Federal Labs Challenged to Meet Assistive Technology Needs
From: Newslink - Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer
November, 1998 - Vol. 14, No. 10 - Page 1 - 2

Federal laboratory technologies are beginning to help the elderly and people
with disabilities lead more productive, comfortable, and independent lives.
But lab successes in the growing assistive technology (AT) field are the tip
of the proverbial iceberg in a federal laboratory system with deep technical
resources. Labs in the US have unlimited opportunities to develop
technologies that can improve the quality of life for the 47 million people
living independently with functional disabilities and the 2 million patients
in long-term facilities. The AT field also promises a built-in market with
aging baby boomers. 

"I hope the management and staff of individual labs take [the statistics] as
a challenge," says Joseph Lane, Project Director of the Rehabilitation
Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Technology Transfer. Funded by the
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), RERC,
which has 14 centers in the US, has worked with the FLC in AT development
since 1994. The Center for Assistive Technology (CAT) at the University of
Buffalo operates the two NIDRR-funded RERCs on technology transfer and AT for
older persons with disabilities. 

FLC Regional Projects 

FLC Chairs Dan Brand and Tina McKinley both championed collaborative AT
activity, and former FLC Washington, DC Rep Ty Taylor organized congressional
hearings on the FLCs role in this field. Current FLC Chair Brand has
designated AT as a strategic technology focus area for the FLC. 

Three FLC regions have also set up collaborative projects to exploit the
technologies in their regional labs. The Mid-Continent, the Southeast, and
the Mid-Atlantic regions are all exploring ways to meet AT needs in areas of
mobility, education, accessibility, visual and hearing impairment, and
communication. 

NASA, Air Force Lab Successes 

Although labs are short on AT history, the list of successes is lengthening.
For example, composite materials, cool suits, and eyegaze technologies have
all been used in products for persons with disabilities. 

Once designed for space or air travel, NASA and Air Force lab technologies
have spun off a number of new assistive devices, such as wheelchairs made of
advanced composite materials that are lighter, stronger, and easier to
maneuver. 

Technologies from the federal laboratory "inventory" also help hearts beat
more regularly; eye disease and different kinds of cancer to be detected with
greater accuracy; and replaced elbows, knees, and other joints made of new
composites to function more effectively. Some products that originated in the
labs - such as talking caller ID and vibrating pagers for people with sensory
impairment - are now in mainstream use. 

"In a sense," Joseph Lane says, "we're investing in meeting our own future
needs. If we're lucky, we'll all live long enough to need assistive devices."  

For more info: Joe Lane, 716/829-3141

-----

DOD CAP Program Serves as AT Model

The Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) - a centrally funded
Department of Defense (DOD) program - provides assistive technologies that
allow DOD employees with disabilities to access computer and
telecommunication systems. CAP funds sign language interpreters, readers, and
personal assistants for DOD employees in training classes. 

CAP also focuses on ergonomic issues and work-related injuries, cosponsors
the Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities, and
runs the CAP Technology Evaluation Center (CAPTEC), which provides a wide
variety of assistive devices for evaluation and demonstration. 

CAP has been cited as a model for federal AT programs. 

For more info; http://www.ha.asd.mil/hpcap2.html 

-----

For an Assistive Technology Evaluation... 

James Leahy at the RERC on Technology Transfer reviews potential assistive
technologies from the labs. However, candidate summaries often do not contain
all the details needed for an evaluation - thereby preventing conversations
with companies that might be interested in the technology. Therefore, Leahy
asks that lab reps call him first to discuss the technology and to be
prepared to answer the following questions: 

1. Is the technology ready to be transferred now?

2. Is the inventor/lab champion available to answer questions, present
   documentation, and help transfer the device? 

3. Is there a lab-company CRADA now? If so, what are the terms (e.g., can
   additional companies be involved in a non-exclusive manner)? 

Information Package 

For an evaluation on the assistive potential of a technology, Leahy
recommends that lab reps complete an information package with thorough,
descriptive data concerning each device (e.g., patents, technical specs,
engineering drawings, any partnership activity, etc.). Contact Leahy first
for assistance in packaging your information. 

According to Leahy, ORTAs should be involved in developing the technology
commercialization package - and enthusiastic and responsive to questions. A
timely response to transfer inquiries indicates an efficient organization and
interest in becoming a corporate business partner. 

