Projects Archive

The objective of this Challenge was to design a cooling vest for the Challenger, Will Rolfe. Will lives in Maine and is a veteran of the United States Air Force. He has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), which is a disease that affects the nervous system and can prevent the brain from receiving and transmitting information. For example, Will’s body struggles to send the necessary information in order to cool himself down. To counter this, Will has been using his old military plate carrier with large ice packs inserted into it. The main problem with this setup is that Will must wear the bulky vest outside in the public eye. He wanted a vest that not only has a thinner profile but also provides the necessary cooling capabilities....

The goal is to make an assistive device for an above-the-knee amputee, so that she can move from the sand to the ocean and then back to the sand as independently as possible....

An Army Veteran sustained an injury to his left arm that resulted in a non-functioning (paralyzed) arm. He likes to kayak with one paddle, but he is so strong with his right arm that he usually breaks the adapted paddles he uses. He always carries a regular paddle with him in case that happens. He would like a sturdy 1-handed paddle that does not put too much torque on his wrist.

QL+ Engineering Students from Colorado School of Mines were challenged to design and create “soft socket shorties” to improve the quality of life of a QL+ Challenger and Army Veteran named Jeremy. Jeremy has been on nine deployments overseas. After safely returning from deployment, Jeremy was hit by a drunk driver in his driveway while loading his truck for a fishing trip. Jeremy is now a bilateral above-the-knee double amputee....

Our Challenger prefers to use a manual wheelchair as much as possible. He enjoys the outdoors but gets frustrated going down hills. Hand gripping the brake rail on the wheels quickly wears out gloves and makes it difficult to wear them for warmth....

QL+ engineering students from Colorado School of Mines were tasked with finding a solution for a transtibial amputee to minimize the number of times his prosthetic would need to be removed for volumetric adjustment throughout the day. The goal was to produce a simple system that could be utilized within existing prosthetic sockets that could accommodate changes in the volume of the residual limb....

QL+ Students from Colorado School of Mines were tasked with the Challenge of designing a wheelchair to traverse the beach for QL+ Challenger and Navy Veteran, Nathan DeWalt. While serving in the Navy, Nathan was injured on a motorcycle while traveling home from a training exercise. Nathan lives in Florida and enjoys spending time with his wife daughters, traversing the beach with his family....

QL+ Engineering Students from Colorado School of Mines were tasked with designing and implementing a device to assist Veteran Naval Aviator and QL+ Challenger Captain Danny Knutson and his wife, with loading and unloading a recumbent trike from a hitch-mounted bike rack....

QL+ engineering students from Colorado School of Mines were tasked with the Hypersensitive Hearing Challenge. The focus of this project was to improve the quality of life of Humberto Reyna, a former North Carolina State Trooper and QL+ Challenger. About nine years ago, Humberto was in a tragic car accident while on duty which left him with a traumatic brain injury. One of the major effects of this accident is that he suffers from hyperacusis (hypersensitive hearing). This hyperacusis greatly limits his ability to be comfortable in a public setting where ambient noise is very loud and painful to him....

The students are tasked with finding a solution for a veteran who is a transtibial amputee to minimize the number of times his prosthetic would need to be removed for volumetric adjustment throughout the day....

Velette Britt is an Air Force Veteran, who after a mountain bike accident, became a paraplegic. Despite this, she maintains an active lifestyle—she enjoys skiing and cycles, competitively. Students from Colorado School of Mines were tasked with the Challenge of helping Velette traverse curbs in her wheelchair....

The goal of our capstone project was to provide Humberto Reyna with a recumbent bicycle capable of suiting all of his needs including his goal of qualifying for the National Xterra race....

This team was challenged to redesign a fishing mechanism for River Deep Alliance. This mechanism had been ineffective for them in the past when working with traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. Currently, no efficient commercial fishing equipment solutions suitable for quadriplegic, paraplegic, and also fully able-bodied users exist....

