UC students design butt brake for service people with injuries

Students at the University of Cincinnati are developing a special bike brake for service men and women who have been injured in the line of duty. Rather than using a traditional hand brake, these bikes use a “butt brake,” a brake lever system placed on the back of a bike seat. The butt brake is ideal for people who have lost feeling in their hands.

The project is a collaboration between UC students, Quality of Life Plus and the Adaptive Cycling Foundation. Amber Humphrey, communications manager at Quality of Life Plus – a nonprofit organization that uses innovative solutions to aid and improve the quality of life for people who have served the country – first introduced the project to UC’s senior design class at the beginning of the school year.

“I was really intrigued with this project because my family has many veterans in it,” said UC student Josh Baker (mechanical engineering ’19). “The service Quality of Life Plus provides for veterans really hit home for me.”

Baker is joined by four other mechanical engineering students, who are bringing their own skills and backgrounds to the project: Two students are avid cyclists, and one has experience working as a bike mechanic.

The five students are attempting to design the most efficient and replicable butt brake possible. The team will start by improving an initial butt brake design by Scotty Moro, founding director of the Adaptive Cycling Foundation.

The project demonstrates UC's commitment to making a difference through innovation as outlined in its strategic direction called Next Lives Here.

Moro’s design uses a cable braking and lever system. The brake mechanism is a paddle placed upright on the back of a bike seat. When the cyclists push their butts back, they trigger the cable system that actuates the front and rear brakes.