Senior Design Projects to Aid the Disabled

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0001347GaoThe objective of this project is to develop a new design course sequence in the broad area of Assistive Technology for undergraduate students in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst. A two-semester design course entitled "Senior Design Projects to Aid the Disabled" is to be developed and integrated within the established undergraduate curriculum of the Department. Through close collaborations with the Lemelson Assistive Technology Development Center (LATDC) at Hampshire College and Adaptive Design Services (ADS) under the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation (DMR), the new design course sequence is to apply rigorous analytical and computer simulation approaches to specific design problems originated by disabled clients. The output of each design project will be a prototype of a functional mechanical and/or electromechanical device that satisfies the specific need of an individual client. The new course will strengthen the existing undergraduate curriculum by introducing mechanical and industrial engineering students to a new area of great social importance. It further enhances the Department's effort in promoting its newly identified research thrust area in assistive technology and biomedical engineering.