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Candidate
Individual Projects - 2018
General Information on
Individual Projects
Individual Projects are designed
to be less time-consuming for a student whose schedule does not permit working
on a team-based project but wishes to receive a letter grade and one credit
unit. Students working on an individual project must meet with the course
instructor during the second week of classes to discuss and agree upon the
specifics of the project. Also see Required Course and Individual Project
Activities.
Individual Projects differ from Team
Projects in that they (Individual Projects) address simpler problems, have less
complex solutions, may not involve a user, or result in a lower level of
prototype functionality (such as producing a CAD design instead of a working
physical prototype).
Optionally, two students may work
collectively on an Individual Project as a way of enhancing their project
experiences and making Individual Projects more appealing to students currently
on the Team Project Wait List. It is still be offered as 1 credit unit and
require attendance in at least 10 class sessions.
Students working on Individual Project
focus on one of the following activities that relate to or would potentially
benefit an older adult or individual with a disability:
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Research an assistive technology
topic - report on new products and research under
development.
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Pursue a "paper design" of an
assistive technology device - develop a CAD design or a "low resolution"
physical device built from foam-core or other prototyping
material.
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Create a work of art -
create an original poem, song, skit, painting, or video. (This option would be
of particular interest to students who have skills and expertise other than
engineering.)
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Engage in an aftermarket
aesthetic design - select an existing assistive product that could benefit
from a better appearance, contact the manufacturer, and work with a user of the
device to improve its aesthetic appeal.
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Engage in an aftermarket
functionality / usability design - select an existing assistive product
that could benefit from a better functionality or usability, contact the
manufacturer, and work with a user of the device to improve its functionality
or usability.
- Consider one of the projects
listed below.
Individual Project Titles:
(year originally suggested)
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 Project for Aurora
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Background: Aurora is an
extroverted 10 year old, lives in the Sacramento area, and has Cerebral Palsy.
She has no speech, but answers either / or questions by shifting her eye gaze
to the speaker's left or right hand. She is quick enough that the other kids
have made a game of asking her questions. She also has a speaking computer that
her mother uses frequently. She is unable to walk, but may be able to support
her own weight. She uses a power wheelchair for mobility, but the joystick is
positioned behind her and operated by others.
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Problem: Aurora has a lack
of independent mobility which affects her ability to interact with
others.
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Aim: Explore paper designs
(non-functional) that would either improve her ability to move independently or
help her interact with her parents and peers.
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Design Criteria:
- Age and gender appropriate
"cool" design
- Non-functional paper, CAD, or
low-resolution prototypes
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Links:
- Upsee Mobility Device
- this is not an appropriate design concept as it relies on a
parent to support Aurora's entire weight
- Mybility
- Powered stand up wheelchairs for kids
- Other Stand Up Wheelchairs with
Mobility
- Exoskeleton for kids
(Research)
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Facial Masking Videos
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Background: Parkinson's
Disease (PD) affects up to 1 million people in the US and doctors diagnose as
many as 60,000 new cases each year. Just as PD affects movement in other parts
of the body, it also affects the muscles in the face, mouth, and throat that
are used in speaking.
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Problem: Facial Masking is
the loss of facial expressions due to PD. This condition can make it harder to
communicate the emotions that go along with speech. Others may misinterpret
this as a lack of interest in the conversation or aloofness. In addition, some
people with PD struggle to find words, and so they may speak slowly. And in
other cases, PD causes people to speed up their speech so much that it may
sound like stuttering. These and other changes to speech vary from person to
person. But they all can make it difficult for people with PD to be understood,
and to enjoy socializing.
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Aim: Produce videos that
illustrate Facial Masking:
- A short video that can be shown
to the person with whom they are communicating, describing Facial
Masking.
- A longer video describing Facial
Masking to a larger audience.
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Design Criteria:
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Links:
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Quick Switch
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Background: This project
will benefit people who have limited dexterity or whose hands and arms are
occupied with a carrying task.
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Problem: People with limited
dexterity may find it more difficult to operate a standard style toggle light
switches than the newer "rocker" type.
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Aim: Explore designs for an
device to make a toggle light switch easier to operate.
