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2013 Candidate
Team Projects
Projects suggested this
year
Projects suggested last
year
Projects suggested in past
years
Other projects
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Guide Robot for the
Blind
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Background: Intellisight is
developing a system for guiding people who are blind and visually impaired
along a clear path. The design uses Lidar-type radar to sense the presence of
obstacles or other terrain features and warns the user.
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Problem: Current orientation and
mobility solutions for individuals with visual impairments or blindness include
the Long Cane, guide dogs, Mowat Sensor, Trekker, and Mini Guide. While they
provide basic information suitable for getting around, they do not provide much
detail about the nearby environment.
-
A guide robot is under construction that
will provide a blind traveler with information beyond what is available with
current solutions. Intellisight is tackling the following portions of the
project: wheels, motors, motor controllers, power system, sensor array, and
computer hardware and software systems.
-
Aim: Build a user-interface that
facilitates communication between the robot and the user as well as the
platform that supports the motorized computerized robot device.
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User-Interface Design Criteria:
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- Employ a telescoping handle that is
able to support the entire weight of the robot
- Provide a tactile interface to the
user
- Include a power switch
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Platform Design
Criteria: |
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- Accommodate the selected motors,
motor controllers, and computer system
- Consist of lightweight
material
- Have an adjustable
height
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- Other: The completed
prototype will be able to detect a clear path and provide object avoidance
information as well as detailed information about the local environment. It
will be able to scan the interior of a building to determine its room layout
and employ GPS information.
- Project Contact:
- Brian Higgins
- seeneye -at- comcast.net
- Links:
- Intellisight - Autonomous Travel for the
Blind
- Long Cane
- Mowat
Sensor - photo
- Trekker
- Mini Guide
- Orientation and Mobility
Training: The Way to Go
- Blind
Aid Project Mid-Presentation
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Projects suggested by Aman
Kumar
1. Retinal Detachment
- Design a prototype device or app for
communicating and visualizing symptoms of retinal detachment
2. Stutterers
- Address one of these problems experienced
by stutterers:
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Design a prototype device or app that
would assist health care professionals to assess the effects of
therapy
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Design a prototype device or app that
would provide audio feedback of stutterers speech and video feedback of muscle
disruptions that accompany stuttering
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Design a prototype device or app that
would connect health care professionals with stutterers living in rural areas
to provide care and therapy
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- Project Contact:
- Aman Kumar
- aman -at- cs.stanford.edu
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Walker for Stroke
Survivors
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Background: Individuals who have
experienced a stroke frequently have a weakness on one side of their body that
affects their walking and balance. Canes and walkers are often used to improve
their walking confidence and prevent falls.
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Problem: Having a weakness on one
side of the body makes moving and steering a standard walker or a wheelchair
used as a walker difficult. It will often veer off course and may be hard to
push and maneuver, especially through doorways, up and down ramps, and in
confined spaces such as bathrooms, office cubicles, and narrow areas in parking
lots. The stability of these devices is lacking when going down a ramp or over
uneven terrain.
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Aim: Explore designs to make it
easier for these individuals to use a walker or a wheelchair used as a
walker.
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Design Criteria: Consider a design
that would be an add-on device to a standard walker or a wheelchair used as a
walker.
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- Project Contact:
- Pat McCarty
- pat_mccarty -at-
sbcglobal.net
- Links:
- Sidewalker by
Alimed
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Inhaler Projects
1. Inhaler Use
Monitor
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Background: Asthma affects 30
million people in the US alone with $50 billion in associated health care
costs. Many people's asthma is poorly controlled, requiring regular use of
rescue inhalers. Poorly controlled asthma, in turn, increases the number of
outpatient visits, hospital admissions, and death.
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Problem: Currently there is no
easy way for those with asthma and their clinicians to monitor inhaler use.
Previous solutions that have tried and failed depend on auxiliary attached
devices onto the inhaler. Their lack of penetration into the market is driven
by slow adoption as a prescription and reimbursable product that requires extra
effort the part of the patient to get the device. In addition, patients may
have multiple inhalers and they can’t easily obtain multiple
devices.
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Aim: Explore designs to monitor
inhaler use.
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Design Criteria: A solution to
this problem must be rapidly scalable and detect the use of an inhaler so that
the patient’s condition could be monitored both by the patient and their
health care network. Ideally this would be without the addition of another
device.
