Project | Make the Ride Possible: Design a brake lever adapter

Module overview

Noel Joyce started Project Mjolnir to make adaptive mountain bikes more accessible and affordable, with a design that wheelchair users can build, customize, and repair themselves. Using these principles and a user-centred design approach, each adaptive mountain bike can be configured around the needs of the individual rider rather than relying on a single, generic design.

In this project, you will apply the same approach to customize a brake lever so that it can be operated reliably by an individual rider. You will begin by hearing Noel’s story and then learning about the design challenge he is setting for you. Focusing on “the capability of the individual, not on the disability,” you will consider how the rider could operate the brake, define the requirements for your solution, and develop and evaluate concepts. Using Autodesk Fusion, you will design your chosen solution in the context of the bike before preparing it for prototyping.

For educators:

Higher Education standards alignment

• ABET Student Outcome 2 (engineering design for specified needs) | AHEP4 C5: design solutions for complex problems that meet a combination of societal and user needs; C11: supporting equality, diversity and inclusion
• ABET Student Outcome 2 | AHEP4 C6: apply an integrated or systems approach to the solution of complex problems 
• ABET Student Outcome 1 (identify, formulate and solve complex engineering problems) | AHEP4 C3: select and apply computational and analytical techniques to model complex problems 
• ABET Student Outcome 3 (communicate effectively with a range of audiences) | AHEP4 C17: communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences 
• ABET Student Outcome 6 (experimentation and engineering judgement) | AHEP4 C12: practical laboratory and workshop skills; C13: select and apply appropriate materials, equipment and processes 
• ABET Student Outcomes 4 and 5 (professional responsibility and teamwork) | AHEP4 C16: function effectively as an individual and as a member or leader of a team; C9: identify, evaluate and mitigate risk 

Secondary/K12 standards alignment

• ISTE 1.3 Knowledge Constructor | D&T Design: identify and understand user needs; develop specifications
• ISTE 1.4 Innovative Designer | D&T Design: use a variety of approaches, including user-centered design, to avoid stereotypical responses
• ISTE 1.4.a and 1.4.b | D&T Make: select and use specialist tools, techniques and processes, including computer-aided manufacture
• ISTE 1.6 Creative Communicator | D&T Design: develop and communicate ideas through annotated sketches and computer-based tools
• ISTE 1.4.c | D&T Evaluate: test, evaluate and refine ideas and products against a specification
• ISTE 1.6.c and 1.6.d | D&T Evaluate: critique and communicate design decisions through oral and digital presentation