Date: Thursday, July 26, 2018
Category: Conference News

Six University Teams Awarded During RESNA 2018 Student Design Competition

An impressive group of 49 teams submitted designs for the 2018 Student Design Competition. 35 students, representing 6 teams, comprised this year’s Student Design Competition Finalists, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, TREAT, and ARM University. Several universities were competing for the first time. 

Among the top winners were Texas Tech University, The Ohio State University, IIT Delhi, Rochester Institute of Technology, Inha University, and Jefferson University.  Each finalist was awarded a certificate acknowledging.  

This year’s winners were:

FIRST PLACE

"DEIASO - A Smart Band for the Hearing Impaired" by Archit Matta, Ayush Kumar, Bhavya Kaushik, IIT Delhi

DEIASO (Detection and Identification of Alarming Sounds) is a low-cost wearable Smart Band which can recognize these alarming sounds and alerts the user through a tactile and visual response. The simple design and low price point of the product ensure that it is accessible to the public and is easy to use. The application also supports text to speech functionality. DEIASO identifies alarming sounds and provides non-intrusive alerts enabling the user to react accordingly. The overall vision of the team is that DEIASO can serve as a tool for empowerment of the millions of hearing-impaired people and can bring some positive impact on their lives.

SECOND PLACE (TIE)

"GaitMate: A Device to Mitigate Freezing of Gait for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease" by Zachary M Samalonis, Jefferson University
WINNER of the TREAT Award for 2018

GaitMate was designed to bridge the gap between research and the current market options for mitigation of Freezing of gait (FOG). GaitMate attaches to a belt or waistband by a flexible attachment band which decreases the need for fine motor skills for donning. The functional unit sits in the front and an adjustable laser projects a transverse line for an individual to aim their steps toward. When GaitMate detects that the wearer has frozen, a vibratory and auditory metronome begins to help the individual sync their movements to a beat, and begin walking again. If the wearer purposely stops, they can tap anywhere on the front of the device to eliminate the metronome from turning on.

"BTS - The Computer-aid Diagnosis and Treatment System for BPPV" by Jin Gu Kang, Seung Gwan Lee, Inha University

This project is to develop a computer-aid system that allows BPPV patients to be treated at home. An IMU sensor tracks the movement of patients’ head and two 3D models instruct patients to do proper head position correctly. The system is precisely customized to each patient using previous treatment data, so the home treatment could be as efficient as that of the hospital.

FINALISTS

"Hearing Phone: Turn your Phone into a Go-anywhere Backup Hearing Aid, Complete with Remote Microphone" by Erik Peterson, Texas Tech University

Many phones are now water resistant. They can begin serving as backup hearing aids for when the going gets wet. But phones are also designed to communicate; by connecting two smartphones you can create an FM-like system where one person can speak directly into a second person's headphones. Those two functions are what the Hearing Phone app provides. By using equipment that most people already own (or could buy for far less than hearing aids), Hearing Phone can allow people with hearing loss to keep listening when their hearing aids must come out or serve as a bridge while they save up for hearing aids.

"The Tuck-Away Tray: A Tray for Power Wheelchair Users" by Clay Jackson, Jessica Ferree, Ketih Altman, Danny Tan, April Horstman, Elizabeth Hines, The Ohio State University

There is a need for a new type of affordable tray that can assist in daily activities, as well as promote independence. This assistive device focuses on creating a new power wheelchair tray that can be actuated independently by the wheelchair user while neither increasing the width of the wheelchair nor interfering with any wheelchair functions. The design solution created involves a rod with a guided track attached to the wheelchair base using a nearly universal mount. This device uses the mechanical assistance of a spring to help actuate the tray into the use position. It also securely stows underneath the arm rest on the opposite side of the joystick as to not increase the width of the wheelchair. A new device of this sort would help to promote independence with daily life activities which could in turn improve the overall quality of life for power wheelchair users.

"Pediatric Stander Motorization Kit" by Elizabeth Stegner, Spar Patton, Sean Garbarino, Andrew Kowalczyk, Tom Guerin, Andrew Carter, Ahmed Alzaabi, Khalifa Albishr, Rochester Institute of Technology

While the benefits of standing are clear, a primary limitation of many standing devices is that they are stationary; there are currently no motorized pediatric standers on the market. We are developing a kit that allows parents and therapists to modify and motorize existing standers, enabling children to explore their environment autonomously for the first time. Our design can be attached to nearly all existing pediatric standers, and includes both buttons and a joystick to accommodate different children’s needs, as well as an app for parents and therapists to help children learn.