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Other: Any modifications to
existing inhalers - even changing the color - will require an FDA
review.
- Links:
- AT&T
Demonstrates Wireless Asthma Sensor
- App
for iPhone, iPad, Android Tracks Asthma Symptoms, Medications
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- Project Contacts:
- Rush Lloyd Bartlett II
- rush256 -at- gmail.com or rushb -at-
stanford.edu
- Ryan JF Van Wert
- rvanwert -at- stanford.edu
2. Inhaler
Reminder
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Aim: Explore designs for inhalers
that would reduce the chance that they are forgotten by asthmatic users
(including children)
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- Project Contact:
- Jules Sherman
- jules -at-
julessherman.com
3. Inhaler
Appearance
- This project is suitable
as an individual rather than a team project.
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Aim: Explore designs for inhalers
that would improve their appearance, including making them more discreet.
- Links:
- Inhaler for
children with asthma
- Inhaler
covers - this is a ficticious product
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- Project Contact:
- Jules Sherman
- jules -at-
julessherman.com
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Synchronizing with the Conductor's
Beat
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Problem: Professional and student
musicians must be able to synchronize with the conductor's beat as expressed by
the baton, wrists, and hands when performing. This is a challenge for those who
are unable to see the conductor. When they listen to the other musicians, there
is a delay in perception which creates a tendency to be behind the
beat.
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Aim: Explore designs to make it
possible for a visually impaired performer to synchronize with the conductor's
beat.
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Design Criteria: The motion would
need to be communicated without distracting from the performance and should not
be obvious to the audience. In addition, the solution should not interfere with
the conductor's movement or the microphones if used during the performance.
Because an orchestra is spread out over a wide area, musicians will not be in
sync with each other without watching the conductor. There can be a time delay
due to processing information as well as a delay due to the speed of sound and
the distance from the conductor. The beat needs to be obvious so that it can
easily be found if the performer focuses on something else.
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Design Suggestions: An auditory,
vibratory, or other tactile signal could relay motion and position information
to the blind performer. Consider clicks presented in a wireless earphone to
accommodate a visually impaired performer who is moving on
stage.
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- Project Contact:
- Jan McKinley
- Vista Center for the Blind and Visually
Impaired
- jmckinley -at-
vistacenter.org
- Links:
- Synchronized
Beat - YouTube video
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Touch Screen Technology
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Background: Elo Touch Solutions
produces touch screens and would like to address the needs of people with
disabilities.
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Problem: Touch screens present
challenges for those who are blind or visually impaired as they are unable to
determine where on the screen they need to touch. Other disability populations
may also have challenges using touch screen technology.
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Aim: Explore designs that would
enable people with disabilities to benefit from touch screen
technology.
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Design Criteria: The design must
provide benefits to the user, be easy to use, intuitive to operate,
technologically feasible, and cost effective.
- Design Suggestions:
- Touch screen-based maps
- Applications for individuals with
hearing or mobility impairments
- Applications for older adults or
children
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- Project Contact:
- Susan Swei, PhD
- Elo
Touch Solutions
- susan.swei -at-
elotouch.com
- Links:
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Apps for Android Users
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Background: While these apps would
be useful to everyone, they would be especially beneficial to Android users who
have low vision or who are blind.
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Campus Information - Develop
an accessible eyes-free campus app that would provide quick and easy access to
useful information such as: cafeteria menus, library hours, and Marguerite
Shuttle schedules.
- Real-time OCR - Develop an
enhancement to existing OCR software that would provide real-time spoken
output.
- Project Eyes-Free - speech
enabled eyes-free Android applications
- Tesseract OCR - OCR engine
originally developed at HP
- ScanThing
- intelligent optical character recognition
- Campus Wayfinding - Develop an
outdoor wayfinding app that helps individuals new to Stanford find their way
around campus.
- WalkyTalky
- accessible navigation aid
- Intersection
Explorer layer in Google Maps - helps blind travelers explore their
neighborbood
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- Project Contacts:
- TV Raman
- raman -at-
google.com
- Alan Viverette
- alanv -at- google.com
- Links:
- YouTube video
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Projects suggested by Ability
Production
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Background: Ability Production is
a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information, education, and
resources for able-bodied and differently-abled alike. They provide services,
resources, mentorship, and community and support individuals and groups
interested in improving their health, well-being, and rehabilitation from
physical disability, illness, and the effects of aging, including making the
home more visitable, accessible, and easy to live in.