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Design Criteria:
- must not require re-wiring of
switch
- must be a clean-looking
design
- could provide space for an
identifying label
- perhaps be easy to find in a
darkened room
- operate with an elbow if hands
& arms are full
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Links:
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Evaluation of JetPod for Children with Disabilities
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Background: JetPod is a new
battery-operated open-water joystick-controlled motorized circular floating
recreational platform. Adults or children can sit or stand on the platform,
experiencing the fun and mobility independence of navigating the water and
interacting with other JetPod users and swimmers on other floating devices. The
product is constructed from high quality drop stitch inflatable material,
weighting 36 pounds including batteries, and is easily
transportable.
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Desire: ual Jet Marine
(JetPod's manufacturer) and Good Life Mobility have an interest in evaluating
the possible benefits this device might provide for children with
disabilities.
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Aim & Activities: Engage
in activities that would evaluate the ability of this commercial product to
address the therapeutic and psychosocial needs, including promoting confidence
and empowerment, of children with spinal cord injury, autism, cystic fibrosis,
and developmental disabilities. Project activities would include:
- Student familiarization with
product
- Contact local organizations
(agencies and individuals such as therapists) that work with children with
disabilities
- Introduce JetPod by phone
conversation, email, website, social media
- Solicit initial reactions with a
questionnaire
- Follow-up with JetPod demo for
organizations
- Follow-up with JetPod demo to
include children
- Solicit demo reactions from
organizations with a questionnaire
- Analyze data to determine
benefits
- Final report and
presentation
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Support: Dual Jet Marine
will provide JetPods for demonstrations (with and without the participation of
children) for organizations serving children with disabilities. Additionally
they will provide transportation, safety support, waivers, and liability
insurance.
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Links:
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Project for Amelie
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Background: Amelie is a
student with cerebral palsy who attends JLS Middle School in Palo Alto. She
will be getting a new manual wheelchair and uses a trike to get around at
school.
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Problem: Individuals, such
as Amelie, who use wheelchairs, scooters, or walkers 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 these devices have to "wear" the same equipment everyday and for every
occasion.
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Aim: Explore ways to add a
personal aesthetic to Amelie's wheelchair and/or trike.
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Design Criteria:
- The design should not alter or
permanently deface or damage the physical structure of the wheelchair and/or
trike.
- The customization should be able
to easily be installed, removed, changed, cleaned, and washed by the
user.
- 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, colors, patterns, lights, textures, 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.
- Consider designs that would
enhance wheelchair visibility at night, especially when crossing
streets.
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Link:
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Danny's Dresser
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Background: Danny lives in
Los Gatos and has cerebral palsy with a cortical vision impairment. He uses a
manual wheelchair to get around.
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Problem: Danny's current
dresser is challenging for him to use:
- The contents of the top and
bottom drawers are difficult to reach
- Opening the drawers is a
two-handed operation which requires pulling on two small knobs on the left and
right side of each drawer
- Opening the drawers requires
considerable physical exertion
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Aim: Explore designs for a
dresser for Danny so he can be independent in accessing his clothes.
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Design Criteria:
- The drawers must be easy to grab
and operate both in opening and closing
- The clothes must be accessible -
at the proper height for a manual wheelchair user
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Links:
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Title
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Background:
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Problem:
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Aim:
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Design Criteria:
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Links:
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Title
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Background:
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Problem:
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Aim:
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Design Criteria:
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Links:
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Fun at the
Beach 
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Background: Jessa is an
extremely active 8 year old girl who has one leg and a twin sister who she
constantly chases.
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Problem: When Jessa's family
vacationed at the beach over the holidays, Jessa used a "regular beach
wheelchair". It didn't fit in the car, was not able to be independently
propelled, and was too tall to access the sand or water, interfering with her
ability to make sand castles and look for shells and stones.
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Aim: Explore designs for a
wheeled mobility device that would allow Jessa to explore the beach and engage
in typical beach activities.
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Links:
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Project for
Solomon
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Background: Solomon is an
18-month old child from Foster City with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a
condition of the skin that causes it to be fragile and easily injured, forming
painful blisters - a serious problem if they subsequently become
infected.
