The Pandemic is Over, Back to Work!
Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wilson Adaptive Technologies [W.A.T.] has finally resumed work on building shower models. W.A.T. aims to create affordable, adaptive, and accessible showers designed to meet the needs of individuals as well as caregivers while complying with the ADA standards.
The W.A.T. shower systems are constantly improving to ensure they can fit in any home and require no modifications to a current standard washroom. Within roughly 20 minutes, our showers are easy to piece together and just as easy to take apart and consist of polyvinyl chloride [PVC], a lightweight material that makes transporting a breeze.
We have two specific senior design projects currently in the works by engineering students at Wayne State University. These projects target improving the pump system to test/ensure they are working properly and creating an external pump system that can be placed anywhere in the same vicinity as the showers. All that is required to set up one of our showers is a nearby faucet to produce fresh water while the wastewater is pumped through a hose into a drain that can be located up to 50 feet away. The pump in the W.A.T. shower includes auto-sensing technology to remove wastewater without manual startup. This ensures users can have a problem-free showering experience without waiting for water to drain from the shower like our competitors that are also more unforgiving in terms of cost.
Another project by students making headway for W.A.T. is being conducted by engineering students in a technical communication course focusing on client-based presentation projects as well as problem-based learning. The project includes Wayne State University professors who introduced engineering students to work on new features such as the redesign of the WAT1 shower base to be a lower profile and easier to access, newly designed grab-bar systems, and voice controls that are in the works. Receiving feedback from users is vital to the success of creating a more comfortable shower experience with W.A.T. One of the main problems this team of students aims to tackle is creating a more accessible functioning shower base. The current W.A.T. model has a raised base with a ramp that sticks out roughly 4 feet which can be difficult to assemble and utilize in smaller washroom areas. The new base is designed to have a shorter/smaller ramp and a shorter base for easy access. The new model also includes moveable grab bars that can be placed accordingly to a user’s needs. Voice controls are also currently in the works which will allow a user to adjust the temperature and turn the water on and off by speaking directly to the shower.
At Wilson Adaptive Technologies, we believe hygiene is a right, not a privilege. Check out our website to learn more about our story or how to get in contact with a member of our team.