Developing Technological Device for PWDs

This post is a follow up of the previous Post on topic "Beyond the Arts" where I wrote about my best friend Cornelius (a.k.a. Dati), who was invited mid this year by TOM Melbourne to be part of a global project that brings together technology experts, specialists and need knowers to work on assistive technological devices for people with special needs.

Dati and I were fortunate to be part of the 2017 TOM Melbourne Makerthon that took place from the 1st to the 3rd of December 2017.  This project was a 72 hours Makerthon where the "makers" (engineers, designers, developers, physiotherapists) came together and worked with "need knowers" to develop prototypes based on their requirements.  There were 11 teams with each of their "need knower" for 2017 and our team was Team BA (short for Beyond Art).  Assigned to team BA were 11 members from various specialties comprising 5 women and 6 men including myself.  

Dati's challenge was for the team to develop a device to enhance his graphic design abilities and enable him to be more precise with his design work.  Since he wants to be a 3D CGI artist, his choice of software was Cinema 4D so the team had to download a demo version from Maxon website, installed it and constantly tested it out to see what may work best for him.  Though he was not physically available, the physiotherapist used his videos with the help from other members and myself, to fit together a possible solution that would best fit his need. 

Video instructions for Dati by therapist

Due to Dati's visa not being issued on time for him to be in Australia for the event, he participated online by supplying his video feedbacks to the team for them to analyse his status and design the prototype.  Dati and his mother (in PNG) were given video instructions, by one of the specialist therapist which Dati immitated while watching.  With remote assistance from my end, they where able to get all the videos recorded and uploaded onto the shared Google Drive which the team then used to do further assessment of Dati.

Video shots sent by Dati & his mom to the team to analyse & work with

Quick sketches by Kathryn

Based on these videos, the team worked on brainstorming the concepts of a possible prototype.  The rewarding thing was that the team already had prior discussions and researched possible technological solutions to be used for this project.  Few rough sketches were drawn and various options considered. The team used Google Drive to share and communicate beforehand, sharing ideas and collecting information weeks before the event began.

On the first day, the team mapped out their plan, sketched the design concepts and went shopping for resources to execute the design.  Every team was given a budget of $500, therefore each team had to come up with creative and innovative approaches to find a solution that fitted the budget.  Some of our team members went shopping and the others continued conceptualising the ideas.  

Brainstorming Concepts based on Video assessments

Our team came up with a possible solution after watching Dati's video.  The team observed that Dati struggles to use the standard cursor on the mouse pad since it was not designed for the feet.  The team also observed that the keys on the standard keyboard were small so he had to struggle to reach them with his toe fingers.  With this assessment, the team proposed to design a stable mouse which will reduce Dati's feet movement.  They also observed that he struggles to do mouse clicks so they separated the cursor movements from clicks to enable him to concentrate on clicks and move cursor separately.  

Prototype Design for remote location testing

Before the team could go ahead  creating a first prototype, they need to get Dati's feedback and whether the size would fit his toes and feet so a paper prototype was manually drawn, then I illustrated it to scale within Adobe Illustrator.  We emailed this paper prototype to PNG to be printed and delivered to Dati for him to test.  The paper prototype was printed however not to scale as the instruction got misunderstood or being overlooked so it was rescaled to about 80%-85% when printing.  Despite this, it gave the team an idea of how the prototype would fit Dati.  Dati was again recorded while testing this paper prototype and the video was sent back to the team to assess.

Paper prototype (left) & foam prototype (right)

After receiving Dati's video of him testing the paper prototype, few adjustments were made to amend the placements of the modified keys.  The team captured few of the hot keys and assigned them onto bigger buttons for him to easily access and these buttons were placed next to the keyboard.  The team then created a foam prototype to trial out before building the final prototype.  Since this foam prototype couldn't be sent to Dati for testing, the team used several models to trial it out.  While doing the testing, Dati was constantly consulted to ensure it aligns to his need.

3D impression of the elevation of the keyboard for Dati's convenience

The team also realised that Dati's current keyboard is placed flat on the ground so his mother was again advised to tilt the keyboard at an angle for them to see whether he would prefer a tilted keyboard or the keyboard lying flat.  After trying out, Dati responded saying both elevations fitted him however, he would prefer an elevated keyboard, so the team noted this option into the updated prototype.  I quickly created a 3D visual impression of the design and later, the team borrowed a mechanical engineer from another team to refine it for printing.  

The logo & Brand

The printing was amazing, we did all the printing of the foams and boards using digital technology, made possible by Swinburne University of Technology's state-of-the-art laser-printing facilities.  Our final prototype was laser-cut on board, which came out in 2 versions.  The first one was done however, we realised few technical flaws in the design so we had to tweak it a little to consider weight of the force. Additionally, we forgot to add the brand of the design so I was tasked to come up with a logo for the design to give it a personal feel.  We had to consult Dati again for something he favoured.  The team requested me to ask him of his favourite character however, since he doesn't have any, he chose his left foot as the logo so I incorporated the left foot with a mouse and his nickname as the logo and brand.

The finished prototype design within 72 hours

The final prototype design was assembled, cables connected and tested few minutes before the time stops and everyone applauded when the timer hits zero.  

We did it, our team completed the project just in time, did a quick test, configured the buttons and took few shots before it was exhibited for the audience and judges to assess.  It was a milestone, a moment of achievement for Dati who was not at the scene in person however feels satisfied to achieve something.  The commitments and voluntarism invested during this event have proven that there are people who have the hearts to share their expertise, knowledge and skills to make a better world for someone in need.

Despite numerous challenges pertaining to availability of the "need knower", communication difficulties with internet and the complexity of such projects which need subject to be physically available, the team executed the need knower's challenge appropriately, in time and under limited budget.  With the very qualified specialists who imensely contributed their invaluable expertise, time and support for the cause, the design ended up receiving the "Most Impact" award for the event.  If there weren't any inputs from these amazing talents and expertise, there wouldn't be a smile on the face of people like Dati.  Our next phase is to see the emotions on Dati's face when his new optimised trackpad and keyboard is delivered to him. 

I would like to give credit to the volunteers of team "Beyond Art (Group 9)", 2017 TOM Melbourne namely; Hedi Zvi, Ina Stavrill, Travis Beck, Kath Deighton, Tim Armstrong, Oscar Eduardo Gonzalez Gomez, Tejasvini Bhuvan, Jegadeesh Murugan, Kathe Chaloping, Shruthi Ashwathappa, Deli Winthrope including myself and Cornelius. 

Team Beyond Art - Dati's Team.