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Call for
Project Suggestions
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Abstract: Project suggestions
are sought for the assistive technology course at Stanford University this
coming academic year. This is an excellent opportunity to have bright students
work on team projects that address long-standing problems experienced by people
with disabilities and older adults.
Deadline: Wednesday, December 1st
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Introduction: The
sixteenth season of Perspectives in Assistive
Technology (ENGR110/210) will be offered in the Winter Quarter, starting in
January. This class explores the engineering, medical, technical, and
psychosocial challenges of implementing technology solutions for people with
disabilities and older adults through lectures by experts in the fields of
assistive technology and rehabilitation. In addition, teams of students work
with project partners, coaches, and individuals with disability or older adults
(or family members or health care professionals) to fully understand the
problem, identify assistive technology challenges, brainstorm ideas, formulate
design concepts, fabricate devices, test them with users, and report their
efforts.
Some student projects have won national
design awards, even when competing against year-long design courses at other
universities.
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The Ideal Student Project: An
ideal student project would permit students to follow an engineering design
process which includes the participation of a real person with a disability or
older adult experiencing a real challenge with the goal of providing a direct
benefit to the user through the following project activities:
- understanding the
problem,
- brainstorming potential
solutions,
- employing design and engineering
activities,
- fabricating prototypes,
- testing and characterizing
prototypes,
- obtaining user feedback and
suggestions,
- iterating process steps to produce a
series of refined prototypes,
- reporting results, and
- reflecting on the
experience.
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Brief Suggestion Process
Overview: The process for considering and submitting a project suggestion
starts with identifying a specific challenge or problem experienced by a person
with a disability or older adult. Next perform an internet search to confirm
that the problem has not already been adequately addressed. Then carefully
review the project requirements to make sure the
idea meets all listed criteria. Finally submit a short email - text format is
ok - that identifies the user or population affected and describes the nature
of the problem. Include desirable features of a solution, but do not specify
how the device should appear, be built, or solve the problem - as those are
tasks for the student team to consider. It is ok if the problem affects just
one individual. Refer to the current candidate
project list as a guide.
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Activities: These are the
specific activities that lead to a suitable student project
suggestion:
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Pick a field, user group,
and technology. For these project suggestions, the field is Assistive
Technology, the user group is people with disabilities or older
adults, and the beneficial technology is mechanical, electronic,
mechatronic, or robotics systems - or software.
-
Employ ethnography,
observation, discussion, and interview techniques. For this activity, meet with
one or more people in the user group as well as family members and caregivers
to observe and discuss challenges they face. A good approach this is to give
them an opportunity to tell a story - such as what their day is like - rather
than answer specific questions.
-
Identify a specific
challenge related by a user or family members or a caregiver as well as
resources and technologies that might be brought to bear on the
challenge including advocacy groups, community organizations, and existing
products that did not solve the problem adequately.
-
Target challenges include
difficulties in performing tasks such as working, learning, moving,
communicating, accessing home products including computers, and daily living
activities such as cooking, cleaning, creative expression, and pursuing
happiness. Project suggestions that explore design concepts that improve
diagnosis, therapy, and rehabilitation are also welcomed.
-
Verify that the project
suggestion meets the project
requirements.
-
Perform an internet search
to confirm that there are no existing products that adequately address the
specific problem or challenge.
-
Compose and email a few
sentences - text format is ok - describing your suggestion for an initial
review. Note that both the problem and features of a solution should be
highlighted, but not how a device should appear, be built, or solve the problem
as those are tasks for the student team to address.
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Project Requirements: Project
ideas / suggestions are now being solicited. The broad requirements for these
team projects are:
-
Deliverable: Project
suggestions must involve the design and fabrication of a device (or the
development of software) that addresses problems or challenges experienced by
older adults, individuals with a disability, or those who care for them,
including family members, therapists, and other health care professionals.
Non-engineering issues such as health care insurance, legislation, and policy
can not be pursued.
-
Creativity: In pursuit of
their projects, student teams are required to fully understand the problem,
search for existing products, identify the need, brainstorm concepts, choose a
design (or designs), and fabricate, test, analyze, and report on their
creative solution.
-
Originality: Student teams'
designs must not be a copy of an existing commercial product (perform an
internet search to confirm this) or a physical representation of another's
design concept.
-
Feasibility: Projects' aims
and specifications should be realistic. Project solutions that can only be
achieved by employing magic, violating the laws of physics, defying gravity,
creating a perpetual motion machine, employing materials or technology that do
not exist, or disrupting the space-time continuum are examples of infeasible
projects.
