UC Irvine

Floor-to-wheelchair transfers are one of the most challenging tasks for individuals with lower body injuries. With the average wheelchair seat height ranging between 18 and 20 inches, individuals often experience cuff tears, shoulder and wrist pain, and further progression of pre-existing injuries. The Assist Handle is a portable grab bar that can assist individuals using wheelchairs with various mobility tasks, such as floor-to-wheelchair transfers, crawling support, and opening hard-to-reach doors in a portable and independent manner. The Assist Handle can be disassembled and connected to the frame of the wheelchair through an interlocking mechanism, allowing versatile availability when necessary. Multiple rounds of voice-of-the-customer interviews were conducted to validate risky assumptions in regards to necessary device requirements. Through iterative rounds of usability testing, the device increases the maximum achieved hip height at a mean of 10 inches. Future rounds of usability testing will be conducted to make further improvements on the specifications and requirements of the device.