My name is Nathan Brown, and I am a senior concentrating in biomedical engineering. As I prepare to graduate in December '21, I plan to pursue a career in designing implantable medical devices. My initial interest in the Royce Fellowship stemmed largely from my desire to connect with the Providence community outside of College Hill as I have done with Lead with Love. Lead with Love is a community service organization that I co-founded. We have partnered with Tides Family Services to help serve. Outside of service and the classroom, I am also a member of the football team here at Brown. Go Bears!

Project: 

Freedom of movement for wheelchair users is highly dependent on the capabilities of their mobility device. Standard wheelchairs function acceptably indoors, but are not designed for sustained use on difficult terrain. This limits the user’s ability to safely access these spaces. The Trailfinder seeks to serve users who need standard functional mobility yet would benefit from increased accessibility to outdoor/rough terrain. The device employs two configurations for movement: Indoor and Outdoor modes. Indoor mode provides standard movement capabilities, while Outdoor mode increases accessibility by optimizing stability. This technical design serves as a starting point. Now, research will revolve around the community of potential users. By connecting with users, I will optimize my design based on their feedback.

Advisor:  J.J. Trey Crisco