Once again, students in a University of Colorado Engineering class taught by Professor Melinda Picket-May have collaborated with Imagine! to provide assistive technology for individuals we serve. We’ve been doing this for more than eight years.
Each semester, students form small groups and select projects that have been identified by Imagine! staff members as something that will meet the needs of a specific individual served by Imagine!. The collaboration has truly been “win-win.” The students get real, hands-on experience on a unique and challenging engineering task, and people served by Imagine! get a piece of adaptive equipment designed specifically for their needs.
Below are some projects from Fall Semester 2017 students (a couple were not designed specifically for people served by Imagine! but certainly could be useful in serving the population of individuals with intellectual, developmental, or physical disabilities):
Wireless Door Switch: for use by someone who uses a wheelchair but can’t access traditional door switches due to limited mobility.
One-Handed Water Bottle: for use by individuals with limited mobility in one of their arms.
Wireless Panic Button: for use by non-verbal, but relatively independent individuals to alert others in emergency situations.
Alexa Aid: to assist non-verbal individuals in accessing verbal command devices such as Alexa.
Vocalization Counter: designed to record and track vocalizations of non-verbal individual in order to facilitate improved communication and informed development of a care plan.
Removable Arm Project: an adjustable iPad wheelchair mount controlled by joystick for individual with limited mobility.
Bowling Guide: for individual who is visually impaired so he can enjoy bowling with his friends.
Got Google?: device designed so individual with limited mobility can access basic Google searches, such as weather, music, or jokes.
These are awesome!
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