Ray Ekins

Crucial design issues for special access technology; a Delphi study

Abstract Purpose: To develop and demonstrate a method to involve professional users of assistive technology (AT) in the development process of customisable products. Employing the ideas of user participation and mass customisation, this research addresses the need for reduced product costs and optimised product flexibility. Method: An adaptable six-question Delphi study was developed to establish consensus among AT professionals on design issues relating to a specified AT domain requiring innovation. The study is demonstrated for the special access technology (SAT) domain. A modified morphological matrix structures the application of the study results to the product design process. Results: Fourteen professionals from the Republic of Ireland and the UK participated. Consensus was reached on prevalent parts of SAT that malfunction, primary reasons for SAT malfunction, characteristics of clients associated with SAT selection, client needs regarding SAT use and training, desirable traits of SAT and clinicians’ frustrations with SAT. Conclusion: The study revealed a range of problems related to SAT, highlighting the complexities of successful SAT adoption. The questions led to differentiated insights and enabled design solution conceptualisation from various perspectives. The approach was found to help facilitate efficient generation and application of professional users’ knowledge during the design process of customisable AT. Implications for Rehabilitation High product costs and device abandonment negatively affect many people who use assistive technology (AT). Poor device design is a root cause of these two problems. To address this issue, a method for the practical concept generation of customisable AT is proposed and demonstrated. The method aims to support the development of new, low-cost products which satisfy a broad range of consumers‘ needs. The literature requests suitable methods to facilitate the involvement of different types of AT users in the product design process. This paper presents a method to first establish consensus on important design issues for a specified AT domain, and subsequently to apply these issues to the product design process. This paper describes the methods application for a customisable special access technology (SAT) device. Crucial design issues for SAT devices are presented to assist future SAT development work in research and industry. This research supports and provides validation for a number of past studies about desirable criteria for AT. These studies declared that further research was required to confirm their results.

Creating a Uniform Magnetic Field for the Equi-Biaxial Physical Testing of Magnetorheological Elastomers; Electromagnet Design, Development and Testing.

This paper investigates a method to provide the magnetic field requirements for physical testing of magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) subjected to equi-biaxial loading using the bubble inflation method.For accurate physical testing of MREs, detailed knowledge of the properties of the applied magnetic field is required. To obtain reliable data it is essential to determine the strength, uniformity and directionality of flux density. A Halbach cylinder array can produce a magnetic field of approximately uniform flux density in one direction for a reference plane perpendicular to the direction. However, it is limited by the fixed field strength. To overcome this significant limitation, an electromagnetic array based on the geometry of a Halbach cylinder is proposed. This electromagnetic array will be capable of generating a uniform magnetic field, for the reference plane and in the perpendicular direction, that is capable of having the flux density varied to offer a range of field strengths for tests on different elastomer samples.FEA simulations of uniform electromagnetic arrays have been modelled. Ultimately, a model is offered that simulates the behaviour of an electromagnetic array and the capability to generate a uniform magnetic field with different flux densities and directionality over the required volume. The advantages and disadvantages of an electromagnetic array over a fixed strength Halbach cylinder were investigated and a detailed comparison of both was carried out. Preliminary tests have been conducted on prototype electromagnets and the measured magnetic fields have been found to be in agreement with the FEA model. In addition to the magnetic field experiments, tests have been carried out on a compressed air cooling system to allow continuous operation of the electromagnets for the duration of a fatigue test without test samples becoming overheated and chemical degradation occurring. These tests are also necessary to establish conditions where there is minimal drop in field strength due to the increased resistance associated with temperature increases during prolonged dynamic testing. In conclusion a design for an electromagnetic array for the equi-biaxial testing of MREs is presented along with proposals for further testing to fully develop the array and establish standard dynamic test procedures for the material. magnetic iron particles in the MRE attempting to align in the direction of the applied magnetic field (Bica, 2009). This alignment is caused by the interactions of magnetic dipoles (G.V. Stepanov, 2007). The force on a magnetic dipole of moment (m) in a magnetic field (B) is given in equation 1.1 (I.S. Grant, 1990).

Interdisciplinary doctorial supervision: Lessons for nurse education and practice

BACKGROUND This paper concerns a reflection on one interdisciplinary doctorate supervision project. It outlines key elements for success within this supervisory context. AIM The aim of this paper is to present a reflection on interdisciplinary doctorate supervision project experience and examine these experiences in light of literature on the topic. METHODS Reflection was carried out using Rolfe et al. (2010) framework for reflexivity. FINDINGS The supervised engineering project aimed to develop, demonstrate and evaluate a new framework for the design of customisable assistive technology (AT) which involved professionals working with AT and users with disabilities. As this research occurs in between disciplines, it required an innovative and interdisciplinary approach, with an ultimate merger between health sciences and design engineering disciplines and external liaison with adults with disabilities and a disability service provider. CONCLUSION Interdisciplinary research is popular contemporarily and addresses societal needs. In the case outlined, clear understandings were developed, in addition to clear territorial boundaries that helped guide the novel research. Steps to success in interdisciplinary research supervision include selecting the appropriate interdisciplinary team; ensuring open communication; establishing and agreeing boundaries of the research and supervision; keeping an open mind; tolerance of lack of expertise in some areas; regular meetings and communication; keeping the student focused and agreeing publication plans in advance.

Generating a Variable Uniform Magnetic Field Suitable for Fatigue Testing Magnetorheological Elastomers Using the Bubble Inflation Method.

This paper investigates the magnetic field generated by an electromagnetic array and whether it is suitable for the physical testing of magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) using bubble inflation. This will be achieved by comparing the magnetic field generated by the array with the simulated field calculated by an FEA model. The array will be evaluated with detailed measurements of the magnetic flux strength and direction over the entire sample volume. The magnetic flux versus the time the array is powered in order to ensure it is capable of providing a reliable magnetic field for the duration of a biaxial fatigue test of an MRE. tween particles result in varying changes in mechanical properties. It has been reported by (Varga et al., 2006) and (Boczkowska and Awietjan, 2009) that when the magnetic field is applied parallel to the particle chains it produces a greater MR effect than the same flux density applied perpendicular to the particle chains. 2 MODELLING THE MAGNETIC FIELD 2.1 Uniform magnetic fields A Halbach cylinder is an array of permanent magnets arranged in a cylinder which produces a uniform magnetic field, in one plane and over acceptable limits. A model with four electromagnets has been proposed based on the geometry of an open access Halbach cylinder used by (Hills et al., 2005). The proposed model is shown Figure 1 The FEA model calculates the simulated field and typical results are shown in Figure 2 for the field operating between the poles of the central coils. Figure 2 depicts that the simulated field has both a relatively uniform flux density of over 400mT and is of uniform direction. Further details of the modelling process were presented in previous work. (Gorman et al., 2011). 3 MANUFACTURING A PROTOTYPE OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC ARRAY