Devin Hamilton has an upbeat demeanor. He describes his condition with humor, and works late into the night to produce work that benefits others with similar conditions.
Michael Conti

Most of us are born into a world crafted for our ease of use. Almost everything we touch and operate is modeled for our comfort, and is derived from the assumption that most people in this world are built similarly. But not everyone lives under the same circumstances. Some, unable to utilize these comforts, must overcome a variety of challenges to function in this world. Like wealth, survival and pride, the need to master one’s surroundings has proven to be one of the great motivators of humanity. And with great motivation comes great innovation.

Over the past few years, fifth year Mechanical Engineering Technology majors Devin Hamilton and Beth Kiefer developed a deep friendship while working their way through RIT’s MET program. Last summer, the two began their greatest project yet: an improved wheelchair design. This is a project that they find important, challenging and deeply personal.

Drawing From Experience

Hamilton has cerebral palsy, a condition that requires him to use a power chair and places certain limitations on his physical dexterity. His condition makes speaking difficult, but over the years, Kiefer has become adept at relaying whatever message Hamilton was trying to express to those having trouble understanding him. This close connection adds a unique dimension to their friendship, as well as their working relationship.

Together the pair has created many devices to assist Hamilton. There’s a custom dock for his cell phone charger, a mount for his iPad and keyboard, and even an eye-tracking webcam system that allows him to operate his computer. But as impressive as these examples are, their newest endeavor is poised to push their creative and technical boundaries even further.

Currently, they have been collaborating on a power chair featuring a new ergonomic design. By allowing the operator to kneel forward slightly, the chair is intended to redirect some of the pressure from the operator’s back. “In a standard ‘captain’s chair’ wheelchair, all of your body weight is pushed down to the bottom of your spine and hips. This can cause pressure sores and back pain,” explained Kiefer. “The kneeling style seating distributes body weight throughout the hips, thighs and knees, alleviating pain and reducing risk for pressure sores.”

A completely new design, the chair is designed with Hamilton in mind and is deeply personal to him. “I always knew I wanted to design a chair here at RIT,” he said. After about a year of drafting different designs, he reached out to Kiefer this past summer to begin fleshing out these ideas.

A sponsorship by the Center for Student Innovation (CSI) provided the funding for Kiefer and Hamilton to begin designing a prototype. When drawing up these prototypes, they tested two main approaches. Initially, they began building their new design using components from existing electric wheelchairs. While having pre-existing parts was convenient, the duo felt limited by design compromises that restricted their ideas. Instead, they decided to build the chair from scratch.

Design is a shared process for the two, and Hamilton, with his familiarity with power chairs, brought a range of ideas to the table. They ran all ideas by each other and shared the work in the machine shop. They began to track their progress on a blog as part of their agreement with the CSI. Over the course of the summer, the two contributed up to 80 hours a week. By fall, there was still a long way to go, even with all the time they had already invested. However, the two were able to secure something they had never imagined: a buzz.

Devin Hamilton reaches to control a 3-D printer to build a plastic mold for a cell phone charger he designed. The machine was out of service, and Devin had to drive back to his office.
Michael Conti

Spreading the Word

Word of Kiefer and Hamilton’s work spread quickly across RIT and into the assistive technology industry, a broad field dedicated to developing devices intended to aid people with physical impairments. The two were asked to present their designs and ideas at several conferences and institutions. They spoke at the Lily Conference on College and University Teaching and at Keuka College, where they discussed previous projects and strategies. When guest speaker Matthew B. Crawford came to campus to speak about “making the case for working with your hands,” the two were asked to present during his workshop. This was the kind of networking and support that money couldn’t buy.

Kiefer and Hamilton have also had the full support of their faculty advisors and consultants here at RIT. They work closely with their faculty advisor and Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology professor Carl Lundgren, who Hamilton speaks with almost everyday. The two acknowledge how important it is to have the assistance they’ve received from Lundgren. They have also received help from MET Professor Dr. Robert Garrick, CSI Director Jon Schull, Engineering Facilities Manager John Bonzo, and even RIT alumni Maynard Kearney. “They kind of keep us in check,” Kiefer joked. Jests aside, the experience has given the pair an opportunity to examine RIT’s innovation community from the inside out.

Devin Hamilton and his friend, Elizabeth Kiefer, work together on a lathe that is changing the shape of a pipe used in the construction of a new powerchair. Building powerchairs is part of Devin’s passion to create assistive technologies.
Michael Conti

The Road Ahead

Both Hamilton and Kiefer remark that the amount of access, resources and assistance they’ve received during the course of their project has been outstanding. “We’re getting to see internally how RIT works,” Kiefer stated. Hamilton added, “We might not get these resources at other schools.” They both joined the MET program because of a passion for creative design and manufacturing. They’re passionate about their work, and both love to get their hands dirty. They pushed through a series of setbacks, as several technical aspects of the project stalled work. At one point, Hamilton recalled, “We were doing a lot of learning, not a lot of doing.”

By undertaking this hefty task in addition to their normal coursework, they’ve learned the value of putting their skills into practice. They’ve also been able to spread the word about the work that RIT and its students are capable of, an act beneficial to students Institute-wide.

Graduating this spring, Kiefer concludes her coursework at the end of this quarter. Although she is still undecided about future work, she has considered the assistive technology field an option due to her experience. Hamilton hopes to begin his own assistive technology business, in addition to developing an assistive technology program at RIT, possibly in cooperation with other Rochester universities. Though the wheelchair is still far from being finalized, Hamilton remains committed to seeing it through to the end, even after he graduates in the spring. Kiefer plans on contributing as much as she can to the project, depending on where her approaching career takes her.

When the pair showed me a mold of the wheelchair’s base and models of the motorized wheels they’ll use to move it, I couldn’t help but notice the same sense of pride seen in their earlier projects. When I first arrived for the interview, they’d been working for hours on end. And when I left, I’m almost positive they went right back to it.