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ATLAS

Assistive
Technology 
Laboratory
at
Stanford

 
 
Technology and design benefitting individuals with disabilities and older adults in the local community
September 22, 2017    
2 columns of images relating to assistive technology
Perspectives is the newsletter of the Stanford course,
Perspectives in Assistive Technology.

Confirmed Guest Lecturers & Upcoming Local Event

Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - now anticipating its twelfth 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. Organization of the coming year's course is underway, with the first class session in January.

Approved student project suggestions - One new project suggestion has been received, reviewed, and approved to be a candidate project for the coming academic year: Fernanda's Wheelchair Worktray and three projects from previous years have been updated and reinstated: Get a Grip, Hand Grasp, and Within Reach.

Request for additional student project suggestions - Project suggestions continue to be solicited. Refer to previous newsletter issues which described the benefits of and process for submitting a student project suggestion, addressed the broad requirements of those projects, explained the suggestion format, and focused on the specific activities that lead to a project suggestion. Also see the Call for Team Projects Suggestions webpage for more information. Please email suggestions to me as soon as possible so I'll have adequate time to consider all submissions, edit approved entries, and post them - not later than Friday, December 1st.

This course relies on community involvement,
so please suggest a project based upon an identified problem or challenge.

Confirmed Guest Lecturers but yet to be scheduled

photo of Jessica Rose

Jessica Rose, PhD

Motion & Gait Analysis - Jessica Rose is researching the neuromuscular and musculoskeletal mechanisms underlying gait abnormalities in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and other pediatric orthopaedic conditions. As director of the Motion & Gait Analysis Laboratory at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, her research has focused on the energy cost of walking, muscle pathology, selective motor control, postural balance, and motor-unit firing in CP.

photo of Katelyn Cahill-Rowley

Katelyn Cahill-Rowley, PhD

Motion & Gait Analysis - Katelyn Cahill-Rowley is investigating methods of early motor impairment identification in children born preterm with very low birth weights. Specifically, she is using temporal-spatial gait data and MEMs sensors to characterize upper- and lower-extremity function, respectively, in 18-month-old toddlers. She is correlating these functional assessments with DTI brain data and the current gold-standard of motor development, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, to determine their predictive potential.

photo of Katherine Strausser

Katherine Strausser, PhD

The Design and Control of Exoskeletons for Rehabilitation - Katherine Strausser holds a Bachelor's degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master's and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. She was one of three primary inventors of Ekso 1, an electro-mechanical lower extremity exoskeleton and is currently a senior controls engineer at Ekso Bionics working on control algorithms and software for various research efforts focusing on the Human Machine Interface.

photo of Gayle Curtis

Gayle Curtis

Needfinding and Assistive Technologies - Gayle Curtis is a design consultant in the San Francisco Bay Area, specializing in user interface architecture and design strategy for online ventures and interactive products. Recently he was Principal Interaction Designer at Yahoo!, where he developed a practice area in strategic ideation and disseminated it through workshops in the US and Asia. At Stanford he has taught courses in HCI and Product Design. Gayle is a graduate of the Engineering Product Design program at Stanford.

Confirmed Field Trip but yet to be scheduled

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Magical Bridge Playground

Field Trip to the Magical Bridge Playground - Of the 34 existing public parks in Palo Alto today, not one has been built with everyone’s unique physical and cognitive needs in mind. Most current playground designs are similar to each other and do not reflect the many different types of people living in the community: those with autism, visual and hearing impairments, cognitive challenges, diminished fine motor control, and even older adults. The urgent need for a playground that would surpass ADA standards was the drive behind the vision for a new kind of playground - one designed for everyone. The $4 million needed to build such a facility was raised privately in less than two years. Created by a team of inclusion experts and located in Palo Alto’s Mitchell Park, the Magical Bridge Playground broke ground in June 2014. Now that it is completed, it is the nation's most innovative inclusive playground.

Upcoming Local Event

Abilities Expo logo

Abilities Expo

The Abilities Expo is the go-to source for the community of people with disabilities, their families, seniors, veterans, and healthcare professionals. This event offers new technologies, possibilities, solutions, and opportunities. Discover ability-enhancing products and services, play adaptive sports, and attend informative workshops.

When: Friday thru Sunday - October 27th - 29th
Where: San Mateo County Event Center (new location this year)
How: Register for free

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 - Please email me if you have general questions, comments, or suggestions regarding the course. Thank you again for your interest.

Dave

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