The development of a support bar without structural modification of the domestic environment

Abstract

A removable support bar without structural modification of the environment, was developed. Assistive technology (AT) is a multidisciplinary science that combines knowledge of health professionals and the exact sciences area. This study is based in the methods of engineering product design and its relation to the development of resources. This paper aims to present the development process of a removable support bar that is easy to use, requiring no technical knowledge and no change the constitution of the walls and floors in the houses. Based on the methodology design the study was divided into five stages: informational (questionnaire with closed questions and an essay from the target population for use of the bar); conceptual (technical specifications, design, standards, solutions and decisions); preliminary design (design and drawing fully bar, and prototype (project preparation and design of the bar, prototyping and evaluation), validation (validation of the prototype). As the results, the support bar have been developed with seven parts for assembly in several configurations that can attend the populations needs in terms of available room: the parts are: base, tube, tee, elbow, elbow 30o.; elbow 60o. and elbow-tee. Volunteer's priority are to employ it in the bathrooms and bedrooms. The attachment configuration has small height (0,90 m) and is glued with thermo wax resin that is easy to assemble, and fixation, is removable causing no damage to the floor surface and is secure. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.