9707802 McFadyen This activity focuses on providing opportunities for senior engineering students in Biological Engineering to design and construct devices and aids for students with disabilities at the university. These design projects will be incorporated into the senior design course sequence, which all students in Biological Engineering are required to take. The design projects will be developed to meet explicit needs that will be identified each semester for persons with disabilities. This activity would involve ten projects per year for a period of five years. Examples of projects to be implemented during the first year include: (1) a footmouse, a device to allow operation of a computer more efficiently for individuals with some nerve related disabilities which have difficulty operating a standard computer mouse, (2) a device to enable wheelchair users with cognitive impairments to improve their ability to control the movement of a power wheelchair, (3) an automated wheelchair guidance and tracking system to control the movement of a power wheelchair within a confined environment, (4) a wireless telephone handset to allow a wheelchair user to move freely about a room while talking on a telephone, and (5) a low cost scientific calculator with voice output to aid visually impaired individuals. ***
