A Design of a Compact Public Transportation for the Elderly and Physically Challenged - Coursework Example

Background of the problem Transportation is defined as a movement of conveying a person or goods from one location to another. A public transportation is a vehicle used by the public so that they can easily travel into different places. Public transportation has helped people travel through different places and this has also improved the standard of living and the lifestyle of the UK community. While public transportation greatly helped in the movement of people, it is not “friendly” particularly to the elderly and physically challenged people. Most of the time, these people experience pain and discomfort when they have to travel to different places even at short distances without proper guidance because of their disability, and without their own private transportation, the mobility and safety of these people are some of the major concerns whenever they use a public transportation. On the other hand, having a private transportation is a luxury because not all of us can afford a private vehicle, those that cannot afford such kind of luxury are forced to use a public transport, but again for those people who have a certain kind of disabilities, there are problems and concerns that are needed to be addressed whenever they would use a public transport. Some specific examples of these concerns are: The ingress and egress of the public (i.e. persons with certain disabilities have difficulties on how they step inside and outside a public transport), additionally, the height, seating space, fumes emitted, and suspension system of the public vehicle do not consider the special requirements of the disabled/handicapped people. Problems Identified The problem with the existing transportation for elderly and physically challenged people is that the design features and safety purposes does not adequately respond to the needs and requirements of persons with certain amount of disability. Since these persons cannot perform like normal people, proper features could be incorporated in the design for a suitable transport vehicle that would improve their ability mount in and dismount from the vehicle, while ensuring their safety and comfort while traveling. Proper adjustments therefore could be considered and implemented in the design so that these people can physically adapt and manage accordingly despite their disabilities. As observed, the existing transportation for the elderly and physically challenged people does not have proper leverages and mobility lifts. This certainly control and limits the ability of the disabled when they go in and out of the vehicle. Moreover, the seating space and seat contour along with the support handlebar are not properly designed and responsive to their needs. These features are important because these will help direct the disabled and will make them more comfortable and mobile. Project Methodology Primary data can be collected in four ways: observation, expert’s opinion, surveys, and experiments. Observational research gathers fresh data by observing the relevant subject in the test setting or environment. Expert’s opinion is a data gathering and interview method directly from the experts of the said subject matter. Survey researches are used to learn about people’s knowledge, beliefs, preferences and satisfaction, and to measure these magnitudes in the general target market population. Experimental research calls for selecting groups of subjects and subjecting them to different treatments while evaluating their responses to establish cause-and-effect relationships. The proponent’s approach will survey researches of local market because this product is going to be designed to respond to the needs and requirements of the subject. The proponent has a choice of two main research instruments in collecting primary data: the questionnaire and mechanical devises. Questionnaires consist of a set of questions presented to subjects for their answers. It is the simplest to use but the actual questions must be carefully developed. Mechanical instruments are used to measure interest, emotions, effort, etc. The proponent will select the questionnaires because the study needs to gain knowledge about the experiences of the disabled and/or elderly persons on the present product. Once the above is completed, the proponent will decide on how the subject will be contacted. It can be through mail, telephone or personal interview. The proponent will be contacting through the personal interviews to personally witness the problem and process the collected information. Figure 1.1 Methodology Flowchart Figure 1. Methodology Flowchart Related Products for Disabled Customized Van Figure 2 Fiat Montana Specifications Based on the popular Fiat Scudo Combi, the Montana features a 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine, power steering, air conditioning, electric windows and 5-speed transmission. The Montana has excellent headroom for the wheelchair occupant of 59 inches and good visibility. Other vehicle features include, central locking, electric mirrors and tinted glass. Vehicle options include, alarm immobilized, air bags and metallic paint finish and additional seats. Advantages Excellent for wheelchair users and for people with disability Convenient, luxurious, and accessible Comfortable seating system Disadvantages Luggage compartment is not ergonomically sound Minimal railing support Customized Van                                 Figure 3 Mercedes Benz V Class Specifications The V class Mercedes Benz has seats with wheelchair access, lowered rear floor, 54/1370mm headroom, Lightweight ramp, and quick fold rear seats. It can accommodate two wheelchairs, and it has an excellent visibility and accessibility. Advantages Excellent for wheelchair users and for people with disability Convenient, luxurious, and accessible Comfortable seating system Disadvantages Luggage compartment is not ergonomically sound Minimal railing support Customized Van Figure 4 Fiat Doblo Ohio Specifications The Fiat Doblo Ohio has a standard floor and a high roof - wheelchair access is provided by telescopic ramps or a full width lightweight ramp as above.5 or 3-seat car with convenient wheelchair access. It is very ideal for family or taxi use.   