About
Resume
Contact
FlowGuard
Pain Relief Robot for People with Paraplegia
Role
Product Design Lead
Design Researcher
Skills
Product Design
Ethnography
Collaborators
1 Design Researcher
2 Engineers
2 Client Advisors
(Henry & Jane Evans)
Duration
3 Years Ongoing
May ‘23 - Present
Without FlowGuard, some wheelchair users with special mobility or paralyzing conditions like ALS experience frequent and painful blood clots as blood pools in their unmoving legs.
Using our robot, people with ALS or paraplegia can relieve these pains and enjoy a higher quality of life.
Our collaborator with paraplegia, Henry Evans
(in picture left), loves it and uses FlowGuard hours every day!
Before
After
Recurring Pains
Recurring bouts of pain impact Henry’s overall quality of life.
Loss of Independence
With the threat of clots, Henry can’t be left unattended for long periods of time.
More Caretaker Hours
With greater care needs, Henry and Jane frequently pay for professional care visits.
Problem
People with these blood clots may experience:
We set out to design a pain relieving robot for this population that could be operated independently by people with special mobility.
We looked to improve the lives of 30,000+ people with ALS/paraplegia in the United States who may experience wheelchair-related blood clot pains.
Goal
Through holistic interviews, Henry and Jane helped us work out details and taught us that our product would need to be easy to use and durable against household hazards.
At Home Interviews (June ‘23)
At-Home Interviews
Solution
FlowGuard allows Henry to clear his blood clots with a click of his specialized computer mouse.
During our At-Home Interviews, we tested different motors, control schemes, and installment locations in order to deliver profound and convenient pain relief.
Arduino
USB Port
(for Mouse Controls)
Threaded Mounts
Powerful Motors
Delivery
In 2025, we delivered a durable prototype that Henry now uses every day!
“It’s exactly what I had in mind”
-Henry Evans
“This is one less thing for me to pay attention to”
- Jane Evans (wife and caretaker)
“Every-day” Prototype Delivery and Testing (Feb ‘25)
Next Steps
Reflection
Thank you Henry and Jane Evans for working, hosting, and
being patient with us!
FlowGuard’s next prototype will be designed for mass manufacturing.
We’re excited to work with wheelchair and robotics companies interested in bringing FlowGuard to market.
Working on FlowGuard taught me that we should
design with people rather than for them.
Collaborating with Henry and Jane during the design and production process led to countless improvements in FlowGuard’s design.
Let’s Keep in Touch!
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About
Resume
Contact
jolichney@berkeley.edu
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