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Aging in Place: High Tech for
People with Disabilities
Daniel Fisher, COL (Ret.) Asst. Chair for Administration + Operations
University of Pittsburgh
• Dedicated to educating the next generation of health
and rehabilitation professionals
• Rankings
– #3 - Physical Therapy
– #6 - Occupational Therapy
– #8 - Speech-Language Pathology
– #18 - Rehab-Counseling
• Home for the Department of Rehabilitation Science
and Technology, RST, Chair Dr. Rory Cooper
HERL
• Part of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
• Mission: To continuously improve the mobility and function of
people with disabilities through advanced engineering in
clinical research and medical rehabilitation
• Vision: To create a world where all people with disabilities
have unencumbered mobility and function so that they can
fully participate in and contribute to society
QoLT
• Focused on the development of intelligent systems that enable older adults and people with disabilities to live more independently
• Personal assistive robots, cognitive and behavioral coaches, human awareness and driver assistance technologies.
• Jointly run by Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh
• PerMMA: Personal Mobility and Manipulation Appliance
• StrongArm: Wheelchair, bed or structure-mounted robotic arm to assist with transferring people
THEMES:
• Robots “learning” from human behavior and activity
• Providing tools to augment (reducing the effort) clinicians and caregivers
• Promoting greater independence (living at home) through human-robot symbiosis
• Prompts individuals
through multi-step tasks– Audio sequences
– “Smart glass” in cabinet doors
– Projected images or text
– Wirelessly triggered illuminating
grab-handles
– Instructions adapted for users
depending on cognitive abilities
• App to switch off certain aspects of kitchen– Oven and cooktop
– Countertop appliances
– Even the faucet
• 16 million+ living with cognitive impairments (Faul, Xu, & Wald, 2010)
– Alzheimer’s disease (AD): 5,400,000
– Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): 1,700,000
– Other conditions: Stroke, MS, ALS etc.
• 19.9 million people in U.S. have difficulty
with tasks related to upper body function
– Serious upper limb impairments: 1,100,000
Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries
• Kitchen is a stress producer
• 67% having challenges with tasks
• 79% report significant impact on quality of life
– Difficulty with appliances, locating items, and staying focused
on tasks, and leaving food unattended)
Individuals with Upper Limb Impairments
• Six focus groups, 36 people
• Heavy objects, hot objects and upper cabinets
To create and
evaluate tech that
assists in meal
preparation, cleanup,
appliance use, and
other common
kitchen tasks
Overhead track mounted manipulator
helps people with physical
impairments complete common
kitchen tasks.
Goal is to reduce the need for a
caregiver and allow people to
perform daily living activities more
independently.
• Improves self-confidence
• Increases quality of life
The design is transferable for
use in residential homes with
standard building materials.
The low-profile track requires
little space for installation
above cabinets, and is
compatible with most
residential kitchen designs.
Technology for Home and Community
http://www.woundedwarriorhome.org/learn.aspx
Rory A. Cooper
Distinguished Professor
and
FISA – Paralyzed Veterans of America Chair
University of Pittsburgh
Suite 400
6425 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15206 US
www.herl.pitt.edu
Dan J. Fisher
Asst. Chair of Admin and Opns
Office (412) 319-7477
