Environmental Control Projects
Wheelchair Transfer Board
This device was designed for a quadriplegic that had limited use of his arms. The client wanted a device that could act as a bridge between his wheelchair and another desired location (for example, a bed or car seat). With the help from some mechanical engineering students, UVATT designed a transfer board that could sturdily attach to the side of the wheelchair, enabling the user to slide safely to another seat. When not in use, the board could also be easily removed by the user without any assistance.
Classroom Noise Meter
Children who are hearing impaired often have to compromise their quality of classroom education because background noise from their peers make it difficult to hear their teacher. As a result, concerned parents and teachers have asked UVATT to create a device that would signal the students to lower their noise level when a lecture is in progress. Our engineers created a speech-processing device that initiated a red light when the noise level is too high and a yellow light when the noise levels are approaching unacceptable. The noise threshold can be adjusted by the hearing impaired child and can be "tuned" to a particular room or environment. So far, three systems have been built and are under the evaluation of various schoolteachers in B.C.
Umbrella for walker and wheelchairs
Many wheelchair and walker users do not have a free hand to hold an umbrella when it is rainy or sunny. To provide a solution to this problem, UVATT designed a simple clamping and mounting device that will allow an umbrella to be easily attached to a walker or a wheelchair. The umbrella holder is one of UVATT’s most popular devices and has been distributed throughout Canada.