Advantages Excellent for wheelchair users and for people with disability Convenient, luxurious, and accessible Comfortable seating system Disadvantages Luggage compartment is not ergonomically sound Minimal railing support Customized Bike Figure 5 “The Duet” (“Go-Anywhere” Wheelchair Bicycle Tandem) Specifications The DUET is a colorfully designed wheelchair tandem that combines the latest in cycle technology with advanced wheelchair design. It provides recreational opportunity no other product can provide. Advantages Good for wheelchair users Great for any recreational means Disadvantages Whole structure is not so stable Not protected from rain and other weather conditions Existing Customized Bicycle Hybrid Bicycle Figure 6 EZ-1 Motorized Quadribent™ Specifications The EZ-1 Motorized Quadribent is a hybrid muscle-powered motor-powered vehicle. The auxiliary motor works well when people would like to take a break from pedaling, or when climbing hills or accelerating from stop signs or stoplights. The EZ-1 Motorized Quadribent has the motor on rear wheel. The battery is on rear carrier, and the motor control is on the handlebars. The EZ-1 Motorized Quadribent comes in two frame types: Steel and aluminum. Advantages Good for people with disability Stable because of the four – wheel design Disadvantages Limited luggage capacity Not protected from rain and other weather conditions Hybrid Bicycle Figure 7 Blackbird Bikes EZ-1 Quadribent™ Specifications Innovative designs feature side-by-side "sociable" cycling. Co-steering allows either rider to pilot the vehicle and the dual-drive allows people with different physical abilities to ride together with either rider generating from 0 to 100 percent of the power. The four-wheel design gives it stability while the recumbent riding position is designed for comfort. Heads-up design eliminates neck, shoulder, back and hand discomfort. This is also great for combining an adult rider with a child or a physically challenged rider. Advantages Good for people with disability Stable because of the four – wheel design Disadvantages Limited luggage capacity Not protected from rain and other weather conditions Conclusion The existing public transportation systems that are presented in this chapter are all helpful in terms of transporting people into their designated place. Every public transportation system has its own uniqueness that transcends into today’s time, all of them has its own advantages that can help people travel conveniently, efficiently, and safely. However, every design has its own imperfections, it is just a matter of time that we will eventually learn from these mistakes that could possibly be learning experiences to better generate innovative concepts for an efficient and effective product. User Required Features The method used in gathering important information is through questionnaire/survey method. A sample size of 100 respondents both elderly and physically challenged is conducted. Once the questionnaire/survey is given to the target respondents, the proponent would explain each item based on the questionnaire/survey so that the respondents would have a better understanding of the subject matter. The results of the questionnaire/survey would be tallied and analyzed to further determine the needs and requirements of the future target users for the design implementation of the vehicle. The data gathered would then be used as a guide and basis for further implementation of the said product. Survey Results: Out of the100 respondents, here are the final results: For Question No.1 Which type of physical disability have you been experiencing? Figure 8 As seen in Figure 8, 37% of the respondents are experiencing arthritis as a major disability and 23% has polio, 16% has an injury to the spine, this disability is sometimes a result of birth defect and sometimes a result of major accidents, 12% of the respondents have osteoporosis or the weakening of the bone structure, and 8% of the respondents have been amputated because of sickness and accidents. These are due to the fact that as we grow old our body will somehow deteriorate and when this happen physical injury and sickness will begin to manifest. For Question No. 2 What would you consider important when you are in a public transportation? Rank them from least to most important. Figure 9 Analysis: As seen in Figure 9, the respondents have ranked them from 1 being the least important to 4 being the most important. Based from the given choices their number one priority is their safety when riding a public transportation. The second that is considered very important is the time spent when commuting because time is a luxury for every people especially the disabled, the cost of fare is considered most important because most of the people cannot afford a costly fare from a public transportation. Comfort and space are also considered important because people especially with disabilities are in much need of comfort most importantly when traveling and spacious environment inside a public transportation. Lastly, accessibility and the impact to the environment are also important for them because all public transportation must be accessible to every people so that they won’t have a difficult time traveling especially with the elderly and physically challenged. For Question No.3 What are the reasons why you are taking a public transportation? Figure 10 As seen in Figure 10, 41% of the respondents don’t have a car so instead they just go to places by means of a public transportation. Also, some people cannot afford to have a car of their own and so it is cheaper for them to just take a public transportation. Even with their disability 23% still goes to work/school by means of a public transportation, they are the working people and the students respectively. 11% of the respondents each take a public transportation because of vehicle coding and for short distance travels like going to the market, nearest malls, hospitals, and other recreational places. 