Tuesday, March 10th
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Student Design Proposal
Presentations
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- iPhone Dialer for Individuals with Visual
Impairments - Isaac Penny
- The new wave of touchscreen enabled electronic devices
threaten to exclude access for many visually impaired individuals. Two big
challenges of touchscreen devices include their lack of tactile feedback and
the corresponding difficulty in locating buttons on the screen. Isaac will
present a simple eyes-free dialing program for the iPhone which does away with
absolute button location and which substitutes sound and vibration for the lack
of tactile feedback.
- Handi-Cart - Christine Appleby, Melissa
Martinez, and Xin Xie
- The goal of our project was to make a device that would
allow wheelchair users to use a shopping cart independently and easily. After a
thorough investigation of current patents, products on the market, and
interviews with wheelchair users and grocery store workers, our project scope
was narrowed to a small, inexpensive device that the wheelchair user can
purchase themselves. After an iterative design process, a prototype was created
that attaches easily to a manual wheelchair, folds to make transport to and
from the store simple, and attaches to either a small collapsible cart or a
small store-owned shopping cart.
- Sonification of Movement - Clare Kasemset and
Eric Corona
- We are designing a device that will make physical
exercises more engaging for stroke survivors who need to practice arm movement.
The device translates arm movement into musical sounds, and can be customized
to help the user practice different types of motion. Advantages of our device
include its low cost and its potential to have its functionality extended via
software.
- Opening Doors - Ana Pena, Shannon McClintock,
and Susan Nourse
- Opening Doors addresses the need for a device that can
assist wheelchair users in opening doors, specifically in the task of pulling.
Once the door handle is opened with a single loop, a mechanical arm and pulley
attached to a manual or power chair can assist the user by significantly
reducing the force required to pull the door open. Wheelchair users are one of
the largest disability groups (uscensus.gov) and a device to help open doors
would make these individuals far more independent, giving them more freedoms at
home, recreationally, and in the workforce.
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