<p>In order to increase the independence in everyday life of the elderly population, we have developed a lifting aid for loading in the private car trunk. Independence from outside assistance affects self-esteem in a positive direction and can help increase the quality of life for a large group of individuals. As people age and experience changes in performance, it is important that aids and support is available, particularly to reduce the experience of aging and it’s increasing physical limitations. The aim was to develop a function prototype characterized by simplicity, which facilitates loading of the private car</p><p>trunk.</p><p>The project was conducted at the request of Autoadapt AB, which is one of the leading</p><p>actors in car adaptations for individuals with disablilities. A function prototype of the product Easy Load has been produced through dynamic product development and its</p><p>various tools. In an attempt to meet the requirements of simplicity and ease of use,</p><p>concepts such as universal design and usability affected the project.</p><p>In order to find a user need that could form the basis of the project, proceedings began</p><p>with a pre-study that included observations and group interviews of members in a</p><p>pensioner club in Halmstad. The Product development work continued with several</p><p>brainstorming sessions with participants from a number of the university's engineering</p><p>programs. Ideas from the sessions, together with the results from the benchmarking,</p><p>formed the basis for final product design and function. A key requirement was that the</p><p>product could be fitted in sedan car models with easy grips and without any permanent</p><p>fixings.</p><p>Construction of the prototype was made mostly in the University’s mechanical</p><p>workshop, using both self-constructed and sourced components. Stress and installation</p><p>testing and risk analysis pursuant to FMEA highlighted deficiencies that the project</p><p>group sought to adjust. In cases where this did not happen, the project group made</p><p>concrete improvement proposals to simplify further development.</p><p>This project shows that lifting aids products without permanent fixings are possible to develop for use in sedan car models. Specific product criteria have been met through a designed function prototype for loading in the private car trunk.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA/oai:DiVA.org:hh-2684 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Gyllensvärd, Dan, Welander, Andreas |
| Publisher | Halmstad University, School of Business and Engineering (SET), Halmstad University, School of Business and Engineering (SET), Högskolan i Halmstad/Sektionen för Ekonomi och Teknik (SET) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, text |
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