The proposed innovation will pioneer next-generation haptic devices and interfaces to enrich and enhance remote interactions within applications of gaming, remote communication, military use and assistive aids. Although gaming is targeted initially, a haptic belt immediately generalizes across diverse domains where augmented perception of those around us and objects of interest enhances and quickens awareness of our present situation. Moreover, the availability of a commercial haptic belt will open new vistas for research and development within research areas of human haptic perception, multimodal display design and interaction, human-centered multimedia computing and socio-behavioral computing.
Commercial availability of the proposed innovation will be a catalyst for the development of assistive technologies that will positively impact the lives of individuals with sensory impairments (visual impairments, vestibular impairments) and perceptual impairments (prosopagnosia)- a market the team plans to eventually transition to after gaming. It will also significantly impact the general population, providing a novel communication channel with many uses from navigation and spatial orientation to augmented/virtual reality, and to the perceptual enhancement of togetherness, important for long distance relationships and families often separated by the travel demands of work. The availability of a haptic belt will also benefit component disciplines including psychophysics and psychology of haptics were access to a functional, scalable and reconfigurable haptic display will attract and motivate researchers exploring the sense of touch as a receptive channel.
The aim of the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program is to provide research teams and mentors with entrepreneurship training to broaden the impact and value of their research through commercialization efforts. Our team included Dr. Troy McDaniel (entrepreneurial lead), Mr. Donald J. Becka (I-Corps mentor) and Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan (principal investigator). As part of the I-Corps program, we explored different haptic technologies within the application domains of assistive and rehabilitative technologies. Haptic technologies communicate information through the sense of touch, and therefore, enable new ways for technology to present information to the body. Alternative communication channels, such as the sense of touch, are particularly useful when other senses, such as vision or hearing, may not be available. This research is being conducted at the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC, http://cubic.asu.edu/) at Arizona State University. CUbiC is an inter-disciplinary research center focused on cutting edge research in human-centered multimedia computing within assistive, rehabilitative and healthcare applications. At the beginning of the I-Corps program, we explored the commercial potential of our Haptic Annunciator System: a belt of vibration motors worn around the waist to convey information about surrounding objects and events to enhance a user’s situational awareness. To reach a big enough market, we began by testing the value of this technology in the multi-billion dollar gaming industry. At our current price point, our customer discovery activities revealed limited interest from gamers, so we pivoted to another haptic technology: low-cost wearable computers for stroke rehabilitation (see figures), which found wide acceptance and enthusiasm among patients and therapists during our customer discovery efforts. We conducted over 80 interviews with physical therapists, occupational therapists, stroke experts and industry professionals to test our business and product hypotheses. Based on our findings, we made a clear ‘go’ decision to commercialize our stroke rehabilitation technologies. Since moving forward with this decision, we were accepted into the Furnace Technology Transfer Accelerator (AZ Furnace) to accelerate start-up efforts; we founded our business, RehabDev, LLC (www.rehabdev.net/) in February 2013; we submitted a detailed provisional patent application in March 2013; and we worked with a local neurorehabilitation clinic to conduct a preliminary pilot study, the results of which were published in the proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare 2013. We believe our technologies will lead to pioneering next generation haptic technologies including wearable vibrotactile displays for use in assistive technologies and rehabilitation solutions. The availability of our proposed innovation will open new vistas for research within the fields of haptics, human-computer interaction, wearable computing, assistive technology and rehabilitative technology. The commercialization of the proposed innovation will be a catalyst for assistive and rehabilitative technology applications, impacting the lives of individuals with sensory and physical impairments. Our team has a history of involving individuals with disabilities, women and underrepresented minorities in research projects. The commercialization of the proposed innovations will be inclusive in welcoming these groups to participate in our startup company. The team actively participates in community outreach activities, and our work has been presented at a variety of events, conferences and class visits. During October 2012, project results were presented to investors, lawmakers and Arizona State University faculty and administrators within an exhibit hall at Arizona Science Center during an Arizona Science Center-Arizona State University partnership kickoff event. During March 2013, project results were demonstrated to the public as part of Arizona State University’s Engineering Open House. Between February and May 2013, project results were presented to middle school, high school and graduate students as part of class field trips to Drs. Sethuraman Panchanathan and Troy McDaniel’s research center, CUbiC, at Arizona State University. The I-Corps program has been an invaluable learning experience. The customer discovery techniques we learned and employed helped quickly identify which of our innovations had a chance for commercial success and broad impact. Without this training, we would have spent years designing, developing and testing a technology with limited commercial potential. After founding our business and raising money, RehabDev, LLC is exploring rehabilitation methods and devices that will provide low-cost solutions for effective and efficient treatment of stroke and other neurological injuries. We anticipate that our technologies will impact existing rehabilitation protocols and practices. We also anticipate significant impact for the field of disability studies through the introduction of low-cost remote monitoring and feedback technologies. We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in the I-Corps program, and we encourage other researchers to enroll and "get out of the lab" to talk with customers to identify which of their innovations have potential for commercial success and broader impacts.