Solomon's father explains further:
"The problem is shear stress. Skin is basically a composite material, and for
these kids, the 'glue' between two of the layers is weak or non-existent. In
Solomon's case, the defect is at the lowest layer, and the glue is weak. We use
additional layers of clothes to help absorb shear stress for him. For example,
Solomon wears a tight layer of soft cotton undergarments at all times, called
Skinnies, which cover his entire body from neck to toe. On his knees and
elbows, he then wears soft pads. Then over these garments he wears socks,
pants, a long sleeve shirt, and cotton gloves on his hands. Together, this
system reduces the shear stress able to reach his skin and reduces the
likelihood for injury."
"However this solution is not
perfect. For example, should we be using a tight layer made of Lycra rather
than cotton? How would that affect the shear stress reaching his skin and his
temperature regulation? Hard knee and elbow pads like skateboarders use would
be great for him, but the straps to hold these pads in place are likely to cut
him. How could we modify these straps to be effective? These are the types of
engineering questions that could yield real benefits for Solomon and the many
kids and adults like him."
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Problem: Solomon does not
have large areas of wounds on his body because his parents don't allow him to
engage in play activities for fear that he will get injured. But Solomon
desperately wants to play with his 5 year-old brother and other kids: running,
climbing, and doing other things a child of that age typically does.
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Aim: Explore design concepts
to provide Solomon with protection during “normal” play
activities.
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Links:
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Simple Games for Children
with Autism
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"Last week I met with eight
caregivers (mothers of children with autism) about you (Alexandra Berrio) and
your organization's (Assistive Labs) assistive aid. Six have children with
moderate to severe levels of autism who do not have verbal communication
skills. The mothers shared a shocking revelation with me that they lead
socially isolated lives. They do not attend any social activities such
marriages & birthday parties, visit relatives and neighbors' houses during
the festival season, dine in restaurants, go to the market, etc. Other family
members may attend these events, but the mothers, who are the main caregivers
of their autistic children, can't attend. In public, their children exhibit the
following behaviors:"
- They become hyperactive: do not
want to sit in their chairs.
- They make meaningless sounds,
sometimes they shout - sometimes these vocalizations disturb everyone
nearby.
- They become restless: running
and jumping.
- Sometimes they become
destructive: breaking glasses and hitting others. (This may be a sensory
issue.)
- They exhibit unwanted behaviors
such as taking food from another's plate or licking objects.
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"People nearby object to these
activities and complain. For these reasons, the caregivers lead socially
isolated lives caring as they care for their autism children."
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"There are many games and apps for
children, but none specifically for autistic children. These children do like
gadgets, but they face challenges using them. Most of them provide too much
stimulation and require a high level of concentration, making them difficult to
use. The parents want a device to occupy their children when they attend social
activities. During that time, the children should be fully engaged with the
device so they don't misbehave. The device should be easy to carrry and
use."
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"An Occupational Therapy
perspective offers these consideration for a successful app:"
- Display less visual information
as excessive visual information over-stimulates.
- Use only basic colors such as
red, yellow, and blue.
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(This document was authored by the
Centre for Rehabilitation and Paralysis in Bangladesh and provided by Alexandra
Berrio of Assistive
Labs.)
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Links:
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Durable Medical Equipment
Projects
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Aim: Explore CAD designs for
affordable durable medical equipment supporting older adults at home including
devices to:
- assist in standing
- help in lifting
- transfer to/from wheelchair to
bath tub
- ascend and descend
stairs
- prevent bed sores
- facilitate transportation
to/from rehab centers and doctor's appointments
- promote upper body
exercise
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Links:
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Crossing the
Street
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Aim: Explore designs to help
pedestrians who are blind safely and independently navigate a cross walk
equipped with a traffic signal.
- Links:
- Car
Company Offering Red Light-Reading Vehicles in Las Vegas
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Wheelchair Accessible
Swing
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Background:
The Magical Bridge Playground in Palo
Alto is the nation's first fully accessible and socially inclusive playground
designed specifically for children with disabilities as well as children of
parents who have a disability.
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Problems:
- Many commercially available
wheelchair accessible swings are large and require active adult supervision due
to safety concerns with the possibility of a child being struck by moving
components.
