Senior Design Projects: Devices to Aid People with Disabilities

Rochester Institute Of Tech, Rochester NY

Investigators

Abstract

0527358 Bartolo Rochester Institute of Technology's Kate Gleason College of Engineering will work with members of the Rochester community to develop 10 annual Undergraduate Senior Design project ideas that will provide fourth and fifth-year students with a valuable design-and-build capstone experience while improving the lives of area individuals with disabilities. The initial projects include two workplace adaptations, one recreational facility, three devices to enhance independent transportation, two devices to prevent potentially serious injury or infection, and two devices to improve general quality of life. Intellectual Merit: A team of at least four students will work for two full academic quarters on each project, amounting to the equivalent of one full-time engineer working for nearly a year. Because students from three departments - Electrical, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering work together in the experiential learning course, the scope of the projects can be significantly more comprehensive than the scope for a single-discipline course. The projects will require students to perform significant analysis and design work to meet the specific needs of each particular consumer. Students will be challenged to make use of the technical skills they have learned to create new and innovative products. Broader Impact: Over the 5-years life of the project, at least 200 undergraduate students will directly participate in this effort. The lessons they will learn in the design and implementation of projects focused to enhance quality of life for individuals with disabilities will be disseminated by the Principal Investigators to other undergraduate focused colleges and universities through presentations at national conferences.