College Of Engineering And Computer Science At UTC Presents Assistive Technology Projects On Tuesday

Monday, April 20, 2015

The Assistive Technology projects that first-year UTC engineering students have created will be on display on Tuesday, from 5-7 p.m. on the second floor of the EMCS building (on the Card Auditorium side of the building). Student teams will present posters and be available to discuss 11 projects. They include:

Andrew’s Parallel Bars, created for a three-year-old boy who has congenital amputation of his arms and legs. He is learning to use prosthetics and he needs an indoor set of parallel bars to practice walking.

Layla’s Sensory Wall will help a six-year-old girl to improve her development.

A second project will also assist those caring for Layla.

It is a large Changing Table with built in steps and storage.

Plasma Car Adaptation has improved an existing Plasma Car for eight-year-old Calob, who has spastic quadriplegia. Calob could not use his Plasma Car for therapy because one of his hands was not able to use the steering wheel and he had difficulty reaching the steering wheel.

Sarah’s Locker Aid will assist a 12-year-old girl who has cerebral palsy as she uses her locker at school.

Ten-year-old Skyler has cerebral palsy and cannot walk independently, so students have worked on a rolling transport device known as Skyler’s Transporter to move her more easily from her bedroom to the restroom.

The Mackenzie Scooter Helper will assist a very independent 14-year old boy with Duchene’s Muscular Dystrophy. This device will help him transition from his scooter to restroom facilities at school.

A Playhouse Frame will provide a structure for children with disabilities at the Stellar Therapy Clinic.

The Stellar Therapy Clinic also needed Sensory Playhouse Activities. Another student group has developed a variety of safe, fun things for the students to enjoy in the playhouse.

Some children in a special education class at Spring Creek Elementary School in Chattanooga have difficulty walking and use a “vertical wheelchair” called a stander to help develop bone density. However, it’s not easy to use a computer from the stander. UTC students have been working on an adjustable Stander Computer Desk so that the students in the special education class can use the computers and monitors at the correct height.

Another project designed to assist some students in the special education class at Spring Creek Elementary School will allowWheelchair Sensory Play Access. Students in wheelchairs found it difficult to access tubs of sensory materials when they are placed before them on a table. This project would allow a sensory activity table to be attached to a student’s wheelchair.