The Design of a Family of Parametric Anatomically-Based Compliant Buttock Models to Evaluate Wheelchair Cushion Performance - Fabrication Package

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-07) Deshpande, Yogesh ; Sprigle, Stephen

The evaluation of wheelchair cushion performance is of interest to a variety of stakeholders. Over the years, several buttocks models have been used to evaluate wheelchair cushion performance. These vary in design and purpose, and can be generally classified as either rigid or compliant. To date, published studies using buttock models have been limited to using a single size model. Thus, they were designed to evaluate one size of cushions. A need exists to define a series of models that can be used to evaluate cushions of varying sizes. The objective of this project was to develop a family of compliant buttock models that are based upon the anatomical parameters of persons with varying body sizes. This paper will detail the designs, describe the anatomical basis for the design and provide the rationale for the design decisions. Supplemental material includes greater detail; the full CAD files and model fabrication instructions are available in an open access repository for persons who wish to fabricate the models.
Dreamers of the Day: Designing Possibilities

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-11-10) Deutsch, Randall S.
Computers, Craft, and Culture: Creative and Critical Inquiry into Computation Design

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-09-29) Noel, Vernelle A. A.

Craft and cultural design practices are vehicles for people’s histories and knowledges, and are dependent on their social, cultural, and political contexts. On the other hand, software practices are often framed as neutral, independent - devoid of social, cultural, and political entanglements. Drawing from methods, concepts, and modes of inquiry in computing, craft, media studies, and science and technology studies, this lecture demonstrate (1) how software-based practices can reshape cultural and craft-based practices, ideas, and labors; and (2) how new investigations into craft can repair and reveal hidden entanglements in computational design.
Mechanicsville 2030: The Past, Present, and Possible Future of One of Atlanta's Oldest Neighborhoods

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-09-08) Roark, Ryan

This lecture is an introduction to my upcoming exhibition of the same name at the Atlanta Preservation Center, opening September 24. The exhibition will feature a series of proposals—some by my spring 2021 senior studio and some of my own—for both renovation and new construction along Whitehall Street, a two-block stretch adjacent to South Downtown Atlanta and straddling the neighborhoods of Castleberry Hill and Mechanicsville. Bounded by railroad tracks to the north and I-20 to the south, the area is currently comprised of many empty lots and a variety of formerly industrial buildings—some disused, some partially used, and some functioning as residential lofts and warehouses. Whitehall’s development has been speculated for decades but has not yet begun. The work shown examines the role of history in architecture and blurs the lines between renovation and “ground-up” construction: even what appears to be an empty site has history, often still evidenced in foundations, material fragments, or even the soil. Reuse, especially in formerly industrial districts, all too often goes hand in hand with replacement of culture and displacement of residents; mitigating this relationship is not simple but was central to the development of the proposals in Mechanicsville 2030, which began with an in-depth study of the neighborhood and interviews with residents.
Reactivate: Preservation and Interpretation in 4D

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-09-01) Willkens, Danielle

Exploring ongoing work from Selma, Atlanta, and additional sites, this lecture will examine how archives, digital documentation, and preservation planning can combine to make interactive and accessible platforms that honor erased histories and enliven critical conversations about space, agency, and memory.
Video Demonstrations of Over-Ground AMPS Trials with Intermittent Torque-Controlled Propulsion

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2020-10-12) Misch, Jacob P. ; Sprigle, Stephen

This repository contains videos of the Anatomical Model Propulsion System (AMPS) performing straight and curvilinear maneuvers to characterize the performance of various manual wheelchair configurations. The AMPS was configured with a torque-based motor controller. Different trajectories were deployed for different chairs. The straight maneuver features three 'acceleration phase' pushes followed by four 'steady-state phase' pushes, then the system is allowed to gradually coast to a rest. The slalom maneuver starts with one bilateral push to align the casters straight forward, followed by four alternating unilateral pushes to generate the serpentine-like turning motion. K0004 (high-strength lightweight) chairs were tested over tile and carpet, and were given higher torques than the K0005 (ultra-lightweight) chairs to achieve similar motion. Plots of each of the torque profiles are attached in .png format.
Redesigning Cities with the Green New Deal

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2020-09-09) Fleming, Billy ; Levinson, Nancy ; Dunham-Jones, Ellen

Our first event of the Fall 2020 semester welcomes Billy Fleming and Nancy Levinson to discuss Redesigning Cities with the Green New Deal, co-hosted by Places Journal. Redesigning Cities: The Speedwell Talks @ Georgia Tech is a series of presentations + conversations between leading urbanists that address 21st Century urban challenges: social capital, equity, climate change, outdated infrastructure, disruptive technologies, and money.
From Prototypes to Territories: Multi-Domain Design Research

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2020-03-05) Velikov, Kathy
Bionic @ X

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2020-03-04) Wilson, Marcel

Bionic is a landscape architecture and urban design practice in founded on the mandate to “enable life” in an increasingly complicated and changing world. After a decade of acting on this mandate the firm is engaged in a range of significant large scale projects including new waterfronts, campuses, the reinvention of urban centers, and the reorganization of cities in response to climate change and sea level rise. Founder and Design Director Marcel Wilson will present the conceptual basis for the firms creation as well as research and built projects that have emerged from this paradigm shift approach to design practice.
Equity in Architecture Forum: Show, Tell, and Do

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2020-02-27) Gamolina, Julia ; Akuchu, Bangseh ; Cramer, James P. ; Ellsworth, Leslie ; Kripa, Ersela ; Kansas, Gene

The theme for the second annual forum "Equity in Architecture at Georgia Tech", is Show, Tell, and Do. Julia Gamolina, our keynote speaker, will speak on gender and minority equity, highlighting data and personal examples discovered in her project Madame Architect. The student moderated discussion will engage panelists in discussing how to recognize, raise awareness, and act on the challenges of inequity in the study and practice of architecture.