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ABSTRACT:

The domestic elderly care and assistance market is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. Over the next decade, millions of baby boomers with over a trillion dollars in buying power will be entering retirement age. Their demand for innovative solutions to relieve dependence on assisted caring represents a tremendous business opportunity. Energized by such promising market potential, the group decided to devote its senior design efforts to the development of a semi autonomous electromechanical device geared at assisting elderly individuals perform daily functions.

A preliminary needs assessment yielded several plausible opportunities in the areas of personal mobility, medication delivery, and memory assistance. With input from potential customers and data captured from market research, the group identified a need for an automated medication container opener. The product is targeted at individuals suffering from arthritis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, or any other cause for general muscle weakness and reduced grip strength. Such individuals tend to have difficulties opening standard childproof closures found on most medication containers. The team’s objective is to facilitate this process through the development of an electromechanical consumer device. It is the goal of the team to provide a universal solution for removing medication container closures.

The subsequent report provides a detailed proposal for the design and development of the automated medication container opener. Included is a preliminary list of requirements and specifications, detailed project objectives, state of the art review, initial conceptual designs, comprehensive project schedule, and a preliminary budget estimate. The design and build of an initial prototype will be completed no later than May of 2007 and cost no more than 2,500 U.S. dollars. Making the proposal a reality will be a highly motivated, technically proficient, and customer attuned engineering design team.