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ATLAS

Assistive
Technology 
Laboratory
at
Stanford

 
 
Technology and design benefitting individuals with disabilities and older adults in the local community
February 8, 2017    
2 columns of images relating to assistive technology
Perspectives is the newsletter of the Stanford course,
Perspectives in Assistive Technology.

This issue once again invites you to the next class session,
solicits project suggestions for Mobility and Older Adults,
and announces a Book Talk and a Film Festival.

Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - now starting its eleventh year - that explores the design, development, and use of assistive technology that benefits people with disabilities and older adults. It consists of semi-weekly classroom discussions; lectures by notable professionals, clinicians, and assistive technology users; tours of local medical, clinical, and engineering facilities; student project presentations and demonstrations; an assistive technology faire; and a film screening.

Next class session - Tuesday, February 14th at 4:30pm:

clip art of a faire scene


Assistive Technology Faire

Abstract: The Assistive Technology Faire will provide an opportunity for students and community members to get an up-close look at a variety of devices and learn about available programs from product vendors and service agencies. Users of assistive technology products as well as small companies and agencies serving individuals with disabilities and older adults will bring assistive technology devices to display, demonstrate, and discuss.

The Faire starts at 4:30pm on Thursday, February 14th just outside the classroom, Thornton 110.

Here are photos from last year's event.

Vendors:

photo of Whill wheelchair

Whill Wheelchair
Whill, Inc. - Chris Koyama
The Whill is an omnidirectional four-wheel-drive mobility device meant to give wheelchair users a sleek alternative to standard chairs, which many believe reinforce stereotypes of weakness or helplessness. The product recently received the Good Design Grand Award.

photo of eye

Eyefluence’s Eye-interaction Platform
Eyefluence - Peter Milford
Eyefluence’s eye-interaction platform provides technology that can be integrated into any head mounted device to realize the potential for wearable computing by connecting your brain to the internet through your eyes. Head-mounted displays equipped with Eyefluence's eye-interaction technology have the potential to expand human intelligence, enhance social interaction, and revolutionize entertainment.

photo of the LifeGlider walking aide

Life Glider
Life Glider™ - Rob Karlovich
The Life Glider™ is an innovative walking aide with a unique hands-free support feature for people with balance and weight-bearing challenges. It enables users to stand and walk safely and comfortably for extended periods while engaged in everyday activities such cooking and grocery shopping.

photo of Podna Rover

Podna Rover
Podna Designs - Elaine Levin
The Podna Rover is an innovative all-terrain mobility device for individuals who need additional support to maintain balance or stability while walking. The device offers confidence to outdoor travelers over gravel, uneven surfaces, and inclines. It features compliant wheels, a self-centering frame, a suspension to soak up bumps, and self-locking brakes.

photo of a Google Glass worn by a user

Autism Glass
The Autism Glass Project at Stanford Medicine - Jena Daniels & Jessey Schwartz
The project uses Google Glass to help people with Autism Spectrum Disorder understand social cues and aid the behavioral therapy treatment process. Using a custom eye tracking infrared camera and Glass's head motion tracking sensors and microphone, the software analyzes the wearer's behavior when interacting with others, displays real time social cues about facial expressions (i.e. "interested," "frustrated," etc), and records the amount and type of eye contact made.

photo of a child in a wheelchair and a service dog

Service Dog Training
Service Dog Tutor - Jean Cary and Service Dog Flicka
Service Dog Tutor adapts clients' own dogs to do specific service tasks for their owners. Clients include seniors and children who have mobility and balance challenges as well as cognitive disabilities.

photo of a communication aid

Assistive Technology Lending Library
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center - Joe Escalante
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC) is a cross-disability, intergenerational, and multicultural disability justice organization that creates fully inclusive communities that value the dignity, equality, freedom, and worth of every human being. SVILC maintains a lending library of assistive technology so consumers may borrow a device free of charge to try it before buying it, to compare similar devices, or to use while a personal device is being repaired.

photo of Dance4Healing booth

Dance4Healing
Dance4Healing - Amy Li
Dance4Healing is a tele-exercise live video platform leading telehealth into physical rehabilitation, bringing community support, exercise, and fun to home care. Inspired by founder Amy Li's stage IV cancer journey, our mission is to alleviate mental and physical pain and reduce medical costs. Rooted in neuroscience and published medical studies, our social platform connects dance teachers, clinicians, chronic patients, care-partners, elders, and healthy users. We use artificial intelligence and behavior design to provide and recommend personalized music, dance, buddies, and groups; use feedback from patient monitoring to record progress; and suggest follow-on therapies.

photo of a guard around a power wheelchair

Soccer Guard
Soccer Guard - Karen Brown
Power soccer is the fastest growing sport for users of power wheelchairs. The United States Power Soccer Association (USPSA) was founded in 2006. San Jose power soccer teams (4-person teams) practice and play at Bascom Community Center in San Jose. A standard piece of equipment is the guard that attaches to the wheelchair to "kick" the ball and protect the user. As there wasn't any off-the-shelf equipment available that fit Jacob Field's wheelchair, this soccer guard was designed and fabricated by Jim Fuller of Sunnyvale.

photo of SmartWalk mobility aid

SmartWalk Mobility Aid
SmartWalk - Raghav Ganesh & Durga Ganesh
SmartWalk is a low-cost, adaptable, user-tested, add-on mobility aid for the traditional white cane used by the visually impaired. SmartWalk virtually extends the cane’s reach threefold, empowering users with safer mobility, greater independence, and autonomy.

