Our team is tasked with making an adaptive bed for a 4-year-old girl. Our team’s primary goal is to provide a bed that fits the needs of the family and child. The family requests that we make a bed that the child cannot get out of during the night. The current bed they have is too challenging as they have to pick the girl up to put her in, and she is getting big enough to climb over the walls. The have asked us that we construct a bed with a door and walls so she can get in the bed herself but will not be able to get out without the help of a parent.
The adaptive bed project is made to design a bed that will prevent a little girl diagnosed with ASD from getting out of bed at night and possibly hurting herself by accident. The other objective is to help the family create more space in the room by adding drawers/storage to the bed as she will be sharing the room with her sibling. The only constraint of the project is making a bed that will fit the family’s needs. At the current moment we have freedom to make a design we feel will help the family the most, but we are still maintaining contact with the family so they can get the exact product they are asking for.
Bed Frame: must be wide and tall enough to comfortably fit the child while also preventing escape
Size: must be able to fit a twin-size mattress
Storage: preferably will have storage to save space
Door: must have a door, as the child is getting too big to lift into bed
Color: Family stated they do not have a preference on color
Requests: Child must be able to get into bed herself
When doing some research on the project, we found some inspiration by the following photos. We also did research on storage for underneath the bed and a lock for the door as they are special requests from the family.
This is our first idea. It has walls to make sure the child can’t get out of her bed, drawers on the bottom to allow for storage, and a normal hinge door for the ability for the child to get in bed.
This was our second concept. This concept has windows to allow for the girl to be able to see, while also being tall enough to prevent escape, it also has drawers for storage. It has stairs and the top of the wall folds down to allow for the ability to step over the bottom, into bed.
Concept design 3 is a modified version of design one and two. This design has windows allowing the child to see out like design 2 but has a hinge style door like design 1. This design includes 2-3 drawers on the bottom along with stairs to allow the girl to get into the bed herself.
After careful consideration and communication with our case family we decided to go with design 3. There are multiple reasons this was our best option. The family explained to us they would rather not use slat style boards for the border of the bed; this eliminated concept design one. Due to ease of entry for the child we decided to go with a traditional door instead of the flip down style shown in design 2. Although to make changing/ cleaning sheets easier the right wall will be collapsible for an easy access point. For the window on the front side of the bed we chose to go with plexiglass as it will make for a durable wall while giving a sense of freedom to not seem as much like a cage. We took into consideration airflow getting into the bed but after talking with the family it was conveyed the room typically stays colder than the rest of the household due to the placement of the room sunlight does not hit the room very much.
Our final adaptive bed design was essentially a modification of all concept designs mixed into one. The bed will be 3 ½ feet wide, 6 ¾ feet long, and will total to 5 ½ feet tall. These dimensions were based around the mattress size (twin), the thickness of materials being used, and adding a couple inches to help with convenience. The height is made up from adding drawers on the bottom of the bed to add storage space as requested. The drawers will be 12” deep then the walls will be 4 ½ feet tall. The foundation of the bed will be made from 5 posts; 4 on the corners and then one by the door for extra support. Wooden 2”x4”x8’ planks will be used for the mattress to be placed on as well as extra support for the walls, connecting to the posts around the bed.
Bed frame:
The bed frame is essentially a typical crib just oversized, using 2×4 planks for the mattress to set on and posts used to make sure the frame is well built and long lasting.
Border:
The walls will be made of 3/4-in x 4-ft x 8-ft Maple Sanded Plywood; this will be aesthetically pleasing as well as durable enough to last and to keep the walls intact. A window made of plexiglass will be added to the front wall with a border used to make the installation process easy but keeping it sturdy. The wall on the right side of the bed will have a folding feature for easy access and management.
Other features:
A door will be placed on the right side of the front of the bed to make it easy for the child to get into bed; the door will be locked from the outside with a gate style latch. The latch’s primary objective is to lock automatically when it is closed so the child can get into bed herself but not out. Beneath the frame will be two drawers for extra storage space since the bed will be taking up extra space in the room compared to a traditional twin sized bed.
The first analysis we did was for the back wall of the bed. From what was stated by the family. The child is not violent and will not try to push through the walls, however we did an analysis on this wall just in case the child falls into the wall or decided to put some force into the wall. We used a force of 200 lbf pushing on the wall to prove that the material is plenty strong enough to withstand and harsh falls. The overall deformation was only 1.378 in, which would allow the wood to withstand any force less than the applied.
The mechanical properties of the plywood can be found at American Red Maple Wood (matweb.com)
For the second analysis, we decided to analyze a singular slat that will be placed under the mattress, holding the child and mattress up throughout the day/night. We also used a force of 200 lbf on the slats to make sure we went slightly overboard in determining how much force the wood can take. This also accounts for the possibility of the child having fun and jumping on the bed. This analysis will be different when fully constructed as there will be more slats underneath the bed.
The mechanical properties of the 2in x 4in (Western White Pine) can be found at Western White Pine (matweb.com)
The third analysis we decided on was the plexiglass window we will be putting on the bed. Since we are unsure if she will push on the window since she can see through it, we wanted to make sure the material was strong enough to withstand a hard shove. In order to do so, we used a force of 200 lbf on the window to determine if the plexiglass would stand strong. The max deflection of the plexiglass is around .5 inches which means the material will be strong enough to pass the test.
The mechanical properties of the plexiglass can be found at Overview of materials for Acrylic, Cast (matweb.com)
Despite the challenges of juggling busy class schedules and becoming regular visitors at Lowe’s, our team worked diligently and efficiently to ensure the bed was completed on time. The process required careful coordination and consistent effort from all members. We were incredibly fortunate to have access to a well-equipped workspace and high-quality tools, which were essential for fabricating and assembling the bed. This was made possible through the generous support and guidance of Mr. Jeff Randolph and Mr. Chris Mills, to whom we are sincerely grateful.
After testing, the mattress frame failed to support a 200-pound vertical force due to the inadequate nails initially selected. To address this issue, our team replaced the nails with thicker and longer screws, effectively resolving the problem.
Our team encountered issues with the drawer rails and sliders binding and refusing to open, primarily due to wear and tear during testing. To address this, we completely redesigned the system and opted for swing-open cabinets. This design, featuring a simple door and hinge mechanism, has fewer potential failure points and offers greater reliability.
Our team designed and constructed an adaptive bed tailored to meet the needs of a 4-year-old girl and her family. The primary objective was to create a safe and accessible sleeping environment that addressed specific challenges faced by the family. The existing bed required the parents to lift the child in and out, which was becoming increasingly difficult as she grew. Additionally, the child had started climbing over the walls of the bed, raising safety concerns.
To address these issues, we designed a bed with the following features:
The final product is a robust, custom-built adaptive bed that combines practicality with safety, significantly improving the family’s daily routine and the child’s independence.