- Many of the current designs
don't meet a criteria for mindful aesthetics.
- The current offering of
wheelchair accessible swings does not provide a means for the child with
limited arm strength to independently get into the swing or control its
motion.
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Aim: Explore CAD and/or
scaled aesthetic designs that would allow playground users to enjoy swinging
independently and safely.
- Links:
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Device(s) for Holding &
Manipulating
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Background:
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Problem: People like Kim who
don't have use of their arms and hands, whether due to paralysis, amputation,
or birth defect have challenges holding and manipulating objects around
them.
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Aim: Explore designs for a
device (or a suite of devices) that would aid Kim in grasping and manipulation
tasks such as cooking, food preparation, housework, and office
work.
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Design Criteria: The
device(s) should be light weight, assist in a variety of activities, and able
to be used independently.
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Other:
- Links:
- Where
is the AT for Individuals without Limbs?
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Kim |
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Kim at home. |
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Kim at her work desk with the mouth grabber on a
stand. |
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Projects for
Nearpod
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Background:
Nearpod is a mobile learning platform
that helps teachers deliver instruction using iPads (and other mobile devices)
in the classroom. It combines interactive presentation, collaboration, and
real-time assessment tools into one integrated solution.
1.
Lesson Design for a Grade School Student with a Disability
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Problem: Teachers strive to
provide all their students with the best possible classroom learning
experiences. Unfortunately, teachers typically design their lessons for a
general student population, overlooking the needs of students with
disabilities.
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Aim: Develop lesson
guidelines and examples for a grade school student with a disability using
Nearpod.
- Design Process:
- connect with a Special Education
teacher
- identify a particular student
with a disability
- research best practices in
lesson design for this disability
- create new or modify existing
lessons appropriate for the grade, topic, and disability
- receive feedback from the
Special Education teacher on lesson's the effectiveness
- compose a guideline document for
developing educational lessons for this disability as a part of project
report
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Other: The project is not
intended to address the computer access needs of students who are blind or deaf
or those with mobility impairments that challenge their ability to respond to
lessons: entering text, drawing, or making choices on the
display.
2.
Vision Impairment Simulator
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Develop an app that simulates a
variety of selected visual impairments in real time using a smartphone
camera.
- Links:
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User Survey of Power
Wheelchair Desirable Features and Capabilities
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Perform a survey of power
wheelchair users to identify desirable features and capabilities that could be
incorporated into future wheelchair designs. Include both wheelchair and user
safety items as well as information about the surrounding infrastructure and
route being traveled.
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Projects employing
inexpensive voice-recognition technology
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Background: Thirty years
ago, voice recognition systems were in their infancy. A typical system cost
$3000 and required considerable user training to recognize just a few words.
Today, the cost of these devices has fallen sharply while the performance has
improved greatly.
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Aim: Explore an application
for a person with a disability using an inexpensive voice recognition product.
Examples include enhanced computer control and accessibility for those with
limited manipulation abilities, control of household appliances (lights, TV,
music system), and operation of a hospital
bed.
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Design Criteria: The device
should be appropriate for the user's abilities and be simple to configure and
use.
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Other:
- Links:
- EasyVR Shield
- Voice Recognition
Module
- Speech
Recognition with Arduino
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Pooper scooper for canine
companions of wheelchair users
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Problem: Wheelchair users
who walk their dogs need to clean up after them. Limited hand / arm strength
and reduced mobility can affect the dog owner's ability to successfully perform
both the collection and bagging portions of this task.
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Aim: Explore designs for a
pooper scooper system that will be easy for pet owners with a disability to
use.
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Design Criteria: The
improved scooper design can employ commercially available components, but must
be simple in design, lightweight, convenient to store on the wheelchair, easy
to use by pet owners with limited hand / arm movement, and inexpensive to
fabricate.
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Other:
- Links:
Back
to top
Household Tasks
Project
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Problem: Older adults often
find it difficult to perform everyday household tasks such as hanging curtains,
fixing household devices, cleaning windows, ironing, and making the
bed.
