Like all good engineering projects, we started my high school engineering capstone (2021-2022) by finding a problem. I asked my dear grandmother, "What do you dislike most about your walker?" She had an answer ready: the brakes. We surveyed other elderly community members in the area, and they noted the same problem. Many elderly people feel uncomfortable using a walker because of the cumbersome extra weight. The brakes are a crucial safety feature of these devices, allowing the user to stop their momentum and stay on their feet. Unfortunately, many walker brakes aren't made to last. They rely on flimsy mechanical brakes that are difficult to engage and wear out within a year.

With some brainstorming, Pugh matrices, and CAD, we designed a solution that retrofits hydraulic mountain bike brakes to an existing walker. Hydraulic bike brakes are known to last many years and significantly reduce the grip force required to engage. I designed the wheel, bracket mount, and rotor system in Onshape. We used common fasteners and ball bearings to put it all together.

We entered our idea in "5 Minutes Tops", a local pitch competition. We created a timeboxed presentation and competed against over ten other ideas. A panel of ten local professionals judged our ideas and assigned funding. Our walker improvement idea won first place!