A Swinging Backpack: A student with CMT and teammates win awards for easy

July 14, 2009

A Swinging Backpack

A student with CMT and teammates win awards for easy-access wheelchair backpack

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When a group of Wethersfield (Conn.) High School students was brainstorming

ideas for a science project, they looked no further than team member

Latulippe for an idea that vaulted them into the international spotlight.

" We liked the idea of solving a problem I have in school, which is getting my

books out of the pack on the back of my wheelchair, " said Latulippe, 15, who has

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and uses a wheelchair for mobility.

The challenge was to design and build an assistive device for a person with a

disability. Voila! The concept of the Easy Access Transport System (E.A.T.S.)

was born.

The seven-person team, the Eagles, ranged from freshmen like Latulippe to

seniors. They spent more than two months designing a device that would allow him

to swing his pack on hinges and bring it around to his lap so he could get to

his books. They started with a cardboard prototype, then fine-tuned the design

in lightweight wood, then created a sturdy wood demonstration model.

In the National Engineering Design Challenge competition, sponsored by the

Ability One Program and the Junior Engineering Technical Society, the Eagles

made it all the way to the finals in Washington, D.C., in February, where they

won for having the best presentation.

And the best was yet to come.

Latulippe can easily access his books thanks to the E.A.T.S. design, which

allows him to pull his backpack around to the side of his chair. " The more I use

it, the more I love it, " he says.

Going on to international competition sponsored by Invent Your World, the Eagles

and E.A.T.S. competed against teams from Croatia and Kenya. Fifteen judges from

around the world evaluated the teams' projects via teleconference. The

Connecticut students came out number one in their category and took home a

$1,000 cash prize.

Latulippe said they'll use the money to further refine E.A.T.S., possibly

creating both manual and motorized versions in plastic.

He has a personal interest in E.A.T.S., of course. " The more I use it, the more

I love it, " he said. " It gives me a greater degree of independence than I've

ever had. "

Although Latulippe's first brush with the world of engineering was rewarding,

it's not a career he plans to pursue. Biochemistry is where he has set his

college sights.

" I like that type of study, " said the serious scholar.

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