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Ruth Massie uses the lift to lift her son, Jed.

Senior Design Project: Lift Assistance System

Feb. 27, 2006 - On February 9 Mechanical Engineering project coordinator Scott Morton, and NSF Assistive Technology Grant PI, Steve Barrett, delivered a lift-assistance system to Ruth Massie. The lift assistance system was designed by Mechanical Engineering students Jordan Cuthbertson, Brandon Wagner, Brian Barrett and Mike Nelson for their senior design project, and will provide a safe and easy way for Ruth to lift her son, Jed, from sitting on the floor to a standing position.

Although Jed is able to walk once in a standing position, he has been unable to lift himself from the floor to a standing position without assistance. This newly designed lift assistance system will benefit the Massie’s by providing a safe and easy way to get Jed up and moving. The system contains a padded waist belt with a clip-on cable and operates on a pulley system with an easy to use hand-crank winch that slowly raises Jed from the floor to a standing position. The tripod lift legs collapse to facilitate moving the lift from room to room and for storage in a closet. According to Ruth Massie, she has “been waiting for one for a long time, it will be a wonderful help.”
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