Elizabeth Stegner, Spar Patton, Sean Garbarino, Andrew Kowalczyk, Tom Guerin, Andrew Carter, Ahmed Alzaabi, Khalifa Albishr,
Pediatric standers are medical devices that allow children who are unable to stand the opportunity to do so. Non-ambulatory children struggle with circulatory and digestive issues caused by sedentary lifestyle, and are limited in their opportunities to interact with the word at the eye-level of their peers (which is crucial for social and emotional development).
While the benefits of standing are clear, a primary limitation of many standing devise is that they are stationary; there are currently no motorized pediatric standers on the market. We are developing a kit that allows parents and therapists to modify and motorize existing standers, enabling children to explore their environment autonomously for the first time. Our design can be attached to nearly all existing pediatric standers, and includes both buttons and a joystick to accommodate different children’s needs, as well as an app for parents and therapists to help children learn.
We have partnered with CP Rochester, an organization that provides support, therapy, and education to children with disabilities in Rochester, NY, area to create this kit. We have consulted experts in ergonomics, biomedical engineering, childhood development, and physical therapy, and worked with children who use standers to improve the design. The two driving insights from our research are to “show more kid” and to “let kids be kids.” In this endeavor we have chipped away at the medical device aesthetic and created a system that allows for play, safe mistakes, and fun.
Pediatric Stander Design Brief