- Transfer Assistance
Problem: Some users of powered
wheelchairs may be able to accomplish standing transfers independently. However
existing wheelchairs do not provide a mechanical configuration that would
assist them in accomplishing this task.
Aim: Explore mechanical designs
that would provide safe, independent standing transfers including to a
toilet.
Design Criteria: The design should
be easy and safe to use, be able to bear the user's weight during transfers,
and be adapted to existing wheelchairs.
- Wheel Washer
Problem: During normal outdoor
use, wheelchairs and walkers get dirty. This dirt could be tracked into the
user's residence.
Aim: Explore designs to remove
dirt from the wheels of a powered or manual wheelchair or walker.
Design Criteria: The design should
remove dirt from the inside, outside, and perimeter of all wheels on manual and
powered wheelchairs and walkers so that the grime doesn’t get tracked
indoors. The design should be self-contained and easy to use and
clean.
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- Project Contacts:
- Molly Hale
- molly -at-
abilityproduction.org
- Jeramy Hale
- jeramy -at- abilityproduction.org
- Links:
- Ability Production
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Social Development Program for
Students with Autism
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Background: Autism is a lifelong
neurodevelopmental disability that affects a person's ability to communicate,
understand language, play and socially interact with others. Autism usually
manifests itself between the ages 15 -20 months when typical developmental
patterns first show signs of delay or unusual brain development. One dominate
challenge of Autism is found in the area of social-emotional processing.
Neurological differences impact an individual's ability to predict the
intentions of others. This inability to generate a measured response from
observed interactions makes social communication extremely challenging. In
short, an individual affected by Autism is likely to process social
interactions in the same fashion as one would relate to a literal object like a
table. Expressions of emotions like facial gestures must be learned through
repetitive behavioral training rather than through typical knowledge
inference.
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Problem: Individuals with Autism
have social emotional and social relational challenges which limit their
capability of engaging in meaningful communication. While these social
emotional traits develop naturally for typical students, individuals with
Autism are forced to learn these features through repetitive behavioral
modeling because of their lack of ability to innately build on prior social
references.
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Aim: Explore the development of
educational gaming applications that will help to create an engaging method for
students to build appropriate social emotional recognition through repetitive
behavioral modeling.
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Design Criteria: Pacific Autism
Center for Education (PACE) is looking to leverage the prior proof of concept
work into a more robust platform which integrates an element of authoring
capability to make the application more scalable and individualized for
specific groups of students at different levels of need.
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- Project Contact:
- Kurt Ohlfs - Executive
Director
- PACE
- kurtohlfs -at-
pacificautism.org
- Links:
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Integration of the Bookshare Go
Read Android Reader with Switch Interfaces
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Background: Benetech is a
technology nonprofit organization, which serves humanity by developing software
solutions for unmet needs in the areas of Human Rights, the Environment, and
Access to Literacy. This project is in the Access to Literacy area and involves
software development and testing an integration of the Bookshare Go Read eBook
reading tool with the Tecla Shield switch interface used by people with motor
control disabilities.
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Problem: Many members of the
Bookshare community have disabilities, such as Cerebral Palsy, that require
access to switches. The current Bookshare for Android app, Go Read, is not
optimized for use with switches.
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Aim: Explore designs to integrate
and test Bookshare’s open source Go Read app with Komodo OpenLabs’
Tecla Shield.
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Design Criteria: The use of, or
creation of, open source software is a core tenet for Benetech’s
development ideology. Though the software for the Bookshare web site is not
open source, we have an open web services API and various related applications
are open source, such as our Go Read app.
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Other: This project will involve
Java programming on an Android platform, Tecla’s open source libraries,
and the open source Go Read app. Benetech will supply loaner hardware from the
Tecla team as well as a user to work with the student team.
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- Project Contact:
- Gerardo Capiel
- Benetech
- 480 S. California Ave., Suite
201
- Palo Alto,
CA 94306-1609
- gerardoc -at- benetech.org
- Links:
- Go
Read
- Komodo OpenLabs’ Tecla
Shield
- Benetech's Open Web Services
API
- FBReaderJ app for Android (Go
Read)
- Bookshare
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Projects suggested by Parents
Helping Parents
1. Babble Helper
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Problem: Babbling is an important
stage in child development during which an infant is experimenting with
uttering the sounds of language before producing any recognizable words.
