Project Summary

I worked with a team of 4 to design an LED arrow attachment for wheelchairs that improves visibility and safety when crossing streets at night. We addressed a critical accessibility issue that wheelchair users face nearly seven times higher risk of fatal accidents at night due to low visibility. Our solution needed to be lightweight (under 2 pounds), affordable, easily portable, and integrate seamlessly without interfering with wheelchair functionality.

I focused on developing the mechanical design and mounting system, ensuring the LED housing and brackets could withstand typical impact forces while remaining unobtrusive. We used finite element analysis to validate that our mounting brackets could handle 20-newton loads during accidental encounters, testing stress distributions across the bracket geometry. I also contributed to the electrical integration, working to position the Arduino Uno R3 microcontroller and button controller conveniently on the frame while maintaining a clean, user-friendly design.