Blind or visually impaired toddlers risk tripping over objects they can’t see and as a result tend to be overly cautious walkers. To help them learn to walk safely and more quickly, researchers at the City University of New York have invented a “toddler cane.”

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Filed under: Special Features | Comments Off on Baby Gait

Tags: assistive technology, blind, CCNY, Engineering Design, Safe Toddles, toddler cane, visually impaired

Working in groups of three, middle school students learn about types of forces, the relationship between form and function, and the structure of the hand by working as biomedical engineers to design, build, and test their own hand “gripper” prototypes that can grasp and lift a 200 ml cup of sand.

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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Lend A Hand: Teaching Forces

Tags: adaptive device, anatomy, assistive technology, Biomedical Engineering, Class Activities, Design, disability, forces, Grades 6-8, hand, Lesson Plan, prosthetic

Open to high school and college students nationwide, the AbilityOne Design Challenge is a competition to develop assistive technologies that empower people with disabilities to break through barriers to employment. Top designs can win up to $10,000 for schools and teams. Register by November 29, 2013 (high school students) with late registration up to Jan 17, 2014. College students and teams must sign up by February 28, 2014, with an April 11, 2014 deadline for late registration.

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Filed under: K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on AbilityOne Design Challenge

Tags: AbilityOne, assistive technology, Competitions for Students, Design, design competition

The AbilityOne® Design Challenge encourages students to develop assistive technologies that empower people with disabilities to overcome barriers to employment. The design challenge is a service learning opportunity for students in grades 9-12 in the High School Program. Deadline: Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, 12:00 p.m.

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Filed under: Grades 9-12, K-12 Outreach Programs | Comments Off on Contest: AbilityOne Design Challenge

Tags: assistive technology, Competition, Competitions for Students, Contest, Contests, Design, Engineering Design