Project C5

Spinal Rehabilitation and Qualify of Life

The people with disability (first-person language throughout) pursuing rehabilitation in a general sense desire a normal life. Project C5 (formerly HealthRack) is a solution posed to the brief of “Home gym for independent use by people with quadriplegia”.

Key to designing within this space is to consider the lifestyle of a wheelchair bound disability.

I chose to highlight and focus features that support independence, reducing cost of physiotherapy in a wheelchair and support engagement with the therapy techniques.

Genesis Client Needs

John, 65y

The solution space was opened for John, the genesis client. The extracted concern from consultation revealed Diaphragm Deterioration is a leading cause of mortality and factor in the overall quality of life. Currently the solution for this issue is proscribed physiotherapy (left).

John approached me with the insight that this routine may be possible to perform without care assistance.

John’s injuy was acquired in his early 20s during a rugby match. A C5 vertebra injury that severely restricted arm motor-control and subsequent quadriplegia.

Understanding the client and the design space the first designs were modeled before the first prototype was constructed.

My colleagues Yiyi Cheng and Adrian Hayler assisted in design and fabrication, respectively, as we entered the UNSW founder’s workshop. Acquiring funding and preparing for the Health 10x Accelerator Program we developed our first prototype. Unfortunately the 2020 rise of COVID-19 variant interrupted our showcase.

NDIS funding is possible, the $2 billion dollar disability industry in NSW Australia has the means to support this system for those in need.

Funding for a go-to-market variant is T.B.A.

Interested parties may contact us for more information.*

*Subject to NDA at this stage