VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY – CARDBOARD INSERT FOLDING DEVICE ABSTRACT This report describes, analyzes and reviews the NISH-sponsored project at Vanderbilt University. The project is that of a cardboard insert folding device used to help mentally challenged workers at New Horizons not only learn how to correctly piece together a complicated folding process, but to do it efficiently as well. This paper will describe in detail the ultimate goals of the project, the design and function of the box folding device, show the tested results of the constructed prototype system and analyze these results to show that the project requirements were met and the ultimate goals of improving worker efficiency and production were fulfilled. BACKGROUND We are four senior engineering students at Vanderbilt University. Our project was started when we chose to work on a NISH-sponsored project for our senior design class. We chose to work with NISH because it became obvious to us that by doing so, the impact of the project could make an immediate difference in someone’s life. This project, described in detail in the next few sections, will strive to accomplish this goal. Once the project was collectively selected, we contacted our sponsor Tommy Hall at New Horizons Corporation to set-up an initial meeting. New Horizons Corporation is a non-profit company that employs adults with mental and developmental disabilities. Their mission is to advance the assimilation of adults with developmental disabilities into the community by advocating for their rights and dignity, and providing the specialized supports necessary for developing individualized choices in meaningful, productive work, and also providing places to live and access to the community. At their production center in Nashville, service recipients are trained to perform supervised work for which they earn wages. The project we undertook involves a contractor, Austin Foam Plastics, for whom New Horizons assembles up to 400,000 cardboard inserts for Dell computer boxes each month. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The nature of the problem at hand sought to answer the question: how can we make this box-folding process easier and/or faster for the people working there? New Horizons asked us to create a relatively inexpensive solution to simplify the 15-step box-folding process in order to help their employees work more efficiently. The other aspect of the design approach was to create a process that worked to help those previously unable to fold the entire box, whether as a result of physical or mental limitations, to be able to complete all 15 essential folds in the process. A picture of the initial unfolded piece of cardboard and the completed folded box are shown below:

VU – FOLDING DEVICE

Figure 1. The images above show the box in its unfolded form (left) and after the folding process (right). Employees perform all the intermediate steps that change the box from its flat unfolded form to its finished form. RATIONALE The first part of the design consideration was to isolate the folding motion. In the current process, the employees of New Horizons are handed an unfolded box insert and are taught one fold at a time how to do it. The supervisor would work with the employees until they could fold the box, or until they could manage as many of the folds as they could. This process allowed the employees to fold the box in the air or on the table, whichever they preferred. To simplify the process, we first considered it best to isolate the folding movements by immobilizing the cardboard insert. We sought to create a design that would remain stationary as it assisted the workers. By keeping the insert locked in one spot on the table, it would assist with the most difficult folds that tended to be hardest for workers to complete and remember. The device would assist with both of these dilemmas. The second part of the design consideration was to assist with the learning process. Some employees would come in and be trained on the folding process for weeks, only to forget it within the next few months, weeks, or even days. The design was to include some sort of device that would continually walk them through the steps to complete the folds, or perhaps guide them through the process. This was initially a daunting task. We considered using an LED lighting scheme, numbering scheme, color-coordinated folding cycle, and finally settled on a laptoppresented video guidance system. We progressed through the different ideas and discarded ideas based on cost and feasibility with the help of Professor of Special Education at Vanderbilt, Kim Paulsen, who expressed much support in the cyclic visual video guidance system (1). The decisions made throughout the design process were based on a number of factors, including but not limited to: cost, effectiveness, size, and safety. The device is designed to be very safe since the majority of the parts are nonmoving. The design is also cost effective, made solely out of materials that can be purchased at a local home improvement retailer. The materials had to comply with size standards so that the device could be utilized on a table top accessible to both wheelchair and nonwheelchair dependent persons. Additionally, anything that appeared to have no usefulness in the final design was discarded to get to our final prototype. DESIGN

VU – FOLDING DEVICE The prototype design consists of a wooden base cut out to the match the size of the unfolded cardboard insert. Wood was chosen to provide a sturdy base, and rubber stoppers were attached to the bottom to prevent the base from moving, especially on the initial fold, which tends to push the base away from the folder as the cardboard cutout is slid into place. In the center of the wooden base, there is a piece of thin Plexiglas positioned perpendicular to the underlying surface. This is held upright by brass joint fixtures glued to the base and Plexiglas with epoxy. The Plexiglas serves as the initial folding support. As the cardboard cutout is placed on the base, it slides into place over the Plexiglas, immediately providing support for the first and often very confusing initial fold to start the folding process. A plastic clamp is then fixed over the cardboard on the Plexiglas to hold the box in place as the subsequent folds are made. Once held in place, the worker can then make the remainder of the folds on a sturdy platform, allowing them to use both hands to complete the folds rather than using one to hold that initial fold in place while trying to make the remaining folds. The previous steps, along with the remaining folds, are individually played on a looped laptop PowerPoint presentation. This enables the workers to start right away on the first step after completion, reducing the interaction with the laptop to a simple push of a button. Each slide corresponds to a different fold, where a video of somebody acting out the folds is also looped. This allows the workers to repeatedly watch each step for as long as they need to until the process is clearly picked up and able to be repeated by the workers. As each step is performed and completed, the worker then presses the right arrow button, which was marked with green tape for the ease of locating it and eliminating any confusion in the small interaction with the laptop. As the folder completes the last step and the box is removed from the base, the video is automatically looped to the beginning of the slideshow marked with the first step. This once again enables the worker to immediately start the next box without the added effort of interacting with the laptop. Figure 2. The picture above shows all the components of the workstation: the insert folding device, the interactive learning device, the hand tool, and the middle fold clip. DEVELOPMENT The cardboard insert folding device was developed for use by individuals working at New Horizons Corporation folding the specific Dell insert box shown above. It was developed with the intent that all workers, whether mentally or physically challenged (or both), would be given the opportunity to fold a box to its completion without any support or guidance from supervisors. The development of the device would ultimately provide many workers a sense of independence and accomplishment in the workplace that was previously unattainable. There is currently no product comparable to this

