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San Diego State University Engineering Students Accept Nautical Challenge of Disabled December 19, 2002; San Diego, California -- Engineering students from San Diego State University (SDSU) have taken on the challenge to design safety and adaptive devices and equipment for sailors with disabilities in the San Diego-based AIMS/Challenged America therapeutic rehabilitation sailing program. "If sailboats and sailing gear were better designed to accommodate the disabled, there would be more people with disabilities taking to boating," said Urban Miyares, member of the AIMS/Challenged America Racing Team and blind sailor. "To have engineering students at SDSU take on the challenge of creating innovative adaptions and modification to sailing equipment, making our racing sailboat truly accessible... more functional and safer is exciting. We can't wait to see what they come up with." Three student teams -- with two to four students on each team -- will be working independently to design and develop mechanical engineering solutions to barriers in sailing presented by the challenged sailors, under the ME490 Senior Design Projects educational guidelines. Overseeing the students are Karen May-Newman and Michael Lambert, Assistant Professors in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at San Diego State University, with collaborative and mentor support from professor Caren Sax (SDSU Interwork Institute) and engineers from the private sector.
Solving mechanical or engineering problems are often achieved in a one-dimensional, controlled environment. However, when adding the dynamics of the offshore sailing/racing environment (i.e, wind, saltwater, sun, wave motion, weather, corrosion, etc.), compounded with the unique and special needs of sailors with various physical disabilities (i.e, spinal cord injury, amputation, neuromuscular diseases, blindness, arthritis, stroke, etc.), the engineering challenges and demands take on a new and farther-reaching dynamic. It now becomes a multi-dimensional challenge with variables and factors. What might work in the classroom, on land, or even at the dock in regulated surroundings, probably will not work 1,000 miles offshore in a racing scenario, given the elements and diversity of the crew. "Boats, especially racing-type sailboats, are designed for the young, physically strong and agile sailor. Our bodies don't necessarily fit the norm," said Miyares. "For example, a crew member with limited or no use of their legs is unable to comfortably or effectively leverage their body to generate enough arm and shoulder power to turn or grind a loaded winch in the traditional manner. A different turning motion and design is required. It's not that we are too weak or unable to sail safely or efficiently...it's that much of the sailing gear, devices and equipment are designed for those without disabilities. If redesigning and changing such nautical gear works for us, just imagine how it would benefit others, especially sailors without disabilities." The student teams have identified the first three mechanical engineering projects to apply to "B'Quest" -- the AIMS/Challenged America forty foot racing sailboat...a testing platform for new products and innovative devices to enhance rehabilitation and sailing performance by crew with disabilities. One student team will be working on a (coffee-) grinding mechanism or pedestal that would be mounted in the center of the boat's cockpit, and connected to winches on each side (tack) of the boat. (A winch is a mechanism having a drum on which rope/line is coiled or loaded, and with a crank or handle to turn, or other grinding apparatus allows easier pulling or hoisting of sails, etc.) The pedestal grinder is common-place in most larger racing sailboats today, and operated (cranked or turned with both hands in a rotating motion) while in a standing position. But the students' challenge is to design a pedestal coffee-grinder whereby crew, in a seated position -- such as a paraplegic or leg amputee -- can effectively grind in a powerful, bicycle-like hand motion at chest level. The student-designed pedestal device also needs to have adjustments allowing a foot-peddle configuration for a sailor having amputation or non-functional use of the arms, and only the use of legs. Mechanical design incorporating both the winch pedestal-grinder and seat, to ergonomically accommodate varied seat positions at all angles of the boat's heel, will be needed. The second team project is to design a mechanical adapter to an existing (traditional) winch, converting the winch from a handle cranking device (operated on a plane) to a vertical, bicycle hand-rotating motion by crew members. Focusing on tensile strength, efficiency, weight and portability (easy fastening-removing/on-off capabilities), the winch adapter will require various speeds or gear options, as well as safety features in design. (Note: An all-too-common mishap on many sailboats is a sailor's finger getting caught in the coiled rope on a turning winch drum.) The third student project is a Crew/Man Over-Board (C/MOB) Structure/Device. Designing a functional, light weight but strong, effective and efficient C/MOB super structure, device or mechanism that can hoist or lift heavy payloads (e.g, lifting a crew member in a wheelchair onto a dock from the boat, or out of the water) under extreme conditions will require much in engineering creativity and innovation for this project. With the parameters of limited space (the boat is a forty footer with much of the cockpit already dedicated to other devices), concern of added weight and the positioning of the weight ("B'Quest" is a racing sailboat and added weight and location may impair sailing performance), functionality by any/all crew members (some may have limited strength, dexterity or mobility in an emergency situation), and minimal windage (decreasing the amount of wind resistance is critical on a racing sailboat) are but of the few obstacles that will test the students. This device or structure is a safety and accessibility requirement as many current C/MOB devices and methods are not practical or functional, even by non-disabled crew, and boarding or debarking a boat can be a challenge in unaccessible circumstances or situations. SDSU engineering students will be working directly with the AIMS/Challenged America Racing Team of sailors with disabilities throughout their senior year. Student drawings and designs, prototype development, and testing with the challenged sailors and in racing conditions will be on-going. The goal is to pioneer new designs in boating devices, gear, and equipment that can be introduced to the industry, with application to benefit both sailors with and without disabilities. Challenged America was created in 1990 by disabled Vietnam veterans to advance rehabilitation opportunities for active individuals with disabilities, family and friends, and professionals in therapeutic and recreational rehabilitation. In 2000, Challenged America (sponsored by the Disabled Businesspersons Association) joined with the American Institute of Marine Studies (AIMS) -- both charitable nonprofit organizations -- to expand the program. Each year more than 150 individuals with disabilities, family members and friends from around the world come to San Diego to participate in the year-round, free, learn-to-sail and advanced sailing program offered by AIMS/Challenged America. For additional information on the AIMS/Challenged America programs and the SDSU Engineering Students ME 490 Senior Design Project, contact Josh Ross, Program Director, AIMS/Challenged America, at (619) 523-9318, email Director@AIMSsailing.org, or visit www.AIMSsailiing.org -- "B'Quest Project." Contact: |