Children born with profound speech impairments do not have a chance to
experiment with the sounds of language through babbling. A chance to babble
through non-speech means may help young non-speaking children develop
better language, literacy, and social interaction skills.
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Aim: Create a babbling device that
can be controlled by young children with profound speech
disorders.
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Design Criteria: |
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- The project must take into account
that children with profound speech disorders also frequently have other
significant motor impairments, so the design must be accessible to users with
very limited fine motor control.
- The design must be portable and
reasonably durable to withstand messy hands and occasional falls.
- The design must allow the child to
spontaneously create a variety of non-speech syllable strings.
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- Links:
- Baby Babble
Blanket
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2. Word Imitator
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Problem: In the process of
language acquisition, children enjoy imitating and playing with words that they
hear in their environment, even when they do not know what these words mean.
Children born with profound speech impairments do not have a chance to
experiment with the sounds of language through non-meaningful imitation. A
chance to immediately imitate and play with any language they hear (e.g. by
saying it in a different voice, or very slowly, or by moving the syllables
around) may help young non-speaking children develop better language, literacy,
and social interaction skills.
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Aim: Create a device that will
allow young children with profound speech disorders to immediately repeat and
manipulate (such as change speed or pitch) a word or phrase that they hear in
their environment.
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Design Criteria: |
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- The project must take into account
that children with profound speech disorders also frequently have other
significant motor impairments, so the design must be accessible to users with
very limited fine motor control.
- The design must be portable and
reasonably durable to withstand messy hands and occasional falls.
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- Project Contact:
- Elena Dukhovny, MA,
CCC-SLP
- Parents Helping Parents
- elena -at- php.com
- Links:
- Parents
Helping Parents - San Jose
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Customize the Wheelchair
Project
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US Market Size
Background:
-
- About 2 million manual wheelchairs are
in use today.
- 60% of manual wheelchairs (1.2
million) are used by individuals 65 and older.
- Wheelchair use by individuals 65 and
older is five times greater than the entire population.
- The number of citizens 65 and older is
expected to grow from 40 million in 2010 to 55 million in 2020, requiring an
additional 450,000 manual wheelchairs.
- 80 million baby boomers started
turning 65 this year (10,000 a day).
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Problem: Individuals who use
wheelchairs have little opportunity to extend their personal sense of fashion
and aesthetics to these devices. This is exacerbated by the fact that the
equipment covered by health insurance or Medicare is often the most "basic"
version with a plain design. Whereas one's choice of clothes, shoes,
accessories, and jewelry are made on a daily basis, users of wheelchairs have
to "wear" the same equipment everyday and for every occasion.
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Aim: Explore ways to add a
personal aesthetic to wheelchairs.
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Design Criteria: |
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- The design should not alter or
permanently deface or damage the physical structure of the
wheelchair.
- The customization should be able to
easily be installed, removed, changed, cleaned, and washed by the
user.
- The design should work on a number
of popular / standard wheelchairs covered by insurance and
Medicare.
- Consider different user personas and
aesthetics (e.g. refined / elegant, modern / contemporary, smart / sporty,
premium / luxury, male / female, as well as the age of user, etc).
- Consider fabrics, metal finishes,
color, patterns, light, texture, and text elements.
- Consider a variety of usage
occasions (e.g. in-home, outdoors, party, tailgater, etc).
- The design should be inexpensive and
easy to fabricate.
- Also consider designs that would
enhance wheelchair visibility while crossing streets.
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- Project Contacts:
- Jennifer Smith - San
Francisco
- jennifer.dare.smith -at-
gmail.com
- Marsha Maruyama, PT
- Juana Briones Medical Therapy
Unit
- marsha.maruyama -at-
phd.sccgov.org
- Deane Denney - Palo Alto VA
Health Care System - Spinal Cord Injury Center
- deanedenney -at-
gmail.com
- Links:
- Design
Flair for the Least-Stylish Devices
- Icon Wheelchairs
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Dog Leash Project
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Problem: Wheelchair users who walk
their pet dogs need their hands to both control their pets and propel their
wheelchairs. A leash that is simply tied to the wheelchair can get caught under
the wheels. And a strong dog may be able to tip the owner's
wheelchair.
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Aim: Explore designs for a dog
leash system that will be easy for users to attach to their wheelchairs
independently, prevent the leash from being caught under the wheelchair, and
avoid being tipped over by a strong dog.
