MPH Name
rotates keys in a lock

Technology for Human Assistance

When MPH Consultancy started up we created a project with the goal to bring various technologies together in a standalone product which could be used to assist humans that are challenged with everyday tasks.

Some discussions and collaborative engagements with a non-profit organisation and our local university, that coordinated partial funding and provided SLS 3D prints, was done at the time of development.

What you see here is a rechargeable, touch-controlled, handheld tool which is the outcome of that exercise. The result is a lightweight form with palm-fit, ease of use in mind and motor provided mechanical advantage.

We designed and refined the complete evaluation-ready product leveraging:

So how could this tool benefit you? Well, if you have a weakened wrist due to injury or perhaps arthritis it may help.

Take a look at the movie clip for a sample of things it could help with, it is designed to rotate/turn things for you. There are potentially many other human tasks where it could assist, with a range of easy fit adaptors.

If you are interested in this product and how we may help you please contact us for more information, we would be very interested to hear from you. Click: Contact MPH Technical Consultancy

Electric Scooter

Personal Transport

Electric bicycles or pedelecs and subsequently scooters (the one shown in the photo) are what we worked on several years ago and each time, when the market was new and evolving. At that time there were motor related options around either using sensored or sensor-less techniques and combining complementary control algorithms.

We then saw subseqent trends and the transition to higher battery voltages and the move from front wheel hub motors to alternative arrangements and the drive components integrated with the motor.

What can be observed here is the initial integration of our own motor controller design module into the scooter electrical system for the purpose of evaluation tests and development.

Subsequently, we introduced usability refinements and a choice of control algorithms that aligned with the application.

Wheel Motor

Mobility Dual Motor Control

The electric scooter is typically propelled by a single small form factor wheel-motor but for different applications the diameter will vary depending on the torque and speed requirements.

To the left are examples of larger wheel-motors that we have used in dual motor applications, such as trolleys and trailers, in contrast with a bicycle's that is typically even larger.

They are also all classed as "Out-runners" where the motor stator is in the middle of the wheel and the rotor is on the outer side.

It is important to select a motor that produces smooth torque coupled with a complementary control method for the best user experience.

Integrated Circuit

Motor Control and MCU Peripherals Perspective

When the bandwidth of a microcontroller is challenged engineers tend to reach for the compiler optimization features to help the CPU. That can lead to a result before the next set of product features are requested; at which point it is easy to make the case to move up in device capability.

However, paying attention to signalling between peripherals inside new generation devices can really help with even better optimizations which would reclaim CPU bandwidth plus!

This can be often done with subtle design configurations using logic cells and specific sequencers which typically have the ability to map their inputs & outputs to many pins and peripherals. This is key and leads to efficent design and the resulting hardware configurations off load the CPU but also lead to more determinism. Then the reconfigurability leads to soft hardware! So, you have the best of both worlds with this flexibility at your disposal.