JAVIER REYNA

The Ready-Rack is a motor-powered rack that lowers from the rooftop to the side of the car for the attachment of mobility devices. It is in the prototyping stages.

We were inspired by the EZ-LowDown Ladder, which makes loading and unloading ladders significantly easier and unobtrusive. After interviewing members at Avenidas, a an organization that works to give older adults mobility by partnering with volunteer drivers who assist in older adult transportation to and from doctor appointments and recreational events, we learned that mobility aids are bulky, awkward and hard to store in a vehicle. This can necessitate larger vehicles and impact the ability to carry passengers.

Therefore, we focused on storing a mobility aid on the roof of a vehicle. This presents an appealing option for lighter mobility aids (ie not electric wheelchairs). As anybody familiar with roof racks knows, loading and unloading any cargo presents a formidable challenge. This challenge is compounded for anybody restricted in mobility. As a result, we motorized our four-bar crank-slider linkage system to reduce the effort required to load/unload a mobility aid device.