A review of the assistive technology featured at the Abilities Expo in Atlanta.
By Jennifer French
With all the assistive technology on display at the Abilities Expo at Atlanta’s Shepherd Center in November, it seemed like the only thing missing was a teleporter to “beam me up!” The expo gave a practical view of what is available and a peak into the future of what is possible. One whole pavilion was dedicated to technologies for people with disabilities; sensory, mobility or developmental–all were covered.
The technologies highlighted can be segmented into three categories: communication, mobility adaptations, and neural rehabilitation and prostheses.
Communication
For people with disabilities, technologies are not always “plug –n-play. ”
Take blue tooth headsets, for instance. They provide a great hands-free alternative but those offered in your local cell phone shop are not always a viable solution, particularly for those with upper extremity impairments or issues with hand dexterity.
The Assistive Technology center at Shepherd Center offered a variety of off–the-shelf solutions for cell phones and iPods, such as single switch technology with large tap buttons, voice to switch interaction and magnet activations, particularly for those with only head movement.
For people with visual impairments, the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) in Atlanta is developing advanced auditory interfaces for cell phones. The user can take a picture of text, such as a restaurant menu or assembly instructions. The phone will process the text from the photo and translate it verbally to be readable text for the user.
There are also adaptive controls for the iPod. Those little turn wheels on iPods are not so easy for people with upper extremity impairments. New adaptations to control the device are designed with various disabilities in mind, such as sip and puff controls, large push button interface and wireless voice command.
Mobility Adaptations
Although wheelchairs have come a long way, there is always room for innovation. The folks at the Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA) and Georgia Institute of Technology are developing some improvements to mobility devices.
For the manual wheelchair user, the center created a prototype of a dynamic hub braking system with spring loaded push rims. The concept is designed with the hub braking systems from the cycling world in mind and with the objective to provide braking assistance for steep or long declines. The push rims are spring-loaded to gradually apply braking and bounce back for easy release.
For the power chair user, two technologies were showcased. One is the in-hub motor and controller where the motor is within the hub rather than a separate motor on the base of the chair. The controller is configured with joystick and tiller interfaces and can fit the hub of wheels ranging from 10-24 inches.
The other technology for power chair users is the Tongue Drive System. Originally developed under the supervision of Dr. Maysam Ghoolavoo of Georgia Institute of Technology, the power chair user wears a custom designed headset and a magnet on the tongue. With this adaptation, the power chair user is able to independently drive a wheelchair just by the movement of the tongue. They are currently recruiting volunteers to participate in further studies for using this adaptation.
Neural rehabilitation and prosthesis
These technologies interact with the human nervous system to either aid in the rehabilitation process or provide function of an impaired organ or limb. FES (functional electrical stimulation) cycling is an alternative means to exercise paralyzed or weak limbs. The RT300 cycle with blue tooth technology and new wireless electrode channels was on display to show how to exercise legs, arms and trunk muscles for people with paralysis.
An assistive device for walking, the L300 by Bioness, was demonstrated by user, David Perry, and his therapist, Beth Pharo of the Shepherd Center. This drop foot stimulation device is an external system designed to stimulation the calf muscles allowing the foot to lift while walking. This gives the user a more natural and less fatiguing gait.
New implantable electrode technology was showcased including implantable wireless receivers, nerve cuff electrodes and wireless electrode, the BION®. These devices are still being tested in human clinical trials sponsored by the Cleveland FES Center and the Alfred E. Mann Foundation.
The Abilities Expo had a special appearance by Dr. Phil Kennedy, MD, PhD , the scientist who developed the EMG communication switch for a computer called the ImpulseTM . Dr. Kennedy is now working on a new speech prosthesis for people with locked-in syndrome. One of his active users, Erik Ramsey, along with this father Eddie, came to tell a truly personable experience of how Erik can now communicate using this experimental device.
Either off the shelf or being developed for future use, the new assistive technologies are making it easier for people with disabilities to use everyday items like cell phones and iPods but they are also integrating with our bodies to help use communicate, rehabilitate and move within our environment.
Maybe beaming isn’t so far away?
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Adaptations to Everyday Items
Service Robots
Remember those convenient little vacuum cleaners that run themselves around your house called the Roomba®? Engineers at the George Institute of Technology have created the first prototype of a service robot. The base is the Roomba® and it can be controlled by a simple remote. It can pick up an item weighing up to 5 pounds and lift it to wheelchair height. Her name is Dusty and she is still in development. I wonder if she can reach those bon bons in the back of my freezer?
Wii adaptations
It has changed the way we play video games. New adaptations are being developed so people with little or no arm movement can play the Wii too. For those with arm movement but little hand function, a strapping system for the forearm is being tested. There is also an adaptation to mount the controller to a baseball cap allowing the user to play with just head movements. Find out more at http://www.instructables.com/id/Wiimote-Modification-for-Persons-with-Disabilities/
Resources
Contribute your opinion toward the development of assistive technologies.
- Join the CATEA Consumer Network at Center for Assistive Technology & Environmental Access – www.catea.gatech.edu or call 800-726-9119
- Join the Consumer Advisory Network at the Wireless Rehabilitation & Engineering Research Center at www.wirelessrerc.org
- Assistivetech.net – A public database of assistive technologies www.atwiki.assistivetech.net
- Central Neurotech Database – public database of neurotechnology devices and therapies. www.neurotechnetwork.org
Adaptations Bluetooth Headsets for Cell Phones
- Resource for helping to select a new phone: www.wirelessrerc.org
- Single Switch Adapted by ETO Engineering: www.etoengineering.com
- Single Switch for headset and speakerphone by Saje Technologies: www.saje-tech.com
- Switch and Voice Controlled by Broadened Horizons, www.gimpgear.us
- Magnetic Switch Adapted by No Buttons Headset, www.nobuttonsheadset.com
iPod Adaptive Controls
- Sip and Puff Control from Shepherd Center www.shepherd.org
- Big Button & Switch from RJ Cooper, www.rjcooper.com
- Voice Control from Accenda www.accendaproducts.com
- Switch Scanning Control from Technical Solutions www.tecsol.com.au
Mobility Adaptations
- In-hub Motor and Controller for Wheeled Mobility: Mobility RERC linghua.kon@coa.gatech.edu
- Tongue Drive System: http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~mghovan/ or http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/tonguedriver.jsp
Neural Rehabilitation & Prosthesis
- RT300 FES Cycle from Restorative Therapies– www.restorative-therapies.com
- L300 from Bioness – www.bioness.com
- Implanted Electrodes
- Cleveland FES Center. www.fescenter.org
- Alfred E. Mann Foundation www.aemf.org
- Speech Prosthesis from Neural Signals – www.neuralsignals.com
Jennifer French has a C6-7 SCI and is a user of the implanted stand and transfer system developed by the Cleveland FES Center. She is the co-founder of a nonprofit organization, Neurotech Network