-
Constraint: The project's
overall design and required operational features must be
achievable.
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Repair: The project must not
simply consist of the repair / update / improvement of an existing device or
product.
-
Suitability: Unsuitable team
project suggestions include those involving advertising, engaging in market or
data analysis or research, promoting advocacy, performing surveys, creating
websites, compiling databases, or pursuing long-term studies.
-
Overlap: Project suggestions
must focus on real problems that are inadequately addressed by commercial
products and could include diagnostic and rehabilitation therapy equipment as
well as personal devices. Projects that assist family members or health care
professionals in caring for individuals with disabilities and older adults are
also welcome.
-
Scale and Complexity:
Project suggestions must be of appropriate scale and complexity to be completed
(design, fabrication, and testing of a functional prototype) in one academic
quarter (about 8 weeks).
-
Size: Project solutions must
be of an appropriate physical scale. The prototype should fit on a desktop as
there is insufficient space on campus to work on larger items such as
cars.
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Availability: For project
suggestions that involve modifying an existing assistive technology device like
a wheelchair, a sample device must be made available to a student
team.
-
Work Location: A majority of
the project fabrication effort should occur on campus rather than in the
residence of the older adult or person with a disability.
-
Expertise: Project
suggestions must be compatible with the skill level and expertise of students
in the course who typically have mechanical engineering backgrounds, although
some may have product design, electrical engineering, computer hardware, and/or
software experience.
-
Cost: Estimated parts and
fabrications costs must be modest - no more than a few hundred
dollars.
-
Lower Cost: Fabricating a
ready-to-be-manufactured, lower cost version of an existing product is not a
suitable project goal as a student team's final prototype is a very long way
from a potential commercial product and parts typically represent a fraction of
a product's retail price.
-
Proprietary: Project
solutions must not require access to or modification of proprietary software,
such as adding functions to a cellphone.
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Participation: An older
adult, a person with a disability, a family member of a person with a
disability, or a health care professional must be available locally (within 25
miles) to work with the student project team to further illustrate the problem,
offer advice during the quarter, and test the students'
prototypes.
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Risk: Project prototypes
must not pose any risk of harm to the user or student team. The device must
also be minimally invasive and must not provide physical therapy or cause
changes in physical anatomy (without the consent of the instructor and presence
of a therapist or physician).
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Damage or Modification:
Project work must not damage or alter any Stanford or private property.
Examples of prohibited activities include drilling into walls, rewiring the
installed infrastructure, home improvements, and vehicle
modifications.
-
Duplication: Project
suggestions should not be a duplication of a candidate project already
described in the current candidate project
list.
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Support: Project suggestions
supported by a monetary gift to the course will be given preference. See
Call for Project Support.
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Examples of Unsuitable Project
Suggestions: To further aid the project solicitation process, here are
examples of unsuitable project suggestions and explanations of of why they are
not appropriate. Many of these examples are drawn from real submitted
suggestions. I hope that the list will guide your thinking.
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User Project Suggestion - I need a new part for my wheelchair,
but the company charges too much money for it. I am sure students can build a
new one less expensively.
Project Suitability Analysis - Copying an existing part does not
exercise students' creative design skills. Fabricating a
ready-to-be-manufactured, lower cost version of an existing product is not a
suitable project goal as a student team's final prototype is a very long way
from a potential commercial product and parts typically represent a fraction of
a product's retail price.
-
Suggestion - I suggest students build me a wheelchair that is
super strong, very lightweight, and inexpensive.
Analysis - This project suggestion is over specified as all of
the design criteria can not be met and as such is unachievable. In addition,
there is insufficient space on campus to work on large items such as
wheelchairs.
-
Suggestion - My challenge is getting into my car. I am
imagining a seat that rotates out to receive me and then rotates into position
for driving.
Analysis - Car seats that rotate are available commercially.
Students can not work on projects that involve modifying a user's car or their
home.
-
Suggestion - It would be great if I could wirelessly call for
an elevator located in a campus building, instead of having to press the
button.
Analysis - Students are forbidden from working on projects that
modify a campus building or the infrastructure in general.
-
Suggestion - I care for a family member who is severely obese.
Is anti-gravity close to becoming a reality?
Analysis - Projects' aims and specifications should be realistic.
Project solutions that can only be achieved by employing magic, violating the
laws of physics, defying gravity, creating a perpetual motion machine,
employing materials or technology that do not exist, or disrupting the
space-time continuum are examples of infeasible projects.