Attend a lecture - Guest lectures will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:50pm and are open to the greater Stanford community. You are most welcome to sit in on any class sessions that interest you. You need not be a Stanford student and there is no required signup, enrollment, or charge. The class will meet in a large, tiered, accessible classroom on campus in the Thornton Center, adjacent to the Terman Fountain and near the Roble Gym, the same venue as last year. Here are the parking options, maps, and directions to the classroom.

clip art of a lecture

Did you miss a lecture? - Course lectures are posted on YouTube. To find the links, browse to the Lecture Schedule webpage, scroll down and click on the lecture of interest. Near the bottom of the page you will see the Lecture Material section which has links to the slides, photos, weblinks, and lecture video.

clip art of a student missing hi sbus

Solicitation for Mobility Projects for Older Adults

A capstone course is the academically integrative experience of an undergraduate educational program that gives students an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have gained during their time in college. This experience helps prepare them for their engineering careers.

ME113 - Mechanical Engineering Design - is a capstone course for seniors in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford. In this course, students pursue on "real-world" engineering problems offered by a company or other organization (project partner).

Starting from a description of project goals provided by the project partner, a student team of four seniors will develop a design concept and explore its practical feasibility by fabricating and testing a series of increasingly refined working models. Each project will supervised by a faculty member using information and advice supplied by the project partner.

The course will be conducted in the 10-week Spring Quarter from April through mid-June.

One of the themes this academic year is Mobility for Older Adults with a focus on automobiles and driving.

At this time, the course is soliciting problems or challenges that could be addressed by a team of students.

The best suggestions will be those that represent real problems experienced by an individual with a disability or older adult in the local community that affects their ability to drive or otherwise access transportation. Other suggestions that broadly affect one's ability to walk or move are also welcome.

Please email me your suggestions describing the problem and important features of what a solution should do, but not how to achieve them. Thank you for your consideration.

an older woman at the wheel

an older woman at the wheel, dog in the back

an older couple in a convertible

an older driver viewed through the steering wheel

Upcoming Local Events

Ashton Applewhite - Book Talk: A Future without Ageism

People are happiest at the beginnings and the ends of their lives. The vast majority of Americans over 65 live independently. The older people get, the less afraid they are of dying. Why then are so many of us scared stiff at the prospect of growing old? Underlying all the hand-wringing is ageism, the last socially sanctioned prejudice. A movement against it is emerging with Ashton Applewhite as its leader and her book, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, as a catalyst.

The Institute for the Future is pleased to invite you to join us as we listen to Ashton dispel myth after myth about late life and propose an alternative: wake up, cheer up, and push back. She's as funny as she is fierce, and she just might change the way you think about the rest of your life. Join us as we explore the opportunities and challenges ahead for a future without ageism. What would change - between our ears and in society at large - if ageism were as unacceptable as any other form of prejudice? What actions could be taken today to redefine late life over the next decade?

Ashton will be appearing at The Institute for the Future at 210 Hamilton Ave in downtown Palo Alto on Tuesday morning (10:00 - 11:30am), February 14th for the book talk. This is a free event, but space is limited.

If you're interested in attending, you can register here.

photo of Ashtom Applewhite

image of book cover

8th Annual Adaptive Arts Film Festival

This event features local and international films by, for, and about individuals of all abilities and is sponsored by the College of Adaptive Arts Film Festival as a part of its 9th Annual Celebration - Differing Abilities.

The Festival is scheduled for Sunday, April 23rd from 2 to 5pm at the Bluelight Cinemas 5 Cupertino Oaks, 21275 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Cupertino with a Meet-and-Greet following the event at the nearby Hobee's Restaurant.

Bluelight Cinemas logo

Upcoming Class Sessions:

Support the course - Funding in any amount for the course and student projects is always welcomed. Monetary gifts support approved project expenses, administrative costs, honoraria for guest lecturers, and the end-of-term celebration. Refer to the Team Project Support webpage for more information.

Email questions, comments, or suggestions - If you have general questions, comments, or suggestions about the course, email David L. Jaffe, MS, the instructor. Thank you again for your interest in the course.

Dave

3 rows of images of course presenters and community members

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