8% use a public transportation just to save gas and the other 4% just to run for some errands. For Question No.4 Which of the following best describes your daily commuting from your residence to your daily destination? (i.e. work, office, school, etc.) Figure 11 As shown in Figure 11, majority of the respondents travel for more than an hour starting from their residence to their respective destination, this is due to the fact that when taking a public transportation minor or even major conflicts may sometimes occur like traffic, accidents, overcrowded ness, breakdown of the vehicle, rain and other weather conditions, etc. these may occur while you are traveling. So it is important to travel early to avoid being late. For Question No.6 Which of the following have you experienced while taking a public transport? Figure 12 Figure 12 shows that most of the respondents have experienced over crowdedness inside a public vehicle. People are now experiencing body discomfort such as low back pain, muscle strain, and leg cramp because of the uncomfortable seat design of some public vehicles. Narrow passages is also a concern in this problem, people cannot easily go inside or get outside a public vehicle because of the narrow passages of a public transport. Lack of ventilation is also a concern in public vehicles, this is important because with this problem people cannot breathe properly and this problem is very unhealthy for most people. Dilapidated vehicles and unhygienic conditions also are a concern because this is an example of an unhealthy environment that will eventually be the cause of major sickness. Based from the gathered questionnaire/survey, there are many major concern in today’s existing public transportation like the problem of over crowdedness, unhygienic conditions, uncomfortable seating, lack of ventilation etc. and most especially the way the elderly and physically challenged people interact with the public transportation. According to the gathered data there is a major concern in safety, comfort, space, accessibility, and also regarding the cost of fare when taking a public transportation. There are many ergonomic violations in today’s existing transportation system and so to understand clearly and to cope up with these violations, the principles of ergonomics that are related to the field of transportation must first be regarded and stressed – out. To determine how these ergonomic principles to work, guidelines must properly be considered and measured. Ergonomic Principle for Wheelchair Users Ergonomic Principle for Railings and Handrails 1. PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION Unsafe railings. Hard to grip handrails. No railings or handrails. 2. PLANNING PRINCIPLE To install adequate railing, wherever needed for the comfort and safety of all people, especially those with mobility problems. 3. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS Handrails should not obstruct the path of travel. Handrails should allow a firm and easy grip. Circular cross-sections with a diameter of 40 mm are preferable. Sharp edges should be avoided. A contrasting color is recommended for handrails to alert people with sight problems. Ergonomic Principle of the Car Seat (By: Dr Luigi Perali, M.D.) The vertical position of the torso, said orthostatic (fig.1) is being kept voluntarily. For this reason it is necessary to provide the seat with the backrest, furnished with a low back support properly shaped and inclined, positioned vertically so as to reduce mostly, though not completely, the work of the trunk musculature.   The backrest has to meet the back, when the torso is in orthostatic position; this means that, contrarily to what we in general notice in car seats, the backrest has to be located forward so as to enter, in projection, inside the seat (fig.2).   Consequences of the rearward sloping of the backrest In most modern seats the backrest rises from the rear edge of the seat, tilting about 10° backward. Under this condition the torso has to bend backwards to meet the support. The slanting position of the backrest produces the following disadvantages: Presumably to avoid these inauspicious, the seat is often inclined upward a few degrees so the torso and the pelvis backslide, due to gravity, against the backrest. Such expedient, in a conventional chair, worsens the situation because it forces the trunk to maintain an oblique position which it is that causes discomfort, as explained in figure 3. The inclination of the seat plane may well be justified because it hinders pelvis and thighs sliding in case of sudden variations of the velocity of the vehicle. To resort to a variable curvature low back support inclusion into the backrest improperly positioned, it does not seem to produce any advantage for two reasons. First, if the correct principle is to place the backrest equipped with a properly shaped low back support in the orthostatic position, there should be no reason to make it differently. In the second place, the low back support being included at present in the backrests are not sufficiently extended in height thus allowing the upper part of the trunk to tilt rearward and then take up again an incorrect position. Further consequences of the slanting position of the backrest are: The more the torso tilts backward, the more the neck flexes forward to support the head. Fatigue results which cause pains to the neck muscles. The upper limbs extend forward to reach the steering wheel and the controls, causing shoulder and biceps fatigue. And in the end, the torso has to be moved along a longer arc, when sitting or rising. Such actions become very difficult when the backrest has a strong inclination, the seat is low and the person is elderly or obese (fig.4).   The torso can assume an inclined attitude even when the backrest is upright and correctly shaped. This occurs especially when the seat is quite long. In such a case the person is induced spontaneously to occupy the fore part of the seat, and so the torso must incline backward to reach the backrest (fig.5).   