Design: Biomedical Engineering Projects for People with General and Age Related Disabilities

项目摘要孟菲斯大学（UoM）的目标是提高工程专业学生对行动能力有限/受损个体所面临问题的认识，同时提供重要的社区服务和现实世界的挑战，让学生能够磨练他们的工程技能。该项目将涉及跨学科的学生团队（如生物医学、机械和/或电气工程、临床医生/卫生保健提供者和客户/患者），他们将设计/增强和建造定制设备，以提高行动不便人士的生活质量和自给自足能力。将特别强调选择那些需要解决方案的客户，否则这些解决方案可能成本过高或无法获得。明尼苏达大学生物医学、机械、电气和计算机工程系现有的大一新生和大四学生设计课程序列，加上与地区骨科公司和临床/医疗保健提供者团体现有的强大合作活动，为拟议的活动提供了一个新颖而独特的环境。建议项目活动的智力价值：该项目将为行动不便人士提供定制的、由学生设计/设计的设备，以提高他们的生活质量和自给自足能力。活动将通过多学科、有意义的现实世界和实际需要的设计项目，加强工程学生的教育。设计项目和实习将提供通常不属于工程课程的教育和学习活动，并促进康复和辅助技术学科的职业发展，以提出有效解决残疾人士需要的解决方案。有一个重要而迫切的需要，就是帮助行动不便的人最大限度地发挥潜力，过上愉快和富有成效的生活，既有利于他们个人的幸福感，也有利于社会的福祉。拟议活动的更广泛影响：拟议的设计项目将为因疾病或受伤而丧失行动能力的个人提供定制设备，这些设备对于客户来说成本过高或无法获得。该项目将为行动不便的人提供重要的社区服务，从而提高生活质量和自给自足能力。我们将通过在专业会议上介绍和发表有关开发设计的论文，以及通过大学外展和推广活动，提高学生和社区对行动不便人士所面临问题的认识，这样项目的想法就可以很容易地在其他地方复制。这个项目也将鼓励学生从事与康复和辅助技术相关的工程和专业工作。特别是，来自传统上代表性不足的群体的学生，如女性和非洲裔美国人，将通过MemphiSTEP、NSF STEM人才拓展计划、女孩体验工程暑期项目，以及大学现有的、来自这些服务不足的学生群体的高比例本科生的参与得到鼓励和促进。

PI: Bumgardner, Joel D.Proposal Number: 1160107Project SummaryThe University of Memphis (UoM) goal is to raise awareness among engineering students concerning the issues facing individuals with limited/impaired mobility while providing both an important community service and a real-world challenge around which students can hone their engineering skills. The project will involve interdisciplinary student teams (e.g. biomedical, mechanical and or electrical engineering, clinician/health care providers, and clients/patients) who will design/augment and construct custom devices that will improve quality of life and self-sufficiency for persons with mobility disabilities. Special emphasis will be placed on selecting clients who require solutions that may otherwise be cost prohibitive or unavailable. Existing freshman and concurrent senior design course sequences in UoM's Biomedical, Mechanical and Electrical & Computer Engineering departments, coupled with existing, robust collaborative activities with regional orthopaedic companies and clinical/health care provider groups, provide a novel and unique environment for the proposed activities. Intellectual Merit of the Proposed Project Activity:This project will provide custom, student-designed/engineered devices to persons with mobility disabilities in order to improve their quality of life and self-sufficiency. Activities will enhance engineering student education through multi-disciplinary, meaningful real-world and real-need design projects. The design projects and internships will provide education and learning activities that are not normally part of the engineering curriculum and promote careers in rehabilitation and assistive technology disciplines to advance solutions to effectively address the needs of persons with disabilities. There is an important and compelling need to assist individuals with mobility disabilities to reach their maximum potential for enjoyable and productive lives, both for their individual senses of well-being and for well-being of society.Broader Impacts of the Proposed Activity:The proposed design projects will provide custom devices to individuals suffering from loss of mobility due to disease or injury that are cost-prohibitive for the client or otherwise unavailable. The project will provide an important community service to persons with mobility disabilities that will improve quality of life and self-sufficiency. We will increase student and community awareness of issues facing individuals with mobility disabilities through presentations and publication of papers regarding developed designs at professional meetings and through university outreach and promotional activities, so project ideas may be easily replicated elsewhere. This project will also encourage students to pursue engineering and professional careers related to rehabilitation and assistive technologies. In particular, participation by students from traditionally under-represented groups, such as women and African Americans, will be encouraged and promoted through MemphiSTEP an NSF STEM Talent Expansion Program, Girls Experiencing Engineering summer programs, and from among University's existing, high percentage of undergraduate students from these underserved student populations.��