Result-Oriented Multidisciplinary Capstone Design to Aid Persons with Disabilities

PI: Zhuang， H., Masory， O. and Roth Z. s .提案号：1033815本项目旨在利用工程顶点设计来帮助老年人和残疾人；通过多学科合作、动手实验和创业精神来加强本科工程教育。在顶点项目中，学生将利用和适应现有的技术来创造设备，从用户的角度来帮助残疾人。为此，在工程设计序列的第一门课程中，参与该资助的学生将被转介到医疗保健机构，如Morselife和老年中心，以及当地有学习障碍学生的学校，以收集有关当前需求、可用解决方案和最新技术可以提供的信息。一旦收集到数据，在心理学、护理学和商学专业学生的协助下，将举行一些头脑风暴会议，帮助学生选择最有希望的想法。然后，将组成团队，并分配资源来积极解决所承担的问题。FAU和医疗中心之间的合作将进一步提高学生的知识、技能、同情心和创业精神。知识价值：a)设计项目将以直接使老年人和残疾人受益为目标，并将在与照顾者和使用者的互动中开始，强调技术创新、易于使用和商业潜力。b)设计团队将由机械、电气和计算机工程专业的学生组成，并且项目将进一步受益于心理学、护理学和商业专业学生的参与，他们将在设计的每个主要步骤中进行咨询。c)商业化将是另一个考虑因素。所有通过该计划资助的项目都需要进行发明披露。商科专业的学生将带来商业策划、管理和市场营销方面的知识和专长。广泛影响：a) FAU与MorseLife合作开发的生产设备和软件将通过帮助老年人和残疾人为社会做出贡献。b)商业化的努力可能会导致有利于当地经济的初创公司。c)通过向NSF提交的年度报告、演讲、出版物和专利披露，传播思想、项目进展和经验。

PI: Zhuang, H., Masory, O. and Roth Z. S.Proposal Number: 1033815 The aim of this project is to use engineering capstone designs to aid elderly and persons with disabilities; and to enhance undergraduate engineering education through multidisciplinary collaboration, hands-on experimentation, and entrepreneurship. In the capstone project, students will utilize and adapt available technology to create devices to assist persons with disabilities from the perspective of users. To this end, at the first course of the Engineering Design sequence, students who become involved in this grant will be referred to healthcare facilities, such as Morselife and Center for Aging Seniors, and to local schools that host students with learning disabilities, in order to gather information regarding current needs, available solutions, and what the latest technology can offer. Once data is gathered, a number of brainstorming sessions will be conducted to help the students select the most promising ideas, with assistance from students of Psychology, Nursing and Business majors. Then, teams will be formed, and resources will be allocated to attack the issues undertaken with vigor. Collaborations between FAU and healthcare centers will further advance the knowledge, skills, compassion, and entrepreneurship of the students. Intellectual Merit: a) Design projects will be aimed at directly benefitting elderly and handicapped persons and will be initiated as a result of the interactions with caretakers and users, emphasizing technical innovation, ease of use, and commercial potential. b) Design teams will be made up of students of Mechanical, Electrical and Computer Engineering majors, and projects will be further benefitted from the involvement of students of Psychology, Nursing and Business majors, who will be consulted at every major step of the design. c) Commercialization will be another consideration. Invention disclosure will be required of all projects funded through the program. Students of Business major will bring the knowledge and expertise in business planning, management and marketing. Broad Impact: a) Produced devices and software developed through collaboration between FAU and MorseLife will contribute to society through aiding elderly and handicapped persons. b) Commercialization effort may lead to start-up companies that benefit the local economy. c) Through annual reports to NSF, presentations, publications, and patent disclosures, the ideas, program progress and experiences will be disseminated.