Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - embarking on its nineteenth year - that explores the design, development, and use of assistive technology that benefits people with disabilities and older adults. It consists of semi-weekly in-person discussions; lectures by notable professionals, clinicians, and assistive technology users; a tour of an accessible inclusive playground; student project presentations and demonstrations; and an Assistive Technology Faire. Students pursue team-based projects that address real challenges faced by people with disabilities and older adults living in the local community. Check out the course website.

By the Numbers:

• 30 = Enrolled Students
•  7 = Project Teams
• 26 = Students working on team projects
•  5 = Confirmed Exhibitors for the Assistive Technology Faire

Community Attendance - Community members are most welcome to attend class sessions on campus, enrollment is not required. There will not be a Zoom participation option this year.

Tuesday, January 27th at 4:30pm PST

Abstract: "Inspired by my late grandmother who had Alzheimer's Disease, I created Eatwell, a tableware set to help people with cognitive impairments increase their food intake. After years of research and development, the Eatwell set won first place in the 2014 Stanford Design Challenge in a competition with 52 other teams from 15 countries and has continued to receive extremely positive feedback from caregivers from different states across the country, and even internationally. I will share my story about my efforts working on the project, the design process I used, the challenges I faced, my experience during the design competition, the latest update on my goal to bring Eatwell to market, and my future plans for the product."

Biosketch: Sha Yao describes herself as a passionate Industrial Designer who likes to challenge herself. She has a diverse background and speaks English, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese. She created a product design studio to help startup companies develop their product ideas, and especially loves to work on projects that help people in need.

Thursday, January 29th at 4:30pm PST

Abstract: Brainstem trauma or neurodegenerative diseases can often result in the inability to move or speak, despite intact cognition. The inability to communicate often results in severely decreased quality of life for individuals living with these conditions. Our recent work has shown that brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), can employ neural signals to accurately decode attempted handwriting and speech at speeds that begin to enable naturalistic conversation, and thus improve quality of life.

Biosketch: Erin Michelle Kunz is currently a postdoc in the Stanford Neural Prosthetics Translational Lab (NPTL) with Professors Jaimie Henderson and Frank Willett. Her research focuses on developing high-performance speech neuroprosthesis as well as understanding the neural basis of speech and language.

Erin received her PhD in Electrical Engineering with Professors Shaul Druckmann, Jaimie Henderson, and Krishna Shenoy, also at NPTL. She earned her BS in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) from UC Berkeley and Master’s in Electrical Engineering at Stanford. Prior to joining NPTL and BrainGate, she worked as a software engineer in autonomous vehicle development at General Motors.

• Tuesday, February 3rd - Thoughts on Assistive Robotics
• Thursday, February 5th - Assistive Robotics

Product manufactuers and service providers are invited to participate in the Assistive Technology Faire - This fourteenth annual course event is scheduled for Thursday, February 19th and will provide an opportunity for students and community members to get an up-close look at a variety of assistive technology devices and learn about available services. Users of assistive technology products as well as small companies and agencies serving individuals with disabilities and older adults are encouraged to join in on this event. Browse to the Call for Assistive Technology Faire Participants webpage for more information and contact me to register.

Everyone is welcome to attend this event. Here is the current line up and slides from last year's Faire.