Booz Allen Interns are Developing Transportation Methods for People with Lower-Body Paralysis

The following post is part of a series of stories written by Booz Allen Hamilton’s Summer Games interns. The opinions and views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect the views of Booz Allen.

By Janet Onwukamuche

Approximately 1,500 babies are born in the United States each year with spina bifida, a neural tube defect found in children. These children have varying levels of paralysis or weakness in the muscles of their legs, hips, and back—and many are never able to walk.

As members of the Skeleton of Hope team, part of Booz Allen Hamilton’s Summer Games Internship Program, my teammates and I have been challenged to design a method of transportation for people with spina bifida, paraplegics, and people with lower-body paralysis. We are developing a product that will enable patients to move more freely, with hands-free movement and less dependency on others.

With the help of our multi-disciplinary group of coders, engineers, health professionals, and researchers, we have been able to translate the best features of a Segway, hover board, and crutch system, into an effective mode of transportation for individuals with lower-body paralysis. Offering balance and pressure sensors as well as stability and safety features, it’s sleek, innovative, and inexpensive.

This assignment has been very personal for me.

I’m Nigerian, and know that walking many miles is a sometimes a necessity for children to receive an education. In many developing countries, children with lower-body paralysis never have get a chance to go to school due to lack of mobility. This has been a major driver for my day-to-day work. My hope is this project will eventually help children who can’t make the trip to school by foot, get their education. 

All this wouldn’t have been possible without the resources and opportunity interning at Booz Allen Hamilton has allowed us. Booz has given our team the guidance we need to build a successful product, beyond just a prototype. More importantly, the firm has given us the chance to run with an idea – to better help the world

Janet Onwukamuche is an undergraduate student studying mechanical engineering at Prairie View A&M University and a Booz Allen intern based in Washington, D.C.