Automatic Page Turner for the Disabled and Elderly

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There are over a million children and adults in the U.S. who have limited upper extremity function caused by neurological impairment, musculoskeletal problems, and generalized weakness. These individuals are hampered by the mechanical processes involved in reading, an important activity of daily living. The principal task in this endeavor is page turning. Current state-of-the-art automatic page turners do not serve this population well. This Phase II SBIR project addresses that challenge by focusing upon the design and development of a device capable of turning the pages of a book or magazine in a forward or reverse direction for hands-free operation. Extensive Phase I laboratory testing of a novel turnstile design and page pickup solution established the device's technical feasibility and potential cost-effectiveness. The overall goal of this project is to make an electromechanical page turner with an advanced design that is superior in several respects, including reliability, portability, ease of use, and cost. Preliminary results with six prototype models demonstrate an improved assistive technology that addresses design flaws prevalent in existing products and patents. Our research has identified three components to a successful design: page engagement, restraint, and transport. Failure to properly address these necessary elements has caused the introduction of a commercially viable product to remain elusive despite over fifty patents on the subject. The device being developed under this project overcomes these technical barriers and advances a design that integrates these three processes into a compact, light-weight, low-cost unit. In Phase II, fully functioning prototype units will be designed and fabricated. They will incorporate the results obtained during rigorous Phase I testing. An important element to the design process will be our use of the Pro/E software for industrial design, analysis, simulation, and synthesis. Interference studies, mass properties calculation, stress analysis, kinematics analysis, dynamics, visualization, and rigorous field testing are several of the pre-production tasks to be performed to validate the device, produce molds, and prepare for Phase III commercialization.