16. HOSPITAL/NURSING HOME LOW-PROFILE BED

A. Problem/Issue

A small start-up medical company had an invention that would eliminate work comp back injuries from moving patients in and out of nursing home beds. All of the beds on the market had design flaws that did not completely retract to the floor level. This led to some patients prone to injury if they rolled out of the bed at night. This new design eliminated constraints that some beds had to use to ensure patient safety.

B. Analysis

We contracted to re-design a crude prototype that they provided and to fabricate another prototype. We modified much of the original design and created a novel low-profile drive mechanism and used a powerful but inexpensive drive motor.

C. Solution/Results

We delivered the new prototype on schedule and only slightly over budget. The new design also met cost constraints and is currently being patented for licensing.