Health is something universally important and which rarely gets much positive press. Maintaining health is a challenge for the majority of people, but it is just as important for disabled persons and even more of a challenge. A couple of engineering students looked at this challenge as an opportunity.
The students are Amos Meeks and Molly Farison of Olin College. They invented the Lilypad Home Wheelchair scale. The scale is different than most. It is thin and flexible and can even be rolled up for storage.
As discussed on the Lilypad Scales website, those in wheelchairs are more likely to be obese (twice as likely) and have more difficulty maintaining their weight. Exercise options may be limited, for instance, but an even more fundamental issue exists. Many do not have simple, accessible means for weighing themselves.
The Lillypad Scale is only ¾” thick and can be placed anywhere a rug of comparable size could go. The user can roll onto the pad and control the functions using a wireless display. After the weight of the wheelchair is entered once, it is automatically deducted during future use.
The design and the student inventors have been a hit in numerous competitions. The Lilypad Scale recently won the undergraduate division of the Babson College B.E.T.A (Babson Entrepreneurial Thought and Action) challenge. The top spot earns a cash prize of $20,000 and other donations from corporate sponsors. It also garnered the North Hill-Olin College Fund for Innovation in Aging award, which will fund the testing of two scales in the North Hill senior living community.
The scale isn’t only useful for wheelchair users. It can be used by anyone with difficulty stepping up onto a traditional scale. This opens up new possibilities for anyone with limited mobility.
Can we engineer our way out of this health crisis? Doubtful. It seems to be cultural not technological change we need most. That said, it is critical to give people, all people, the ability monitor their health in order to make informed decisions. The Lilypad Scale is helping make that a reality.
The video below about the Lilypad Scale is a testimonial from David Estrada, Director of the Boston Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association.
Images courtesy of Lilypad Scales.