Department of Veterans AffairsTechnology Innovations for Persons with Disabilities (TIPeD)

Department of Veterans Affairs

Mary Goldberg, MEd

Jon Pearlman, PhD

Education & Outreach Coordinator

Assistant Professor, RST, SHRS

Department of Rehabilitation Science and TechnologySchool of Health and Rehabilitation SciencesHuman Engineering Research Laboratories

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TIPeD Program

Supplement ASPIRE & QoLT REU programs

-Support Product Development Projects

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Motivation

Assistive Technology (can) help people live independently & participate in society

But poor designs undermine the benefit

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Why Poor Designs?

Weak Regulations

Untrained

Clinicians

Reduced Funding

User is not

purchaser

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How Universities Help

• Leverage Interdisciplinary Programs• Work on grant-funded product

development• Develop & transfer technologies

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HERL Technology Development

• Commercialized products• 3 patents awarded; 9

pending• Established business

partners• Multidisciplinary faculty,

students, & staff driving innovations

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RST Design Training Activities

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TIPeD Program Structure

• Interdisciplinary team• Solicited ideas from faculty• Develop project mission• Determine commercial potential• Feasible 10-week objectives

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Training Model• Weekly team meetings + speaker series • Objectives

– Technical: benchmarking & design revisions

– Business: market estimation & commercialization plan

• Deliverables– Weekly updates (pechakucha style)– Business Plan (Coulter or E-teams template)– Slideshow (template)– Elevator Pitch (REU req)– Poster (REU req)– MG Wells Design Competition

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Highlights

• >20 primary students

• 12 Projects. eg.– Wheelchair Restraint System inside a bus– Low-cost diabetic footwear for developing countries– Smart controller for Power Wheelchairs– Smart Anti-Tip System for Wheelchairs– Kitchen Cueing Handle– Intelligent Drivers’ assessment system– Sidewalk Measurement Tools– Bed Scale

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Example Project: Bus Buddy

• Novel self-administered containment system

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Navisection (Driver Evaluation)• Objective measurement of drivers’

performance during training/evaluation

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Pathway Measurement Tool

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Program Highlights• Bus Buddy

– Company: LINC Design– Big Idea Design Competition (runner up)– Funded SBIR

• Navisection– Company: Navity, LLC– NSF-ICORPS Team Grant– Space/Support from Hustle Den (Incubator)

• PathMet– Company formation (soon)– NCIIA E-Teams– Pitt Gear (Icorps-like) program

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Recommendations: Lit reviewRecommendation Why?

Use multidisciplinary teamsHelps train system integration,

increased responsibility, teamwork and competition

Add projects to database Helps with commercialization and avoids repeated solutions

Disseminate Training Modules Supports methods improvement

Apply for funding and publish results Supports commercialization

Share information related to tech-transfer and liability

Ensures that all parties are aware of legal status of invention

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Recommendations: ProgramRecommendation Why?

Identify client through reliable clinical partner

Allows for transparency and trust with client, full understanding of

their clinical needs

Allow for transparency between instructors, client, and team(s)

Conveys expectations related to frequency of communication and

liability with products

Use a process-oriented vs. solution-oriented product

development model

Ensures students execute due diligence and complete necessary

steps

Use a project management software to facilitate and archive

communication and outputsOrganize weekly objectives

Facilitate client interaction frequently through in-person,

phone, and online communication

More communication results in better design

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Recommendations: Program

Recommendation Why?

Publish student designs on repositories

Motivates students and enables creativity, disseminates design

Integrate design competitions and commercialization plans into

deliverables

Interests potential investors and teaches students about

commercialization

Incorporate formal and informal education opportunities

Increases’ students confidence to tackle design problems

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Acknowledgements • Funding: National Collegiate Innovators &

Inventors Alliance Grant #7563-10, National Science Foundation Grants EEC0540866 & EEC0849878, Berg Center for Ethics & Leadership

• 2011 & 2012 students & mentors