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HUMAN ENGINEERING RESEARCH LABORATORIES (HERL)
SUMMER INTERNSHIPS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS The Internship Program at HERL (Human Engineering Research Laboratories) provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to engage in a variety of educational, clinical, and research training activities at a state-of-the-art research facility. Engineering and clinical opportunities are available in many research areas related to the development and evaluation of new technologies and procedures to improve the mobility and quality of life for individuals with disabilities. The internship is typically 10-12 weeks in duration, 40 hours each week. Students are assigned to work on one or more projects throughout their internship depending on their interests and HERL's current research agenda. Projects may be mechanical in nature (design and fabrication of measurement devices or wheelchair accessories/equipment), electrical (circuit design and implementation), computer (programming interfaces for data collection, virtual reality, and visual output) or clinical (assistance with human subject testing, data entry, data analysis, and subject recruitment). Many interns are provided with initial training and assistance and then go on to work semi-independently on their respective projects. Supervision and mentorship are provided by experienced faculty and staff (research scientists, physiatrists, clinicians, engineers, and expert machinists). Throughout the internship, students receive didactic training in research methodology, scientific writing and presentation and engineering design and fabrication. At the end of the internship, each student will prepare a scientific paper and present their project in a formal student research symposium. For many students, the HERL Internship Program is the opportunity that helps them to decide which career direction to choose. In fact, several of the interns have gone on to enroll in the graduate programs in Bioengineering and Rehabilitation Science and Technology at the University of Pittsburgh and have continued to work at HERL as graduate researchers. Although most undergraduate interns work the summer months, there are occasionally openings throughout the year. High school students who are interested in learning more about rehabilitation engineering, therapies and research can also apply. Student Projects - Summer 2004
Faculty Advisor: Shirley Fitzgerald, PhD Email: sgf9@pitt.edu Project #1 Service Dog Studies Description of Project: There are two service dog studies that we could use help on, one that is ongoing, and one that will be starting in the near future. Basically, we are completing interviews on individuals who may or may not have service dogs asking about efficacy of their dog, different socioeconomic factors and psychological factors. Tasks: Required Skills: Excel, Word, Access
Faculty advisor: Michael Boninger, MD Email:mlboning@pitt.edu Project #2:
Faculty Advisor: Alicia Koontz, PhD, ATP Email: akoontz@pitt.edu PROJECT #3: Transfer Biomechanics
Faculty Advisor: Songfeng Guo, PhD Email: sguo@pitt.edu Project #4: Smart Power Assistance Module (SPAM) Skill that will be required include C++ language, electronics, software Solidworks.
Faculty Advisor: Ding Dan, PhD Project #5: A study on the usage of tilt-in-space, recline and elevation functions of powered wheelchairs. The GPS datalogger and its application to wheelchairs.
Faculty Advisor: Rory Cooper, PhD PROJECT #6 Electric Powered Wheelchair for Use in Developing Countries (India) This project entails working with a graduate student to design, and if time permits to build an electric powered wheelchair for use in developing countries. The target country for launch of this product is India with our partner the Artificial Limbs of India Manufacturing Company (ALIMCO). We have been working with ALIMCO for several years on the design of a robust manual wheelchair. This project is an extension of that work. Our goal is to design and create a prototype electric powered wheelchair that is durable, highly reliable, and easy to manufacture, and low cost (under $1,000 in India). The undergraduate student will be working with one of my doctoral student who is responsible to me for the project. We will try to create CAD drawings for the mechanical and electrical components. Mock-ups will likely be created, but a prototype is not likely to be completed during the summer. Tilt Wheelchair for Use in Developing Countries (India) This project entails working with a graduate student to design, and if time permits to build an child's manual wheelchair with tilt seat function for use in developing countries. The target country for launch of this product is India with our partner the Artificial Limbs of India Manufacturing Company (ALIMCO). We have been working with ALIMCO for several years on the design of a robust manual wheelchair. This project is an extension of that work. Our goal is to design and create a prototype child's manual wheelchair with a tilt seat function that is durable, highly reliable, and easy to manufacture, and low cost (under $250 in India). The undergraduate student will be working with one of my MS students who is responsible to me for the project. We will try to create CAD drawings for the mechanical components. The goal is to have a first generation prototype completed during the summer. Advisor - Rory A. Cooper, Ph.D. Design of a Third Generation Hand-Cycle This project entails working on a hand-cycle for exercise by a person with a lower-extremity impairment. Hand-cycling a form of aerobic exercise like bicycling that can be done along with friends and family members. The goal of this project is to refine the design for pre-production and to convert the primary structural elements from steel to aluminum. A steel-framed prototype exists as well as documentation that can be used as a model. The aluminum prototype should be lighter, easier to manufacture, and include adjustments to fit the user. Advisors - Rory A. Cooper, Ph.D., Ding Dan, Ph.D., and Donald M. Spaeth, Ph.D. Design of Electric Powered Wheelchair Datalogger This project entails the design and prototyping of a simple compact datalogger that can be installed on nearly any electric powered wheelchair. The device must be simple to install, preferably with minimal tools and no special technical skills. We have developed several dataloggers for similar applications in the past, and a substantial amount of work can be drawn from these earlier prototypes. Both mechanical and electronic design will be needed for this project. We want to be able to collect distance traveled, time traveled, speed, time of day traveled, and location (indoors vs outdoors). The inclusion of GPS would be a significant benefit. Downloading via a cellular phone would also be good. Data should be capable of being stored for at least 3 months. The device must be weather resistant, shock resistant, and tamper resistant. Advisors - Rory A. Cooper, Ph.D. Design of Manual Wheelchair Rear Suspension System This project entails the design and prototyping of a novel rear suspension system for a manual wheelchair. The goal is to reduce ride shock and vibration when ascending/descending curbs, and when negotiating uneven terrain. The device should be lightweight easy to install and adjust, and inexpensive. Ideally, the system would retrofit to many common manual wheelchairs. The work of Andy Kwarciak will form the foundation for this project. I have a preliminary design that needs to be drawn in SolidWorks and/or FeatureCam. This project entails both the design and construction of a prototype. Testing will be conducted if time permits.
If interested, please call or e-mail Sondra Balouris, MS, MPT Executive Director Tech-Link Program of Pittsburgh 5039 Forbes Tower Pittsburgh, PA 15260 412-383-6797 sab992@pitt.edu
ALL RESUMES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO: Alicia Koontz, PhD, ATP
Contact Information:
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