Umbrella Design for a Power Wheelchair Will Be Presented at World Congress of Biomechanics in Ireland

Power wheelchair users may see a solution to rainy days with a new automatic umbrella attachment engineered by a team of UAB biomedical engineering students. The UAB School of Engineering team is one of six internationally selected to present their designs at the eighth annual World Congress of Biomechanics in Dublin, Ireland, in July.

“Currently there are not many options to protect power wheelchair users from the weather,” said Jessica Pieczynski, a senior from Madison, Alabama, studying biomedical and mechanical engineering. “Our project supports clients who currently need someone to hold an umbrella for them when it rains. This device will allow power wheelchair users to be more independent, while still covering a majority of their body.”