Thoracic Pressure Chair

Senior Design Team 2000-1
Melissa Brown, Andrew Anderson, Matthew Klinkman, Rose Reimer
Advisor: Debra D. Wright, Ph.D.

Thoracic Pressure Chair

The Copper Country Intermediate School District (CCISD) requested a chair that would provide pressure to the torso of a child with autism. The pressure therapy helps to control the sensory stimuli in his environment, and allow him to exert more control over his environment. This design was entered in the 2002 Student Design competition at RESNA and won top-five honors. The chair has safety limits (shown in the rear view) that prevent the chair from providing too much pressure.

Funding

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0079969 and/or a Research Experience for Undergraduate supplement. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
The front of the finished TPC. A video of the chair in operation is available (modem 1.2 MB) (broadband 8.5 MB).
The rear of the chair. A wire attached to the front platform winds around the pulley. A stop on the pulley prevents too much pressure from being applied.