-
Suggestion - My older adult uncle who lives in Sacramento is
challenged by meal preparation tasks.
Analysis - An older adult, a person with a disability, a family
member of a person with a disability, or a health care professional must be
available locally (within 25 miles) to work with the student project team to
further illustrate the problem, offer advice during the quarter, and test the
students' prototypes. Existing products that address meal preparation tasks are
available.
-
Suggestion - I have detailed plans for a new assistive
technology device. I would like a student team to build it for
me.
Analysis - Student teams' projects must not be physical
representation of another's design concept. Fabricating a prototype from an
existing design drawing does not exercise students' creative design
skills.
-
Suggestion - Can students add a new access feature to my
smartphone?
Analysis - Project solutions must not require access to or
modification of proprietary software, such as adding functions to a
cellphone.
-
Suggestion - My older adult mother could benefit from a device
that helps her get into and out of the bathtub.
Analysis - There are many existing products that could provide a
safe solution. Student project prototypes must not pose any risk of harm to the
user or student team.
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Suggestion - My assistive technology business needs an
accessible website.
Analysis - Website design, development, or modification are not a
suitable project tasks.
-
Suggestion - I have a startup assistive technology company, but
I can't afford to pay engineers to develop my first product. Can I have a few
students work on a project for my company in its lab space in San
Jose?
Analysis - It is not appropriate for students to be low-cost or
free labor for a commercial company. Students must pursue their projects on
campus.
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Project Expectations:
-
Don't be disappointed if your
candidate project is not chosen by a student team as there are many more
projects than teams. There will be other opportunities for students to work on
the project: in other courses, as independent study, or over the
summer.
-
Don't expect the students'
prototype will be a totally workable solution. It may not be "ready for prime
time", be unsafe to use, or remain otherwise unfinished.
-
A team's prototype may not have the
refined look of an existing commercial product.
-
It is very unlikely that a student
project design will become commercialized, without spending several additional
years of effort and lots of $ on doing so.
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Project Suggestion: Compose
(text format is ok) and email your project suggestion for review. Note that
both the problem and features of a solution should be highlighted, but not how
a device should appear, be built, or solve the problem - those are tasks for
the student team to address. To best convey a project suggestion, use the
current team candidate project list as a guide
and format the problem description into short, concise paragraphs:
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The Problem Statement consists
of these short paragraphs:
-
Name: - suggest a simple,
short, descriptive phrase to refer to the project
-
Background: - give an
overview of the organization and / or provide a general description of the
population addressed by your project suggestion
-
Problem: - briefly and
concisely describe the problem, including the people who experience
it
(The
Everyday Usefulness of the Problem Statement by Alan Nicol is a
well-written reference article.)
-
Aim: - describe what
the proposed solution should do, but not how it should do
it
-
Design Criteria: - list the
desirable operational features and characteristics of the proposed
solution
-
Other: - include additional
information that will illuminate the problem and facilitate a solution, such as
photographs, short videos, a list available resources, weblinks, and general
design suggestions
-
Contact Information: -
provide suggestor's name, company (if applicable), email address, and phone
number (optional).
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Project Approval: Once the
emailed project suggestion is received, it will be read, reviewed, and
considered. Approved project suggestions become candidate student projects that
are posted on the course website and disseminated to students as a handout on
the first day of class.
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Project Pitch and Student
Presentations: Project suggestors will have the opportunity to "pitch"
their candidate projects on the second day of
class. (Here is information on the "pitch"
process.) If a student chooses to work on the candidate project, its
suggestor must be able to assist them with advice, direction, and expertise in
person, or by phone, and/or email during the quarter and will be invited to the
Student Team Project Final Presentations and
Project Demonstrations.
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Project Involvement: Here is a
list of activities that are expected of project suggestors:
- respond to the solicitation for
student project suggestions
- identify a personal challenge or
problem suitable for a student project
- aid in drafting and composing the
Project Description, including the Design Criteria
- pitch the approved project(s) to
students
- meet with the student team to aid
their understanding of the problem
- suggest possible ways to address the
problem
- evaluate prototypes
- offer feedback and further
suggestions
- attend project presentations and
demonstrations
- assess the team's performance and
prototype functionality
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Past Projects: Here are photos
of prior years' students' assistive technology projects -
2020
2019 2018 2017.
Please feel free to contact me early in
the project suggestion process so I can review your ideas. Thank you for your
suggestions.
- David L. Jaffe, MS
- dljaffe -at-
stanford.edu
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