Department of Veterans Affairs Technology 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 Technology School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Human Engineering Research Laboratories

Department of Veterans Affairs TIPeD Program Supplement ASPIRE & QoLT REU programs -Support Product Development Projects

Department of Veterans Affairs Motivation Assistive Technology (can) help people live independently & participate in society  But poor designs undermine the benefit

Department of Veterans Affairs Why Poor Designs? Weak Regulations Untrained Clinicians Reduced Funding User is not purchaser

Department of Veterans Affairs How Universities Help Leverage Interdisciplinary Programs Work on grant-funded product development Develop & transfer technologies

Department of Veterans Affairs HERL Technology Development Commercialized products 3 patents awarded; 9 pending Established business partners Multidisciplinary faculty, students, & staff driving innovations

Department of Veterans Affairs RST Design Training Activities

Department of Veterans Affairs TIPeD Program Structure Interdisciplinary team Solicited ideas from faculty Develop project mission Determine commercial potential Feasible 10-week objectives

Department of Veterans Affairs 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

Department of Veterans Affairs 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

Department of Veterans Affairs Example Project: Bus Buddy Novel self-administered containment system

Department of Veterans Affairs Navisection (Driver Evaluation) Objective measurement of drivers’ performance during training/evaluation

Department of Veterans Affairs Pathway Measurement Tool

Department of Veterans Affairs 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

Department of Veterans Affairs Recommendations: Lit review RecommendationWhy? Use multidisciplinary teams Helps train system integration, increased responsibility, teamwork and competition Add projects to database Helps with commercialization and avoids repeated solutions Disseminate Training ModulesSupports methods improvement Apply for funding and publish resultsSupports commercialization Share information related to tech- transfer and liability Ensures that all parties are aware of legal status of invention

Department of Veterans Affairs Recommendations: Program RecommendationWhy? 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 outputs Organize weekly objectives Facilitate client interaction frequently through in-person, phone, and online communication More communication results in better design

Department of Veterans Affairs Recommendations: Program RecommendationWhy? 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

Department of Veterans Affairs Acknowledgements Funding: National Collegiate Innovators & Inventors Alliance Grant # , National Science Foundation Grants EEC & EEC , Berg Center for Ethics & Leadership 2011 & 2012 students & mentors