VU – FOLDING DEVICE device on the market. Before its creation, workers had nothing but a folding table, a supervisor, and their hands to complete this complicated folding process. Throughout the various stages of development, the NISH supervisor Tommy Hall, as well as Special Education Professor Kim Paulsen, were contacted and informed on the design progress and effectiveness. They, along with the workers’ individual supervisors at New Horizons, were questioned to provide valuable input on the design and its implementation for the workers based on their professional and personal opinions. Development was also planned to deliver a final product that would be as user-friendly as possible. The simplicity of the application and execution of the folding process was of the utmost importance in the development of this prototype. Other concerns were cost, transportability, and safety. The device falls within cost restraints as shown by the relatively low cost shown below in Table 1. The device is heavy enough to remain stationary when in use, but also light enough to be transported to the workstation. Safety was taken into consideration as well. All cut edges were sanded smooth, and the folding device contains no moving parts to avoid injuries caused by such devices (pinching fingers, hands, cuts, etc). The clamp to hold the middle fold is strong enough to hold the box, yet not strong enough to injure a worker. The tab-inserting hand tool has a blunt edge. There are rubber non-slip pads attached to the bottom corners of the device to prevent slipping and sliding. Prototype Cost Item Plywood Base Plexiglass (usable for 4) 1-1/2" Angle Brackets 3/4" Angle Brackets Epoxy Adhesive Handle (for Hand Tool) Hinge (for Hand Tool) Bag Clip (to hold middle fold) Bending Stopping Rod (from a lamp) Non-slip Rubber Pads (package of 4) Laptop (variable, could be donated or old)

Quantity Cost 1 $9.98 1 $13.65 3 $0.78 2 $0.50 1 $2.97 1 $2.00 1 $1.99 1 $1.99 1 $10.00 1 $3.99 1 TOTAL COST =

Total $9.98 $13.65 $2.34 $1.00 $2.97 $2.00 $1.99 $1.99 $10.00 $3.99 $49.91

Table 1. The above table details the costs associated with construction of the project. Keeping the costs to a minimum was important to potentially create multiple reproductions of the device for large-scale adoption of the process.

EVALUATION Please see included document: VU Images File.doc

DISCUSSION

VU – FOLDING DEVICE Test Subject One was able to fold the box sufficiently without any assistance. She folded the insert on the table so that adjusting to the device was not difficult. The first try with it proved to be somewhat effective, but she struggled with the last fold. After completing seven trials, the folding process was demonstrated to the test subject as many times as she wanted so that she felt comfortable with the last step of the insert. Another adjustment was that the chair she sat in was moved closer to the table so that she could reach the end of the jig easier. The second try with the jig was much more effective after the training and seat adjustment and by the end of seven trials the test subject was folding inserts faster than when she folded them using her own method. Test Subject Two was one worker that beforehand was unable to complete a full box. He was only capable of making the first few folds. He did not possess the motor skills needed to hold the box and simultaneously make the remaining folds. The folding device proved to be successful in that it provided a sturdy base where the box could rest, which thus allowed him to complete the folding process. Additionally, the video helped the individual see and process the steps so that he could apply them to the box in front of him. The most complicated of the folds had to be further broken down into several steps for this to work. Test Subject Three was an employee who was already successful at folding the box and had extensive experience in folding it without the table at all. The execution of the folding process on the table was consequently awkward for her. She preferred to fold the box in the air in front of herself. Despite her preference, she was still able to reduce the amount of time required to fold a box using the device. This indicates that given time and repeated use, she could be as productive with the device as without it. In conclusion, the device proved to be successful in teaching one how to properly carry out all folds in the box-folding process. Despite previously being unable to fold an entire box, a New Horizons worker walked away from the test period having folded twenty complete boxes with only minor supervision. The device allowed him to free his hands from holding the box, allowing him to focus strictly on the folds. The videos allowed him to see the correct folding technique over and over again and apply it to the box in front of him. Without the device, he was averaging twenty seconds, completing only a fraction of the box. With the device he was averaging about a minute to complete the whole box. REFERENCES 1. Paulsen, Dr. Kim. Personal interview. 6 Feb. 2008. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Kevin Ryan Professor Paul King Tommy Hall

VU – FOLDING DEVICE WAY – Principal Investigator ATH – Development Specialist DPS – Research Analyst BRP – Design Engineer Walter Yehl 2301 Vanderbilt Place #4736 Nashville, TN 37235

ALTERNATIVE TEXT DESCRIPTIONS Figure 1: The images above show the box in its unfolded form (left) and after the folding process (right). Employees perform all the intermediate steps that change the box from its flat unfolded form to its finished form. Figure 2: The picture above shows all the components of the workstation: the insert folding device, the interactive learning device, the hand tool, and the middle fold clip. Table 1: The above table details the costs associated with construction of the project. Keeping the costs to a minimum was important to potentially create multiple reproductions of the device for large-scale adoption of the process. Graph 1: The plot of test subject one shows three different sets of data: the first trial with the device, the second trial with the device, and time trials without using the device. The first trial did not show much improvement due to training and learning. The second trial displayed significant improvement. Graph 2: The plot of test subject two shows the gradual improvement of the subject using the device. Most importantly, this test subject could not previously fold an entire box without assistance. Graph 3: The plot of test subject three shows two sets of data: the subject using the device and using her own method. The subject’s time improved quite drastically in the first seven attempts at using the device.