Undergraduate Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities

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0607883NewmanThis Design Project activity is an education partnership between The University of Denver (DU) and the Denver Health Medical Center (DHMC). During the 3-year activity a series of undergraduate design projects will address the needs of persons with disabilities. An integrated engineering and biomedical design program has been developed from a series of discussions focused on the types of biomedical devices needed by patients and the skills undergraduate engineering students could realistically apply in developing usable biomedical devices for those patients. The DU/DHMC team has identified specific areas of project development that will make significant impacts on the quality of life for disabled populations in Colorado and elsewhere while providing real-world engineering design experiences for the engineering students, and also broadening intellectual endeavors in bioengineering research, as shown below. Intellectual Merit: Develop strategies to determine human factors involved in biomedical design projects.Provide solutions to key areas of medical need that have potential for commercialization.Establish a comprehensive assessment process to monitor project objectives.Broad Impact:Identify need and develop device solutions for obesity, limited mobility, sensation deficit, and rehabilitation deficiencies. Interact with the broad range of population served by the Denver Health Medical Center.Present student findings at regional, national, and international workshops and conferences.The plan of investigation incorporates the development of a new course to prepare engineering students for the challenges associated with designing a biomedical device for persons with disabilities. That experience will culminate in the capstone design course required for all of the DU engineering students. An advisory board is to guide the assessment process and potential commercialization of completed projects.