DRAwER: An assistive robotic arm for those with Cerebral Palsy (CP). This project aids with opening drawers and cabinets to allow those with CP to be more independent and take on a larger role helping others around the house.

The DRAwER project idea was conceived after visiting McMains Children’s Developmental Center and seeing a 15-year-old boy named Andrew, who has Cerebral Palsy, practicing everyday functions (making himself a snack, brushing his teeth, etc.) that are taken for granted by otherwise healthy people. This observation of Andrew training to be more independent spurred the idea of other challenges he may face doing basic chores/functions. One major challenge was the difficulty of opening a drawer for someone, like Andrew, with Cerebral Palsy. This is a basic task for those without CP, but for those with it, it could be a daunting and an almost impossible one. So, this gave way to the idea of how can the task of opening a drawer could also help someone with CP become a more integral part in their family’s daily chores and tasks. The DRAwER project makes the task of opening a drawer easier for people with CP by allowing them to control an arm that is more dexterous, strong, and maneuverable than their own.

The design of the DRAwER project changed greatly over several different models, all vastly different from each other, but all with the same goal in mind. The design of the DRAwER revolved around reaching varying heights of drawers and having the structural integrity to open them. The first design ideas consisted of a jointed arm and a vertical track with an arm that moved up and down. The jointed arm proved to be the better design. Eventually several prototypes were made and improvements to the design followed. The initial idea was to have a suction cup that would attach to the front of the drawer to allow the arm to open it. This idea arose to avoid the complications of creating a claw that would attach to every different type of handle. The first prototype was constructed out of straws and featured a suction cup at the end. Then, a cardboard prototype was constructed of the arm, featuring “U” shaped pieces/brackets that would form the arm structure. After further refining of the design, a wooden prototype was constructed using threaded rods to keep it together and provide structural support. Then the decision was made to drop the suction cup idea in favor for a claw-like device or “hook,” as the suction cup design proved to be too complicated. It was then, after much work on this design and many complications that followed, that another, better design was introduced.

This design featured a main arm that would rotate on an axle which would move forwards and backwards. This, in turn, would cause the main arm to slide along a support arm that would be in the front center of the chassis, moving main arm up and down. This design was initially sketched, and the first prototype was made using straws, popsicle sticks, and brads. Then a better prototype was constructed using cardboard pieces to construct the base. Using this information as a result of trial and error, and many measurements, a final iteration was designed and constructed using laser-cut wooden pieces designed in Rhino. The final iteration consists of a wooden base structure, secured with braces, with a track system in which bearings run along where a metal rod is used as the axle. The arms are constructed out of laser-cut wooden pieces as well, and rotate around the metal rod. The support arm is constructed using wood and secured using metal braces. It features a metal rod at the top to allow the two arms to run along it with bearings, doubling as another set of tracks. This final iteration was the result of many months of trial and error. Although not entirely completed, the final iteration of the DRAwER project paved the path for what could come about in the future and it sets a precedent in aiding those with CP to perform functions such as opening a drawer.