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ATLAS

Assistive
Technology 
Laboratory
at
Stanford

 
 
Technology and design benefitting individuals with disabilities and older adults in the local community
March 15, 2017    
2 columns of images relating to assistive technology
Perspectives is the newsletter of the Stanford course,
Perspectives in Assistive Technology.

This issue invites you to attend the student project demonstrations.

Perspectives in Assistive Technology is a Winter Quarter Stanford course - now in its eleventh 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.

Student project demonstrations - Thursday, March 16th at 5:00pm:

clip art of a student demonstration products


Student Project Demonstrations

Attend the student project demonstrations - You are invited to attend this quarter's student project demonstrations. They are open to the greater Stanford community. You need not be a Stanford student and there is no required signup, enrollment, or charge. This event will held starting at about 5pm in Gibbons Grove, just outside the Thornton Center classroom. Here are the parking options, maps, and directions to the classroom.

Nine student teams have been addressing problems experienced by individuals with disabilities or older adults and have been working to understand, research, brainstorm, design, fabricate, and test prototype devices or software to meet the identified problems. Teams will describe and demonstrate their projects in an informal trade show setting. Take advantage of this opportunity to view and try out the students' prototypes and ask questions. Please note that this was a seven-week team project effort and the students' devices are not intended to represent commercial offerings.

Just prior to the demonstrations, at 4:30pm, there will be an opportunity to fill out course evaluation forms in the Thornton 110 classroom. If you have attended one or more class sessions as a community member, you are welcome to provide your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about the course.

Teams and Projects:

  • Ranger Stick - Pickup Sticks Project
  • All the Lights - Magical Bridge Playground Project
  • Nearpod X - Life Skills Project
  • RefleX - Orthotic Rebound Shock Project
  • Robotikids - Art Tools Project
  • Le Joy Masters - Magical Bridge Playground Project
  • Plug and Play - Plugs for Molly Project
  • Sock It to Me! - Add-a-sock Project
  • Dancing Our Way to Health - Dance Therapy Project

Did you miss a lecture? - Course lectures are posted on YouTube. To find the links, browse to the Lecture Schedule webpage, scroll down and click on the lecture of interest. Near the bottom of the page you will see the Lecture Material section which has links to the slides, photos, weblinks, and lecture video.

clip art of a student missing hi sbus

Solicitation for Mobility Projects for Older Adults

A capstone course is the academically integrative experience of an undergraduate educational program that gives students an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have gained during their time in college. This experience helps prepare them for their engineering careers.

ME113 - Mechanical Engineering Design - is a capstone course for seniors in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford. In this course, students pursue on "real-world" engineering problems offered by a company or other organization (project partner).

Starting from a description of project goals provided by the project partner, a student team of four seniors will develop a design concept and explore its practical feasibility by fabricating and testing a series of increasingly refined working models. Each project will supervised by a faculty member using information and advice supplied by the project partner.

The course will be conducted in the 10-week Spring Quarter from April through mid-June.

One of the themes this academic year is Mobility for Older Adults with a focus on automobiles and driving.

At this time, the course is soliciting problems or challenges that could be addressed by a team of students.

The best suggestions will be those that represent real problems experienced by an individual with a disability or older adult in the local community that affects their ability to drive or otherwise access transportation. Other suggestions that broadly affect one's ability to walk or move are also welcome.

Please email me your suggestions describing the problem and important features of what a solution should do, but not how to achieve them. Thank you for your consideration.

an older woman at the wheel
an older woman at the wheel, dog in the back
an older couple in a convertible
an older driver viewed through the steering wheel
an older driver viewed from the driver's side door

Job Listing

Program Manager Wanted

Avenidas in Palo Alto is looking to hire a full-time program manager for their Generations Lab. The job listing can be found here.

Avenidas logo

Upcoming Local Events

Attend the Avenidas Living Better with Technology Conference

Whether you are tech-savvy or not, this conference offers something for everyone!

  • Explore and get exposed to new technologies to increase awareness of options
  • Engage with technoloy to learn new applications and acquire new skills
  • Shape new products by providing feedback on the development of new assistive technology products

Keynote Speaker: Larry Magid is a technology journalist and Internet safety advocate. advocate.

The conference includes a boxed lunch and the chance to meet with service providers, check out hands-on exhibits, and enter to win door prizes. The day will conclude with a closing panel discussing “The Future of Technology & Aging”.

When: Saturday, March 25th - 8:30am to 3:30pm
Where: Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto
Registration: $40 before March 11th, $45 thereafter

More information and registration

Image of conference poster

Attend the Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge Finals

Watch nine student teams from around the globe pitch their solutions for Innovating Aging in Place to a panel of experts from industry, academia, and government! The Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge offers cash prizes in a competition open to all university students around the world who design products and services which optimize long life for us all. This year's challenge focused on designs that improve the quality of life for individuals aging in their homes.

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

When: Thursday, March 30th - 8:30am to 4:00pm
Where: Li Ka Shing Learning and Knowledge Center
Knight Managment Center

What is the Cool Product Expo (CPX)?

CPX is a one-day exhibition of cutting-edge products organized by the Product Design and Manufacturing Club at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Every year exhibitors come to Stanford University to demonstrate ground-breaking hardware, software, consumer tech, wearables, thinkables, driveables - anything and everything one can imagine.

For potential exhibitors: CPX is a unique opportunity for companies and startups with cool products to interact with Stanford students and the surrounding community of alumni, press, and investors. People you meet at this event could end up being your teammates, customers, partners, or investors. Here's the CPX website and a video of CPX 2013 (3:16) to give you an idea of what the event is like. If you are interested in applying to be an exhibitor, please fill out this online form. Exhibit space is limited. If you have any questions, get in touch with Carlotta Mathieu, VP of CPX Exhibitor Coordination.

For potential attendees: This event is free and open to the public. No advance registration is required.

When: Wednesday, April 19th, Noon to 6pm
Where: Knight Management Center
Knight Managment Center

8th Annual Adaptive Arts Film Festival

This event features local and international films by, for, and about individuals of all abilities and is sponsored by the College of Adaptive Arts Film Festival as a part of its 9th Annual Celebration - Differing Abilities.

The Festival is scheduled for Sunday, April 23rd from 2 to 5pm at the Bluelight Cinemas 5 Cupertino Oaks, 21275 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Cupertino with a Meet-and-Greet following the event at the nearby Hobee's Restaurant.

Bluelight Cinemas logo

Disability Film Festival

The Magical Bridge Foundation is thrilled to co-host the Superfest Showcase: International Disability Film Festival on Saturday, May 6th from 2pm to 5pm at the Veterans Memorial Building, 1455 Madison Ave. in Redwood City.

For over 30 years, this annual festival has celebrated cutting-edge cinema that portrays disability in all its diverse, complex, and engaging facets. Superfest is proud to be one of the few festivals, in the US or abroad, that is completely accessible to disabled filmgoers. All films are screened with captioning and audio-descriptions.

This is a free family-friendly event. Visit the Eventbrite page for a schedule of the films and to register.

Seating is limited, so please RSVP soon!

Superfest Showcase logo

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 - If you have general questions, comments, or suggestions about the course, email David L. Jaffe, MS, the instructor. Thank you again for your interest in the course.

Dave

3 rows of images of course presenters and community members

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