NUS student crafts super-light aluminium walker to assist senior dogs

Chong Zi En, a 26-year-old National University of Singapore (NUS) student, has used his design skills to create an assistive walker, Paw Wheels, for mobility-impaired senior dogs. This special device was created with the help of hollow aluminium tubes and other lightweight components.

Chong was inspired by his experience caring for a senior handicapped dog during his national service at the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Military Working Dog Unit. He found lifting the dog's weak hind legs challenging for a walk, even with a wheelchair.

This encouraged him to design a low-cost, lightweight, adjustable walker that is comfortable and safe for dogs of different sizes. He researched existing mobility aids for dogs, spoke to owners of handicapped dogs, and worked with an animal physiotherapist to ensure his design met their needs.

Chong asserted: "When working on this project, I have to bear in mind the design needs [to] be animal-centric, placing their needs first over humans."

Chong's product, Paw Wheels, is a sustainable walker made with 3D-printed attachable parts and aluminium tubes that can be passed down to other dogs. He is seeking grants and support to make the walker foldable.

"It may sound easy, but the challenge here is that dog[s] can't communicate to us whether the design is good or not," he added.

Working with aluminium has its own advantages, as it is an infinitely recyclable material. At the end of their lives, the walkers can be dismantled to create new bespoke dog walkers for dogs of different pedigrees.

"I hope to promote animal welfare by helping rescued animals through this socially-driven project. The end goal is for all dogs with mobility issues to regain their sense of independence while reducing the mental and financial toll it has on caretakers," Chong explained.

"It was heartening to see the outcome of my design has proved its usefulness and the dogs [are] adapting to it!" he remarked.

The aluminium dog walker will be displayed at the NUS Division of Industrial Design graduation show, "Design in Flux," which is open to the public on Jun. 9 from 4 pm to 9 pm and on Jun. 10-11 from 11 am to 8 pm.