QL+ Program Manager:
Kristie Yelinek
As the premier urban, public research university in the state, Virginia Commonwealth University’s mission is to advance knowledge and student success through its commitments to:
kristie.yelinek@qplus.org
The recumbent bike lift assistance project is being executed in accordance with the Quality of Life Plus (QL+) Program and the VCU School of Engineering. The project is designed for Retired Master Sergeant Marina Libro. For Marina, recumbent biking is a form of physical therapy as well as part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle....
This QL+ Challenge was to develop a knee brace for our Challenger, a Veteran Army Paratrooper. He suffered soft tissue damage after a parachute malfunction, resulting in bone spurs, arthritis, and meniscus injuries. He wanted a brace that doesn't slip during activity. The team’s objective was to develop a brace that he can use during daily activities, including sled hockey....
The creation of a waterproof osseointegration cover was designed for patients with amputations above the knee with osseointegration pegs that interface with the patient’s prosthetic limb.......
QL+ engineering students from Virginia Commonwealth University worked on the Waterproof Osseointegration Covers Challenge for an Army Veteran who lost both legs above the knee due to an improvised explosive device (IED). Due to the severe damage to his legs and the recovery process, he was unable to wear conventional prosthetics. As such, he underwent a trial study and became a recipient of osseointegration surgery. This procedure involves taking titanium rods and grafting them to the bone to facilitate the attachment of a prosthetic device....
Ranger Road is a nonprofit organization providing Veterans the necessary tools to be successful during the crucial transition from military to civilian life. Ranger Road has several programs to involve injured veterans in recreation sports. Participation in challenging team activities provides physical and mental benefits for veterans and those assisting. One such activity is the Gut Check Race. It involves a litter carry and the current litter is heavy and is made of canvas, which does not wear well, especially in different conditions which may include mud or water. Ranger Road requests the creation of a long litter carry to over terrain where the litter bearers would like to have the ability to use wheels. The litter must be lightweight, durable, foldable, and portable that can be easily-converted to use off-road wheels.
Our design approach utilizes a commercial mouth-operated USB game controller called QuadStick to provide manual control of the drone. A custom-built Printed Circuit Board (PCB) intercepts USB data from the QuadStick and maps that data to control signals to a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC). This DAC produces outputs that emulate the voltages generated from each joystick and relevant button channels on the DJI transmitter motherboard. By the end of Fall, we were able to provide a proof-of-concept system which provided stable 4-channel joystick control of throttle, yaw, and strafe. In our latest revision, a Multiplexer installed on the PCB allows us to digitally swap the input signals of the motherboard’s joystick ports between the DAC output and the original joysticks, eliminating the need for a physical switch to be installed on the controller and providing a true plug-and-play solution.
The Challenger would like to have a brace that circulates hot water around his knee joint that allows him to walk and is powered. The Game Ready circulates ice cold water for a variety of joints, so something similar that is small, portable and has hot water circulating in a knee brace is the general idea.
The Challenge is to create a device to help the veterans to get in and out of the race vehicles. The device must be safe, easy to use, adjustable (up and down and side to side), and it must accommodate people of various sizes.