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Design Criteria: The improved
leash design can employ commercially available components, but must be simple
in design, lightweight, easy to attach by pet owners with limited hand
movement, provide a reliable release, and be inexpensive to
fabricate.
- Project Contacts:
- Deborah Davis - Miami,
FL
- abildavis -at-
aol.com
- Elaine Levin
- podnarover -at-
gmail.com
- Deane Denney - Palo Alto VA
Health Care System - Spinal Cord Injury Center
- deanedenney -at-
gmail.com
|
 |
- Links:
- Deborah's video pitch
- Push Living
- Wheelchair
Leash Hook and Custom Lead
- Petego
Walky Dog Hands-Free Bicycle Leash
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Wireless Treat Dispenser
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Problem: Many people with
disabilities (not just blind) use highly trained service dogs or monkeys. Some
individuals with disabilities are not able to reward their service animal's
behavior with treats.
-
Aim: Explore a design for a simple
wireless treat dispenser for service animals that would operate by a switch or
a wireless signal.
- Project Contact:
- Henry Evans
- hevans1000 -at- gmail.com
- Links:
- Henry's Blog
- Stroke AAC Success Story
(video)
- Article: Why
AAC?
- Scoop
Bowls
- X10 Products
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top
Projects suggested by
RenovoRx
Background: RenovoRx is focused on
enhancing treatment options for pancreatic cancer patients.
1. Virtual Community
Project
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Problem: For elderly people,
hobbies are an important occupation for self-development and recreation, and
are known to aid mental health. Music, reading, walking, playing golf, and
collecting are common activities to spend time, either alone or with equally
interested people. However, attending to these hobbies can be challenging for
seniors with physical limitations and disabilities. The result is increased
loneliness and segregation, which can negatively affect mental
health.
-
Aim: The aim of this project is to
explore and design an application or virtual community of elderly persons with
same or similar interests. With broadband access to the internet, one has
access not only emailing or chatting - online gaming and gambling are also be
possible. A virtual community approach may help seniors maintain their hobbies,
find new ones, and - most importantly - learn, engage, and to do so with their
peers.
-
Design Criteria: The design must
be easy to setup and use, affordable, and appeal to an older population of
users (i.e. "playing cards" and "classic music" are preferable to "playing
soccer" and "pop music"). It is very important for seniors to have control of
their role in the community and to feel safe in using it. In addition, their
privacy should be respected.
2. Elderly Drivers at the Wheel
Project
-
Problem: For elderly people, a
decrease in physical capabilities causes a lack of mobility. Not only walking
can become difficult, but also driving. Typical changes that can diminish the
abilities of elderly drivers are a slowdown in response time, a loss of clarity
in vision and hearing, a loss of muscle strength and flexibility, drowsiness
due to medications, and a reduction in the ability to focus or concentrate. Not
only is the safety of elderly drivers at risk, but also that of other drivers
and of pedestrians. Yet driving is essential, especially in rural areas where
there is no access to public transportation.
-
Aim: The goal of this project is
to research and create devices that are capable of restoring the ability and/or
increasing the safety of elderly drivers. These assistive devices may be
integrated with the car or used as an adjunct by the driver.
-
Design Criteria: The device must
be easy to setup and use, affordable, and work with most automotive makes and
models.
- Links:
- Senior
Driving
- Adaptive
Driving Aids For Your Car
3. Household Tasks
Project
-
Problem: Elderly people often find
it difficult to perform everyday household tasks such as hanging curtains,
fixing household devices, cleaning windows, ironing, and making the
bed.
-
Aim: The goal is to explore and
create devices that are capable of restoring the ability of elderly people to
attend to daily household tasks, especially the most basic ones such as making
the bed and ironing.
-
Design Criteria: The design should
be intuitive and safe to use, highly reliable, lightweight, and easy to handle,
clean, and store.
- Project Contact:
- Marta Gaia Zanchi, PhD - CEO
- RenovoRx
- 408/800-2649
- marta -at- renovorx.com
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Sailboat Seating Project
-
Background: Sailing is a
competition sport as well as a therapeutic and recreational activity enjoyed by
people everywhere. Access Dinghies are small sailboats that have been designed
to accommodate the needs of a broad range of people who would like to
participate in sailing including: individuals with moderate to severe
disabilities, older adults, girls and women, young children, and those who are
socially or economically disadvantaged or belong to an ethnic minority
group.
