Advancing Patient Transport with Innovative Internship Support at Movi Medical

The Company

Located in Birmingham, AL, Movi Medical designs and produces next-generation patient transport systems for both medical and at-home personal care markets. The company’s flagship chair reimagines the traditional wheelchair by incorporating a more comfortable seat angle (105° compared to the conventional 90°) and a powered stand-assist lift feature. This feature assists patients in and out of the chair while reducing hospital staff lifting injuries.

The Alabama Productivity Center (APC) was invited to provide interns to support Movi Medical with design engineering improvements and strategic planning initiatives.

Internship Program Overview

Two interns, pursuing degrees in engineering and business, were selected for this project. At the start of the program, the following key projects were identified:

• Investigate implementation of an ISO 13485 (Medical Devices) Quality Management System.

• Assembly work cell design using cellular manufacturing techniques.

• Leg rest and lift design, prioritized due to client feedback identifying it as a key purchasing decision factor.

• Implementation of an inventory management system.

• Evaluation of warehouse and assembly space locations in Birmingham, Alabama, to support current growth.

• Hubcap redesign and optimization to reduce material usage, improve compatibility with the hub design, and enhance the cap-to-wheel interface.

• Next-generation Movi chair design targeted at the home medical market.

• Updated frame assembly jack.

• Long-term research and development (R&D) strategic planning.

• Next-generation seat sling redesigns for ease of installation and improved material performance.

Key Project Accomplishments

During the fourth quarter of 2014, APC interns collaborated closely with Movi management and focused on several high-priority projects. The following summarizes their achievements:

**Leg Rest / Support Attachment**

The design team redesigned the seat cradle to allow for a three-point attachment of the leg rest and other accessories. A tube-in-tube extension arm was developed with two contact pads to support the patient’s thigh and calf. The powered lift actuator mechanism was also redesigned to enhance functionality.

**Hubcap Redesign and Optimization**

A prototype of the redesigned hubcaps was machined for testing, aimed at reducing material usage and improving performance.

**Rapid Design Improvement**

Using data obtained from field prototypes, interns identified a potential issue in the flange weld joint interface to the frame. A redesign increased the joint size by 50% and reduced compromising tensile loads within the flange. This improvement has been incorporated into newer production models.

**Market Research**

Interns conducted market research and developed business cases for the leg lift accessory, a bariatric chair design, and a future headrest attachment.