 Nine mechanical engineering students, a professor with a credit card, and the Lynnwood Elks Club combined to provide a young Bellevue girl with a special tricycle built especially for her. Kayla Brown has a rare medical condition which weakens her joints and muscles, making it impossible for her to ride a standard tricycle. A call to the College of Engineering during winter quarter 1995 outlined the problem, and nine students in ME 495 Mechanical Engineering Design, took on this challenge as their class project.
The students, led by Tom Buonadonna, committed to completing the project by the end of their 10 week class. They first invited Kayla to their class so she could demonstrate her abilities and they could explore how to best meet her needs. Kayla enchanted the class with her personality and attitude, and the project became a very personal labor of love for all the students.
The class divided into teams covering conceptual design, structural components, stability, liability, patentability, finance, and aesthetics. Initial financing came from the class, with each member contributing $10. Their instructor, Professor Creighton Depew, agreed to put the charges on his credit card until other financing was found. Contacted by the students, the Lynnwood Elks Club decided to fund this project as part of their community service efforts. Their $800 contribution really made the Kayla bike project possible.
Given the time constraint, the students decided to modify an existing tricycle frame rather than to build a new one from scratch. The design work was completed, a frame purchased from a Federal Way bicycle shop, and modifications begun. The class modified the frame and installed a coaster brake, made the seat adjustable in two dimensions and relocated it for greater stability, installed a body guard around the seat, modified the handlebars to suit Kayla's grip, and modified the frame so it could easily be taken apart for transportation.
The project was completed on time. The tricycle was presented to Kayla and her family by the class at a ceremony in the MEB lobby on March 17. Placed on the seat by her father, Kayla smiled, found the pedals, and was off circling the lobby under her own power. The nine students proudly watched. From this project they had not only received invaluable experience in product engineering and delivery, but also the special reward of helping a charming young girl with some special needs. As for Kayla, the broad smile on her face as she rode her new tricycle said it all.
|