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Aim: Explore device designs
that are capable of improving or restoring the ability of older adults to
attend to daily household tasks, especially the most basic ones such as making
the bed and ironing.
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Design Criteria: The design
should be intuitive and safe to use, highly reliable, lightweight, and easy to
handle, clean, and store.
- Links:
Back
to top
Shower / Bathtub / Sink /
Toilet Cleaning Project
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Problem: For older adults 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?]
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Aim: Explore design
solutions for the shower / bathtub / sink / toilet cleaning problem for an
older adult with a disability.
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Design Criteria: The
design(s) must be economical, esthetically pleasing, as well as easy and safe
to use while performing the cleaning task. The design will be driven by the
user's abilities.
- Links:
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Individual Projects Suggested
by the Ideation Workshop Senior User Insights Panel
Address concerns expressed by the
Ideation
Workshop Senior User Insights Panel for the
Stanford Center on Longevity's
Design Challenge, "Enabling Personal
Mobility across the Life Span".
The result of the individual student
project efforts should be ideas, concepts, or low-resolution models rather than
functional prototypes.
- lifting individuals who have fallen
in their home (either with or without the assistance of another family
member)
- promoting community participation
through enhanced use of transportation and communication systems
- improving appearance and
beauty
- sustaining mobility and activity
after a diagnosis of Parkinson's or other similar conditions
- addressing technophobia through
instructional techniques
- making new friends and maintaining
current relationships in the community
- redesigning communities for older
adults
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to top
Individual 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 papers and
groceries
- retrieving mail from a
mailbox
- BBQ implements
- handling a bank card at an
ATM
- handling money - both coins and
bills
- Accessing the
real-world:
- charging system for powered
wheelchair users
- mounting an iPhone camera for a
photographer with C5/6 quadriplegia
- opening doors
- opening a 2-liter bottle
- preparing and serving food
including cooking tasks, 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
- designing an arm ergometer that
would allow users to strap themselves in
- exploring joystick concepts that
would accommodate a variety of shaft geometries
- building a cup holder that can fit
on any wheelchair
- Recreational
activities:
- Caregiver (family, nurse, and
therapist) assistance
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
- 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.
- existing
products from Broadened Horizons
- A lap tray system that is compatible
with the new wheelchair designs
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Specific Individual
Projects
- Accessibility Survey
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Aim: Perform an accessibility survey and analysis of a new
Stanford building. (This project might best be accomplished by two students
performing surveys of two buildings - one doing the measuring, the other
recording and swapping roles between buildings.)
- Customize a Cane or Walker or
Wheelchair
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Aim: Explore ways to add a personal aesthetic to a user's
cane, walker, or wheelchair.
- Customize a Whill Wheelchair
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Aim: Explore ways to add a personal aesthetic to a
Whill wheelchair.
- User-friendly Android App
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Aim: Create an Android app interface for users with limited
vision for blinddroid.
- Age-Appropriate Learning
Material
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Aim: Explore design concepts for age-appropriate learning
material for adult participants with K - 3 grade reading level.
- Age-Appropriate Sensory
Engagement
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Aim: Explore dignified design concepts for age-appropriate
sensory stimulation items for adult participants with diminished cognitive
functioning.
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Other Individual
Projects
- Accessible interfaces for
commonly-used devices:
- iPods / iPads / mp3
players
- Cell phones
- Remote controls
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- Toys for kids with
disabilities
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- Projects benefitting
children with Autism
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- Projects benefitting
parents with disabilities
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- 5. Projects benefiting a
person with a disability or an older adult in a developing country
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- Projects supporting equal
access to extracurricular sports activities for students with
disabilities
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- Assistive technology
project defined by Google[x]
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- Assistive technology
project defined by Avenidas
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- Software projects
suggested by Project: Possibility
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- Revisit projects listed in
NSF guide:
- Engineering Senior Design Projects to
Aid Persons with Disabilities
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- Student-defined Individual
Projects:
- Meet with the course instructor
to discuss and agree upon the specifics of the project. Interview, observe, and
discuss assistive technology problems with an individual with a disability or
older adult. Address their desire to participate in one of the following
activities by designing an adaptation to an existing device / tool or creating
a new, more useful one.
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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
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