-
Problem: Access Dinghy sailors who
have a spinal cord injury have special seating requirements that include the
need to both securely support their upper body as well as to provide sufficient
freedom of movement to efficiently operate their sailboat.
-
The current seating system is hard,
slippery, too wide at the hips, and positions the sailor in a reclined position
which makes it difficult to reach forward to operate the sail
rigging.
-
Aim: Explore a seating design for
a sailor with quadriplegia that is adjustable, comfortable, functional, and
secure.
-
Design Criteria: The seat itself
should include an appropriate cushion, address the deficiencies of the current
design, and be compact, foldable, and removable for storage and
shipping.
- Project Contact:
- Fernanda Castelo
- lizzenu -at- aol.com
- Links:
- Access Dinghy
Foundation
- Kathi Pugh sailing solo in
McCovey Cove with Bay Area Association of Disabled sailors - :34 - YouTube
video
- Beneficial
Designs' Canoe Seating System
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Projects suggested by
LeVaunt
Background: LeVaunt, LLC is a private
company investigating the market demands for seniors who wish to
"age-in-place". The purpose of the investigation is to identify product
opportunities and collaborate with research institutions, product development
organizations, product design organizations, manufacturers, and distribution
organizations to serve unmet needs of seniors who have disabilities or
limitations that have a negative effect on their quality of life.
In a survey published by AARP Research and
Strategic Analysis Healthy@Home 2.0 in April of 2011 89% of those over 50 years
old strongly agreed with statement, "What I'd really like to do is to continue
living on my own for as long as possible."
The potential market for quality-of-life
enhancement among Americans 55 years of age or older is huge: 3 of 10 such
Americans have difficulty stooping or bending, 1 of 10 has difficulty reaching
or grasping, 15% have difficulty carrying 10 lb (4.5 kg), nearly one third have
some hearing impairment, one fifth have lost all their natural teeth, and 1 of
4 has difficulty walking a quarter of a mile (0.4 km).
In the US there are 111 million households
(2006) with 23% of households containing one or more individuals 64 years or
older and 70% of population lives in single family homes (2001). Almost 22
million households are headed by older persons (2003) where 80% were owners and
20% were renters. Thirteen percent of the US population is between 65 and 74
years old. Forty-four percent of people who are older than 74 years have
limitations due to one or more chronic conditions. The most frequently
occurring conditions of elderly (2002-2003) were: hypertension (51%), diagnosed
arthritis (48%), all types of heart disease (31%), any cancer (21%), diabetes
(16.0%), and sinusitis (14%). In addition 22 million over the age of 65
reported physical difficulties including 14 million with difficulty walking
¼ mile and 11.5 million with difficulty climbing 10 steps while 1.7 to
2.3 million used wheeled mobility devices and 6.1 million use assistive devices
such as canes, crutches, or walkers.
- More background
statistics
1. Flat House Project
-
Problem: Most housing in the US
has one or more steps that must be negotiated for various activities of daily
living. In order for seniors to remain in their current housing (as they
desire), they must be able to negotiate steps or the steps must be eliminated.
(Other than elevators and stair climbers, no product is known to currently meet
this need.)
-
Aim: The aim of this project is to
explore and design a solution that can be retrofitted to current housing for
the outdoor step problem (entering and leaving a house), the indoor one step up
or down on a single floor, and the multi-step problem of
stairs.
-
Design Criteria: The design must
be aesthetically pleasing, easy and safe to use, quiet in operation, conserve
space, and economical. (Tradeoffs may be necessary in terms of economics, quiet
operation, or space conservation but not in aesthetics, ease of use, or
safety.)
2. Shower / Bathtub / Sink / Toilet
Cleaning Project
-
Problem: In order for seniors to
remain in their current housing (as they desire), they must be able to
independently maintain the cleanliness of their house, including its shower,
bathtub, sink, and toilet. While there are numerous cleaning products on the
market, none adequately addresses the problem. [What are some of their
limitations?]
-
Aim: The aim of this project is to
explore and design a solution for the shower / bathtub / sink / toilet cleaning
problem for a senior who experiences some or all of the disabilities
listed.
-
Design Criteria: The design(s)
must be economical, aesthetically pleasing, easy and safe to use while
performing the cleaning task. The design will depend on the user's
abilities.
