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TeniAyo Esmeralda Begbaaji

Integrated Industrial Design MSc

I am an Industrial Designer with specialisms in sustainable design and inclusive design. I pursued my undergraduate degree in Loughborough University so more of my work can be seen in the Loughborough Desgin School 2023 Degree Show.

E-Pushchair for Urban Travel

The aim of my project was to design a pushchair to aid parents using public transport systems. I decided to focus on the safety of the parent and child when entering and exiting trains and buses. Users often need to navigate a large step and gap, which results in them exiting backwards. This poses a risk to the users as they cannot see where they are going, making them susceptible to falling whilst still holding onto the pushchair and endangering their child. My product enables users to exit facing forwards with a self-stabilising seat unit, which counterbalances when the pushchair chassis is titled.

I used Transport for London’s (TFL) design guidelines as the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has set a goal to reduce travel by car and increase the use of public transport. As my product will make navigating public transport easier for users it would encourage users to travel on trains and buses and aligns with Sadiq Khan’s goals for TFL. The product could be adapted for other cities by using their public transport system’s design guidelines and branding as step gaps have been found across the globe.
When the pushchair chassis is tilted, the seat remains in the same position relative to the ground, so there is no risk of the child falling out of the seat.
The battery and electronic components are housed in the rear axle, and the battery can be removed for external charging. The lights at the bottom indicate the battery charge. Users will still be able to travel when the battery has run out but will need to revert to traditional usage.
The seat unit is stabilised using a stepper motor and gear train system.

Electronic Prototyping

I made an electromechanical prototype to prove the seat unit of a pushchair could be self-stabilised. I uploaded code to an Arduino Uno board to control the stepper motor and test the system’s effectiveness.

Circuit diagram for a self-stabilising seat using a stepper motor, accelerometer and H bridge.

Seat starts at the neutral “upright” position

When the accelerometer is tilted, the seat is rotated to the corresponding angle.

Physical Prototyping

After coding the Arduino Uno, I created the physical prototype to house the components. I found a toy pushchair with a detachable seat, so after taking measurements, I could design the prototype using Solidworks. After several iterations, I simplified the frame and decided laser cutting would be the most efficient and accurate manufacturing method. I 3D printed pins and shafts to connect the seat to the frame so that I could replicate the size and shape of the hole on the original toy pushchair where the seat was attached.

CAD prototype of the model, using exact dimensions for the internal components and seat unit.

Before laser cutting the frame, I cut out 4 test pieces to determine the kerf size for 6mm laser ply.

The dimensions given for the bracket weren’t precise enough so I had to file the holes for the mounting bracket to make it fit.

The final prototype fully constructed.

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