Assistive technology

Plastic sliding calipers known as Squirrel Devices, developed by MIT grad students, make geometry’s continuous shapes and lengths measurable for blind and limited-vision students, who can read measurements in Braille.

A measurable improvement in STEM access for the blind

Two MIT graduate students have developed a device that provides better access to STEM materials for the blind and low-vision community.

March 22, 2017

Julia Heyman wins 2017 Carroll L. Wilson Award

Award will fund a 12-month project to study the implementation of wheelchair sensors in Indonesia.

March 7, 2017

“The challenge is to design devices that can be made for a much lower cost, but that are still as robust and functional as those in the developed world,” senior Matthew Cavuto says.

Matthew Cavuto: Getting a leg up on engineering

MIT senior will use Marshall Scholarship to work on devices that enhance mobility for the disabled.

February 9, 2017

MIT Assistant Professor Amos Winter (right, blue shirt) and Tish Scolnik ’10 were inspired to build a more rugged wheelchair after visits to Tanzania.

Building the mountain bike of wheelchairs

An MIT professor helped turn a class project into a mass-produced product that is helping people in developing countries.

January 23, 2017

The mechanical arm pictured here was created for people without a wrist or arm. The herringbone gears and arm base are printed in one full piece. Once that piece is printed, an Arduino motherboard and sensors, pictured above the arm, and a motor are attached to the arm.

Lincoln Laboratory lends a 3-D-printed hand

Researchers improve the designs for low-cost 3-D-printed arms and hands.

September 1, 2016

Pison Technology team members (left to right) Bobby Forster, Dexter Ang, David Cipoletta, and Wenxin Feng are developing assistive technology for people with ALS.

Fighting ALS with mind, hand, and heart

With support from the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program, an MIT spinoff is creating assistive technology for people with ALS.

July 29, 2016

Researchers are developing a new boot with built-in sensors and tiny “haptic” motors, whose vibrations can guide the wearer around or over obstacles. Vibrations will jump from low to high intensity when the wearer is at risk of colliding with an obstacle.

Avoiding stumbles, from spacewalks to sidewalks

Vibrating footwear could help astronauts and visually impaired earthlings skirt obstacles.

July 22, 2016

As an undergraduate at MIT, Ned Burnell began thinking about the entire process of making products, and all of the decisions that lead to designing products in a particular way. This is what motivated him to pursue mechanical engineering.

Using engineering savvy to improve product designs

From windmills to software, graduate student Ned Burnell creates better tools.

June 8, 2016

The Amphibian SCUBA diving simulator, a research project from the MIT Media Lab, lets users experience the underwater world through a high presence virtual reality system. The system includes a motion platform, Oculus Rift head-mounted display, snorkel with sensors, leg-motion sensors, and gloves that enable motion detection, temperature simulation, and physical feedback of objects.

Experiencing underwater worlds, virtually

"Amphibian" SCUBA simulator advances the field of virtual reality while exploring the relationship between diving and disability.

April 11, 2016

Wheelchair user Serafin Kangad from Mindanao, Philippines. CITE plans to conduct a wheelchair evaluation in 2016 to understand technical performance, reliability, durability, maintenance, repair, and user experience.

MIT faculty and students to lead technology evaluations in developing countries

November 9, 2015

(Left to right) MIT Professor Angela Belcher moderates a panel discussion on climate change, which included Daniel Zarrilli, director of the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency in New York City, and John Bolduc, an environmental planner for Cambridge.

How to bring clean, efficient energy to the world

Solve conference explores better ways to provide power, water, and food to billions of people.

October 7, 2015

Enhancing movement with computational models

PhD student David Hill maps human locomotion in detail to improve rehabilitative and assistive robotics.

October 7, 2015

Kate Tatar, Esther Jang, Shirlene Liew, Ned Burnell, and Adriana Mallozzi at the MIT ATHack.

Hacking for those with disabilities

“Design is a conversation” at this year's ATHack, or Assistive Technologies Hackathon, for people with disabilities.

June 1, 2015

Neural engineering for middle schoolers

MIT STEM Mentoring Program introduces students from Boston, Cambridge, and Lawrence to an evolving field.

May 19, 2015

Beth Hadley and Margaret Marie at The Boston Home

Empowerment through mobile technology and co-design

MIT students improve the quality of life, safety, and independence of The Boston Home residents with InstaAid mobile application.

May 18, 2015

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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