Correct backrest positioning The solution to this problem is to put the properly shaped backrest upright and locate it forward, inside the seat and in contact with the back. The correct positioning of the backrest produces the following advantages: Improves visibility Increases vigilance Delays somnolence Make controls easier Increases space in the cabin (fig.6). Comfort Fig 14 Photo of a handicapped person getting outside a vehicle As seen on Fig 14, a handicapped person is getting outside a vehicle to transfer himself into his wheelchair. This is a major problem because the handicapped person would have a difficult time maneuvering inside the vehicle and transferring himself into his wheelchair. Also, the handicapped person would find it difficult thinking of ways to get himself out of the vehicle because there is no support and leverage around the vehicle, the only thing that the handicapped person could do is that the person would gather his body up and slide himself to the nearest possible reach around the wheelchair, the problem with this is that there would be a large amount of pressure that would be added to the disability of the person which could inflict major if not minimal injury to the handicapped person. Human factors are a part of everyday living, without human factors there could be difficulties and struggles around the circle of life. All of life’s success, customs, improvements, and achievements may be disoriented because of a failure and lack of human factors. Today, the relationship between men and the things around us always has a factor to consider. Both the success and failures of a human person reflects on how they interact and blend well with their environment. Function The design should accommodate at least 2 passengers plus there should be an operator or the driver of the public transportation. The design should be suited for the elderly and physically challenged people. The design should incorporate features that are suited and built for the elderly and physically challenged. The design of the vehicle should protect the passengers from any physical injuries. Description of the Final Design The final design came into conclusion and was developed based from the final 3 concepts, the final design was also selected based on several criteria such as the product’s design aesthetics, product effectiveness and efficiency, market sellable, feasibility of materials, and economic and social impact to the environment. The final design was developed to transport the handicapped people safely and comfortably as possible, it is designed to address the problems regarding the experiences of the handicapped people when they commute and travel to their place of destination. The design is ergonomically sound especially for the wheelchair user, it considers ergonomic factors such as the design of the seats for both the operator and the passenger so that it would help them travel safely and comfortably. Product Features and Aesthetics The final design has incorporated safety features such as handrails, seatbelts, additional seat handle support, and accessibility ramp for the wheelchair user. The rear and front wheels has a set of leaf spring and shock absorber respectively for easy maneuverability, this will enable the vehicle to maneuver steadily through humps or any kind of bumps on the road and will minimize the vehicle from tilting side to side. Excellent maneuverability is very important especially for the handicapped people because it will cause discomfort to the disability of the handicapped whenever the vehicle tilts constantly and doesn’t maneuver well. Accessories such as the brake lights and head lights were also incorporated to the design for the safety of the passengers and the operator to prevent accidents while traveling. The design of the vehicle is compact and sleek because it considers the many problems that the handicapped people encounter while traveling and commuting publicly namely the concern regarding the overcrowded ness, lack of ventilation, unhygienic conditions, and accessibility. For the concern regarding the overcrowded ness, the vehicle can only accommodate the maximum of two persons plus the operator or an independent wheelchair user and an operator. The task of the operator is to help the wheelchair user access the ramp and drive them to their place of destination comfortably and safely as possible, this is convenient for the handicapped commuters because not only will they be guided by the operator, but the concern regarding the overcrowded ness will not anymore be an issue. For the concern regarding the lack of ventilation, the design of the vehicle incorporates a kind-of-a “tour cart” which is an open air experience. This is very functional because it will enable the handicapped passenger travel and at the same time experience their surroundings freely. For the concern regarding unhygienic conditions, the design of the vehicle incorporates a sleek contour so that every edge can be cleaned instantly without much exertion into it, and also the interior space is simple to clean so that unhygienic conditions wouldn’t be a major problem. Lastly for the concern regarding accessibility, the design of the vehicle incorporates an accessible ramp for the wheelchair users to maneuver onto the vehicle easily. The lowered design structure of the vehicle also plays a vital role in the accessibility of the elderly and handicapped users because it would minimize their effort in boarding inside and outside of the vehicle. References Published books: Woodson, W. 1984 Human Factors Design Handbook New York, McGraw – Hill Inc. Tailey, Arvin R. and Henry Dreyfus Associates The Measure of Man and Woman: Human Factors in Design Pheasant, Stephen, 1996 Body Space: Anthropometry, Ergonomics, and Design Work London, Taylor & Francis, Whitney Library Design Millevo, Ronnie M. 1995 Handbook on Product Design and Development Manila, UK Fussler, Claude with Peter James 1996 Driving Eco-innovation London, Pitman Publishing Fuad-luke, Alastair 2002 Eco Design: The Source Book London, Thames & Hudson Ltd. Encyclopedia: Microsoft ® Encarta ® Premium Suite 2005. © 1993-2004 Microsoft Corporation Internet site and articles: http://www.humanics-es.com http://www.ai1.com/braun http://www.car-seat-data.co.uk/ http://www.ergonomics.org http://www. katedra.it/english/carseat.htm http://ergo.human.cornell.edu http://www.gmecca.com/byorc/dtipssafetyergo.html http://www.iccec-sea.org/convoc2004/planningtovisittheUK.htm Read More