The Challenge is to improve the algorithm/software and possibly the prosthetic angles to allow for a more efficient and safer gait following OI surgery.

The Challenge is to create hiking prosthetics that allow him to walk over uneven terrain safely and efficiently.

Hiking and walking on uneven terrain are challenges for many transfemoral amputees. This challenge becomes even more difficult when someone is a double transfemoral amputee. Quality of Life Plus and our client, Rob Jones, presented us with the challenge to design and build a solution that will allow him and other prosthetic users to hike on uneven terrain more efficiently....

The GW Hiking Prosthetic challenge is being executed in accordance with the Quality of Life Plus (QL+) Program. The specific client, or challenger, for this project, is Rob Jones, a double transfemoral amputee. Rob served as a combat engineer in the Marine Corps; during a deployment to Afghanistan in 2010, he was wounded in action by a landmine....

Ms. Salak is a retired Army veteran who enjoys an active lifestyle. However, Ms. Salak recently sustained an injury and now uses an above-knee prosthetic. To stay active, she frequently rides her handcycle, both leisurely on local trails and competitively in marathons....

The goal of this Challenge is to create a golfing device that will allow him to enjoy the sport.

The problem given to the team was to construct a chair that would be portable with the user, and that would be able to be switched between a stowed mode where the chair would not be usable, but would not impede the user’s movement, and a deployed mode where it would function as a chair....

The George Mason University Handcycle Modification Team, also known as CHARIOT, was tasked with improving the comfort and performance of Army Major Peter Way’s handcycle....

A “wobble chair” is a postural control benchmark testing device used at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC)....

According to the International Blind Sports Association, "Alpine (downhill) skiing is one of the rare opportunities available that allows the blind individual to move freely at speed through time and space. It provides the opportunity to embrace and commune with the primal force of gravity, thus experiencing the sheer exhilaration of controlled mass in motion, in a physically independent setting."...

Wildland firefighting is a physically arduous occupation performed in extreme environmental conditions. These conditions include high temperatures, high concentrations of smoke and other pollutants, low humidity, and, often high altitudes....

We were tasked to create an assistive golf adaptation device for veteran, Eric Lund. Back in May 2012, Eric lost both of his arms while serving in Afghanistan....

SGT Eric Lund is a retired Army Infantryman (11B) who lost both arms from an IED blast injury in 2012. Eric was deployed to Afghanistan for his first deployment on January 3, 2012. On the Sunday morning of May 2nd, he remembers being in an MATV, but has no memory of hitting the IED. His memory began to resurface while he was in ICU in San Antonio. It was patchy and came with nightmares. His first memories were being wheeled outside and how hot it was. The story of his injury to this point is pieced together. Eric was a gunner when his vehicle (lead vehicle) ran over a large IED that flipped the vehicle. The 2nd vehicle, also, ran over the IED. This was the start of an ambush ensued by gunfire. Eric was the most severely injured of the 10 men. He lost his right arm on the scene and they later had to take the 2nd arm as well. Eric received bilateral hand transplants 1 year ago. At this point he does not have use of his forearms, wrists and hands until the nerves finish growing distally, and therefore is unable to grip, flex or extend his wrists.

The breakaway for the prosthetic leg is being completed in accordance with the Quality of Life Plus (QL+) Program. The challenger for this project is Peter Way. Peter is a retired Army Major who was injured in 2003, while serving, from a rocket-propelled grenade....

The breakaway for the prosthetic leg is being completed in accordance with the Quality of Life Plus (QL+) Program. The challenger for this project is Peter Way. Peter is a retired Army Major who was injured in 2003, while serving, from a rocket-propelled grenade....

The goal of this challenge to create a lightweight brace that can automatically be placed into a 90-degree elbow position with something such as a “push of a button” and will also be able to hold his shoulder up into his socket.

The goal of this challenge to create a lightweight brace that can automatically be placed into a 90-degree elbow position with something such as a “push of a button” and will also be able to hold his shoulder up into his socket.