- Project Contact:
- Jack W. Moorman - CEO
- LeVaunt,
LLC
- jack.moorman -at- gmail.com
- Link:
- Healthy@Home
2.0 (April 2011)
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Educational Activities for Children
with Disabilities
-
Background: Resource Area for
Teaching (RAFT) creates hands-on activity kits which 9,000 educators use to
help nearly 1 million students master important concepts in school and after
school each year.
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A large percentage of the students these
educators serve have disabilities (physical, mental, or emotional). RAFT is
particularly popular with these educators because our hands-on activities often
seem to "open up" disabled students and get them excited about learning and
participating.
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Problem: Special education
teachers report that they often wish there were more activities focused on
children with disabilities.
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Aim: Investigate and develop new
educational activities appropriate for children with disabilities. This may
include mechanical and/or computer software solutions that will provide
interactive access for these learners.
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Design Criteria: The design must
be appropriate for the intellectual and disability level of the students; must
be very low cost; safe to use; easy to store, setup, explain, use, and ship;
and must fit into the students' educational plan.
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Other: Access to teachers and
students will be provided.
- Project Contact:
- Greg Brown - Director of Education and
Membership
- Resource Area for Teaching
(RAFT)
- greg -at- raft.net
Project employing NeuroSky's
MindSet brain-computer interface
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Background: NeuroSky's MindSet is
a headset that senses and interprets EEG brainwaves and is able to determine
the wearer's level of attention and meditation as well as detect when the
wearer blinks. This information can be used to control a videogame or provide
an interface to operate physical devices.
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Aim: Explore an application for a
person with a disability using the MindSet brain-computer interface product.
Examples include the control of household appliances (lights, TV, music
system), operation of Bluetooth devices (iPhone), construction of an on-screen
keyboard, and design of a communication system for non-vocal users with limited
manipulation skills.
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Design Criteria: The device should
be appropriate for the user's abilities and be simple to configure and
use.
- Project Contact:
- Johnny Liu - Manager
- Neurosky BCI Technologies
- johnnyliu -at-
neurosky.com
- Links:
- Neurosky
- MindSet
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Projects suggested by Berke
Prosthetics / Orthotics
1. Toileting and/or showering aid
for a bilateral upper extremity amputee
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Background: The loss of both hands
due to trauma or birth defect is classified as a 95% disability, often
requiring complete attendant care for feeding, bathing, toileting, and other
activities of daily living.
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Problem: Prostheses are wonderful
devices for providing a level of independence with eating, mobility, and self
care - but cannot be used for toileting or showering due positioning,
sanitation, and comfort issues. The problem for those with limb loss is how to
clean up after using the restroom. How does one wash their hair, shave, or
scrub one's body if their prostheses can't be used?
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Aim: Design an assistive device
that provides increased independence for a male user with a bilateral traumatic
trans-radial (below the elbow) amputation. The device should also work for
those with various levels of bilateral upper extremity
amputation.
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Design Criteria: This device could
either attach to the body or the environment and should be stable, washable,
replaceable, waterproof, relatively inexpensive, and reliable. It must provide
improved independence in its application and use.
- Links:
- Toileting
Aids
- Rehabilitation without
Prostheses: Functional Skills Training
- Toileting self-care
methods for bilateral high level upper limb amputees
2. Prosthetic for a child playing
on monkey bars (new for 2013)
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Aim: Explore designs for a device
for a child with a missing hand or arm that would allow him/her to play on the
monkey bars.
3. Prosthetic for a child throwing
and catching a ball (new for 2013)
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Aim: Explore designs for a device
for a child with a missing hand or arm that would allow him/her to throw and
catch a ball.
4. Dressing aid (new for
2013)
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Aim: Explore designs for anyone
with an upper extremity impairment to help them button their pants and shirt
(including sleeves).
- Project Contact:
- Gary M. Berke, MS, CP, FAAOP
- Adjunct Clinical Instructor
- Department of Orthopaedic
Surgery
- Stanford University
- gmberke -at- stanford.edu
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Projects with veterans with spinal
cord injury
1. Problems and needs expressed at
SCI Peer Support Group Meeting
- Manipulating objects:
- picking up dropped items, especially from
under tables or chairs
- reaching items high on shelves
- carrying items such as
groceries
- retrieving mail from mailbox
- BBQ implements
- handling a bank card at an ATM
- handling money - both coins and bills (new
for 2013)
- Accessing the
real-world:
- charging system for powered wheelchair
users
- iPhone camera mount for a photographer
with C5/6 quadriplegia
- opening doors
- opening a 2-liter bottle
- preparing food and cooking tasks,
including making sandwiches and heating soup
- controlling appliances such as the TV,
telephone, electric bed, music system, nurse call, etc.
