This low-cost wearable technology, called Object Detection Instrument (ODI) works by being placed on a person’s body, and it detects any obstacle within a metre. It is connected to a mobile app, via Bluetooth, and so it alerts the user through vibrations and voice alerts.
“I know how much my grandfater suffered. So I decided to do something for the visually impaired, the student explained.
In 2016, the inventor created a prototype that consists of a prosthesis that prevents slipping and gives stability, easily attaching and detaching before and after a shower. This prosthesis is stable and features the same base used for quad-foot canes attached to a standard socket found on most prosthetic legs.
"His bathroom is so small that using a chair was not feasible”, the inventor explained. "Instead, he stood on one leg to bathe. He fell many times, but it's the decades of standing on his one good leg that damaged his left hip", he added.
The device can be used with any set of headphones, and was created to first test hearing by playing several different sounds at seven different frequencies through the headphones. It then programs itself to be a hearing aid, amplifying volume based on the test results. Each device has an audio file of the sound of hands rubbing together. To calibrate it, a person just has to rub their own hands together and match the volume of the audio file with the volume of their own hands.
Daniel was diagnosed with retinal cancer when he was one year old, and then had his eyes removed by the time he was 13 months.
Because he wanted to have an independent life, he taught himself echolocation - “FlashSonar” – he calls it. He is able to detect the location of objects by making frequent clicking noises with his tongue. Daniel learned to bounce his clicks off objects around him, giving him an even clearer picture of his surroundings.
In addition to the health problems that come with AIDS, patients who suffer from this disease also deal daily with a strong social stigma. Because they need to take lots of pills everyday, they have a strong need to keep their treatment discrete. The students realized this problem after spending time and working with patients receiving a wide variety of services offered by the Broadway House for Continuing Care in Newark, New Jersey.
Inspired by them, the students decided to create 3D printed pill boxes, with the purpose of making their treatment more discrete and easy.
Tom, born in 1994, suffers from this disease since he was born. This patient can experience up to 24 epileptic seizures a day, often while he sleeps, and he has learning dificultes due to his condition.
Tom’s family was always worried about the seizures he has while he’s asleep. The device they had to keep him monitored was not very effective, and failed to detect every seizure.
So Neha, a Product design technology graduate University of the West of England, created a device that detects when a user's limbs have frozen and they cannot continue walking. The cane vibrates when it recognizes a pause in motion, to help the user regain their rhythm and get moving again.
The BookBuddy is an elegant book pillow that is specifically designed to eliminate annoyances that impede the joys of reading, such as aching hands, wrists, neck and the strain placed on a persons back and upper arms while holding a book. Able to hold hard and soft cover books, the BookBuddy can double as a lap desk for laptops with a removable, clear acrylic desktop that is great for times when a hard surface is needed.
The app includes the treatment protocol (prescriptions dietary, physical activity, blood sugar, etc.) transcribed in the software by the doctor of a patient. When this measure his blood sugar, the software it indicates exactly what dose of insulin must be injected .
“It all started eight months when my mother on vacation with me, made a malaise because of severe hypoglycemia,” the inventor explained.
In 2010, when she was looking for a topic to study in her thesis, the designer choose to study how communication design can help patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
“My grandmother has great difficulty identifying people from the close family. She knows the names are important and recognizes the faces, but she cannot put the two together and does not know how we are related. To address this issue, I explored the possibility of using a family tree in a playful way, in which she could see pictures and read the corresponding names”, Rita explained.
The patient was losing a lot of weight and the doctors didn’t know why. But when he saw her, he figured it out – She had a lot of difficulties feeding herself. “Her hand was shaking and the soup was being spilled”, the student explained.
Two years after this episode, Faii came up with a solution – Gyroglove - a small, lightweight stability device that fits on the back of the hand attached to a minimalist harness. It locks easily in place, and integrates intelligent functionality.
The device consists of plastic rectangular gadget with about an inch long that fits snuggly against the tongue of the shoe, keeping laces tight.
“I tried to come up with something interesting and hopefully I can make it work”, the mechanic recalled.
The first idea Gerald had was to use velcro and curly shoelaces, but his aunt told him there weren’t as many style options available with Velcro shoes and said the curly laces didn’t stay tight enough.
Rosana has no engineering, medical or technical degree. She is a self-taught who searched on her own to help her mother. It took the inventor 25 years to fully develop her product. The device consists of a vertical metal structure, with an electric motor, and wheels, that allows the user to keep standing up.
Rose had a car accident, in 1991, which left her paralyzed and almost got her killed. Her daughter didn’t want to accept that she would never be able to stand, so she developed the Up Rose.
To solve this problem, Safwan built an electric bicycle made from spare parts he found around the camp. It can be used by people with disabilities to have more independence. The bicycle is guided through the handlebars, which are equipped with brakes. Five 12 volt batteries power the bike.
“Because of my disability I’m forced to be creative and find ways to help me live my life as easily as possible be it Syria or here, it’s the same”, the inventor explained.
At first it was a conceptual study, but then Or was put in touch with Ron, who had an accident, and was dependent on a wheelchair or braces in combination with crutches.
He got his new gadget at at BodyHacking Con, a conference in Austin aimed at people interested in DIY alterations to the human body.
The device was inspired by the videogame Metal Gear Solid. James found out about the opportunity to receive the arm from an ad he saw at his regular prosthetist, which called for amputees who were also avid video game players.
“I knew that whatever was coming would never replace what I had lost,” explained Kurt, who is also a certified prosthetist. “I learned early on that what I needed was something to help me get around easier and back to a somewhat normal life. I was not looking to replace, imitate or recreate the leg I had lost; I just wanted to be able to get around pain-free.”
Utkarsh was motivated to create this device after seeing a video of Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic torch at the Atlanta Olympic games, in 1996, despite his suffering of Parkinsons disease.
After visiting Scotland with his family, the boy got so much interested in this country that he joined a Highland band, in 2015.
"He is just obsessed with Scotland and the bagpipes were not something we ever considered would benefit his health, but his breathing has improved since he has been playing", the boy’s mother, Victoria, explained.
Vincent still has to have regular respiratory physiotherapy and to take daily medication.
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