating technologist at JMCC.

The custom seats are uniquely designed to meet the specific needs of each child, and cannot be just ‘taken off the shelf’.

“We knew there was a better way, but did not have the time to dedicate to finding a solution,” added Tracey Roberts, seating department occupational therapist.

The fourth year engineering students began the project in January under the leadership of Dr. Colin Novak, and concluded with a presentation during the Faculty of Engineering Design Demo Day July 29.

The new process has the potential to reduce production time from six-to-eight months to three-to-four weeks and introduce innovative technologies with support from Harbour Technologies, Valiant TMS and other local partners.

“My teammates and I made several visits to the Centre. One time, we met a four-year-old girl who was being molded for a new wheelchair seat. At such a young age she had already undergone multiple surgeries and will most likely need more in the future. These custom molded seats make a huge difference for these children by providing optimal alignment and support while improving their wellbeing,” said engineering student Jasmine Bull.

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