- HouseMate ECU for Android
Configurator
- VoiceIR Environmental Voice
Controller Configurator
- transferring to / from wheelchair to bed
or shower
- tele-visiting / tele-working with family /
co-workers at home/office during hospital stay
- selecting groceries remotely for
delivery
- design for an arm ergometer that would
allow users to strap themselves in
- a joystick design that would accommodate a
variety of shaft geometries
- a cup holder that can fit on any
wheelchair
- Recreational
activities:
- Caregiver (family, nurse, and
therapist) assistance
- Project Contact:
- Deane F. Denney
- Palo Alto VA Health Care
System
- Spinal Cord Injury Peer Support
Group
- deanedenney -at- gmail.com
2. Fishing rod, wheelchair
brackets, accessible digital camera, lap tray system
- A device to operate a fishing rod for a
user without use of upper extremity - to reel the line in/out, lock the reel,
etc (new for 2012)
- some existing
products from Broadened Horizons
- A bracket design for new power wheelchairs
that would allow use of an overhead sling system
- A bracket system for power wheelchairs
that would work with a mobile arm support system
- A device that would allow a high level
quadriplegia (C4) to use a digital camera. It need not be able to adjust
position of camera, but it should include a feature to snap a photo for users
with diminished hand function.
- some existing
products from Broadened Horizons
- A lap tray system that is compatible with
the new wheelchair designs
- Project Contact:
- Janet Weis
- VA Palo Alto Health Care
System
- janet.weis -at- va.gov
- Links:
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Projects for persons recovering
from stroke
1. Standing Straight
Project
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Problem: Persons recovering from
stroke (CVA) often have a significant shift in their perceived center of
gravity. This causes them to shift their weight to their unaffected side, with
their head and / or trunk at a 20 degree angle, even though they think they are
sitting or standing straight. This has a significant negative effect on the
tone of their affected limbs, causing them to become more
spastic.
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Aim: The goal of this project is
to develop a dynamic device that would aid the person to realize their true
center thus enabling better rehabilitation of their limbs.
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Other: A similar device could be
used for people recovering from back injury that would alert them when they
bend at the back rather than keeping it straight during
lifting.
2. Sock Donning Aid
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Problem: Most sock donning aids
require two hands to put the sock on the aid. These aids are used by people who
have hemiplegia and also have a limited range of motion of their hips and / or
knees, making crossing their legs so that the ankle rests on the intact leg (in
order to don the sock) impossible.
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Aim: Explore a new design for a
sock donning aid that can be used with one hand.
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Other: Most of these individuals
forgo putting on socks altogether, but still some people would really benefit,
for cardiovascular reasons, in wearing support socks / hose.
3. Cellphone and Tablet Holder (new
for 2013)
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Aim: Explore designs for a device
that would make it easier to hold and use cellphone and tablets with one hand.
This would serve individuals who have had a stroke, who have arthritis,
cerebral palsy, or are amputees.
- Project Contact:
- Debbie Kenney
- kenney5 -at- comcast.net
- Links:
- Tablet Design - UC
Ergonomics
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Other project ideas
- Accessible interfaces for commonly-used
devices:
- iPods / iPads / mp3
players
- Cellphones
- Remote controls
-
- Online multi-site tele-videogames for
seniors
-
- Revisit projects listed in NSF
guide:
- Engineering Senior Design Projects to
Aid Persons with Disabilities
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- Student-defined projects:
- Interview, observe, and discuss
assistive technology needs with an individual with a disability. Address their
need to participate in the following areas by designing a device that either
facilitates using usual tools or creates a new tool.
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Creative Expression - writing,
painting, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, quilting, photography, music,
etc
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Activities of Daily Living -
cooking, showering or bathing, dressing, cleaning, housework, yard work,
employment, education, shopping, commuting, etc
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Sports and Exercise - walking,
running, indoor and outdoor sports, etc
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Leisure Activities and Hobbies -
collecting, model making, crafts, board games & videogames, etc
- Project Coach:
- David L. Jaffe, MS
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