How Universities Are Developing New Technologies For People With Disabilities

The U.S. National Science Foundation is awarding $11.8 million in grants to 16 universities and independent labs for the development of technologies that can enhance the quality of life and employment opportunities for persons with various disabilities. The projects all involve collaborations between teams of scientists, consumers and practitioners.

According to the NSF announcement, the World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 billion individuals - about 1 in 6 people worldwide - experience significant disability, limiting their abilities to achieve better economic opportunities, career advancement, quality of life, health and wellness. In the United States, about one in four adults have some type of disability.

The new grants are intended to develop solutions out of basic research that will help people with disabilities overcome the various obstacles they face in everyday life and at work. They are being funded through the NSF Convergence Accelerator, which was launched in 2019 to advance the translation of scientific discoveries into practical solutions that will have societal and economic impact.

The awards are considered Phase 1 grants supporting interdisciplinary teams to develop concepts for new technologies and tools. Following the end of Phase 1, the teams will submit a Phase 2 proposal for as much as $5 million of additional support over 24 months to further develop their solutions and dissemination plans.

"We are excited to welcome Track H teams into the Convergence Accelerator's portfolio," said Douglas Maughan, head of the NSF's Convergence Accelerator. "Over the next nine months, the teams will develop their initial idea into a proof of concept, identify new team members and partners, and participate in the program's innovation curriculum, which provides fundamentals in human-centered design; team science; use-inspired research; early-stage prototyping; and communications, storytelling and pitching.”

The grants, a complete list of which can be found here, cover a wide range of disabilities and new assistive and adaptive technologies. As examples:

• Researchers at Cornell University are studying how to increase accessibility to virtual reality for people with visual impairments, enabling them to participate more fully in remote work environments.
• At Mississippi State University, experts in behavioral psychology, rehabilitation counseling, engineering, virtual reality, machine learning, autonomous vehicles, robotics, and artificial intelligence, will work to develop technology that will enable people with various disabilities be able to drive vehicles independently, a skill that’s essential to their obtaining employment, education, healthcare, and social interaction.
• A Northwestern University team will explore the use of different types of controls to make power wheelchairs more accessible for individuals who are unable to use the traditional joystick. The project will change how control inputs are captured from the human body and transferred to the machine as well as learn how machine intelligence can be employed to enhance safety and facilitate independent wheelchair operation.
• At Harvard, a team will begin to develop a cloud-connected, soft, wearable rehabilitation and assistance device that will enable stroke survivors, veterans, and others with upper limb disability restore arm function and achieve greater independence. The development process will involve stroke survivors, caregivers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, engineers, neurologists, and clinicians.
• Stanford University researchers are working on the development of a portable, take-home wearable device that delivers tactile stimulation to help stroke victims be able to recover movement.
• A multidisciplinary Michigan State University team is taking a use-inspired approach to develop and distribute voice-activated artificial intelligence technology that is accessible and fair to people who stutter or have disfluent speech.
• A University of Arkansas team is developing new augmentative and alternative communication devices to help people with speech limitations be able to express themselves more effectively.

"Transdisciplinary, use-inspired research offers tremendous potential to accelerate novel solutions to the everyday challenges faced by persons with disabilities," said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. "Through the Convergence Accelerator's Track H, we are bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise spanning academia, industry, nonprofits and other communities to enable solutions and open opportunities for people who need it most."

The research addresses a growing demand. It’s estimated that by 2030, more than two billion people around the world will need at least one assistive device to help them overcome challenges associated with different kinds of disabilities and health conditions.