For more info: Jim Leahy, 716/829-3141, jimleahy@acsu.buffalo.edu

-----

RTI Matches Industry Needs with Lab Solutions

Your lab's technology may have applications you've never imagined! To help
labs identify those opportunities, the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) has
a demand-pull program that identifies solutions and resources for adapting
the technologies, and forms industry partnerships to turn the technologies
into commercial products.  

RTI has a commercial history of success, having established many industry-lab
partnerships that have met medical and assistive technology needs in severe
vision impairment, digital mammography, and other breast cancer imaging
methods. The following case study describes how a NASA technology for
inspecting aircraft helped improve bladder control. 

Bladder Volume Sensing 

Inability to sense bladder fullness is a common problem for patients who
suffer from spinal cord injuries, strokes, and diabetes. In addition, toilet
training for many severely retarded individuals is never realized because no
convenient means exist to help them associate bladder fullness with the
appropriate behaviors. An estimated 150,000 mentally retarded persons in the
US suffer from urinary incontinence. 

RTI - through its work with the Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) -
learned of the need for a compact, easy-to-use, bladder fullness sensing
device that could signal when the bladder reached a preset threshold. RTI
matched the system requirements with NASA Langley Research Center
technologies in ultrasound transducers and signal processing, which were
originally developed for nondestructive testing of aircraft structures.
Funding from NIDRR supported the collaboration between NASA and ARC to
develop the device. 

Diagnostic Ultrasound Corporation licensed the technology and markets a
product for ultrasound bladder monitoring - the Contiscan (TM) Monitor. 

Opportunities 

Over the next year, RTI will be matching federal lab technologies with needs
in the following areas: 

1. managing diabetic retinopathy
2. improved wheelchairs (in conjunction with FLC Mid-Atlantic Region) 

Problem statements for technology solutions will be distributed to FLC labs
in the coming months. For an example of how to review demand-pull problem
statements and submit solutions, go to: http://www.rti.org/technology/nasa-jdf 

For more info: Daniel Winfield, 919/541-6431, winfield@rti.org

-----

FLC Regions Active in Assistive Technology

Mid-Continent Region

Working with Aztech, Inc., the Mid-Continent Region completed a demonstration
project of 17 technologies that regional labs submitted for review of their
assistive potential. Ten were selected for in-depth evaluation, and three
submitted by the Air Force Research Laboratory (formerly Armstrong
Laboratory) have strong potential in home health-care markets - Smart Oxygen
Mask, Force Reflective Joystick, and Molecular Sieve Oxygen Generating System. 

For more info: Ann Kerksieck, 501/324-9047 x310, alkerksieck@uarl.edu 

Mid-Atlantic Region

In a demand-pull demonstration project, the Mid-Atlantic Region will assess
and improve technology in wheeled mobility products (e.g., wheelchairs,
powered controllers, custom seating systems). Wheelchair industry/research
experts will identify technical product function limitations and suggest
improvements, and these technical specs (e.g., material strength/weight
ratios, power cell output/duration, control system
sensitivity/programmability) will be circulated to federal labs. 

For more info: Rich Dimmick, 410-278-6955, dimmick@arl.army.mil 

Southeast Region 

At its October meeting, the Southeast Region decided to team with one of the
newest Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) sponsored by the
Department of Education at Duke University. Regional labs will demonstrate
partnering techniques and contribute technologies to the RERC TechWatch
program in communication enhancement. At the meeting, lab reps displayed
several technologies that could potentially assist stroke and MS patients in
the area of speech. 

For more info: Wanda Lopez, 352/294-7836, wlopez@eng.ufl.edu 

-----

Small Business Commercializes Public Domain Air Force Technology 

LC Technologies, a small business in Fairfax, VA, has developed and
commercialized a unique technology - Eyegaze - that automatically tracks the
movement of the human eye. By combining a video camera and a computer, the
system accurately determines the location of a persons gazepoint on a
computer screen. Although Eyegaze has many potential applications, the
current product functions as a computer/communication system for people with
severe motor impairments. With Eyegaze, these people can productively use a
computer merely by moving their eyes. The development of Eyegaze has a long
and complex history - going back more than 30 years. The initial pioneering
work was sponsored by the Department of Defense in the early 1960s when the
Air Force wanted an alternate means for pilots to interface with their
equipment. However, after some early lab successes, various technological
obstacles prevented the transfer of automatic eyetracking to the real world,
and the technology was placed in the public domain. 

In the late 1980s, LC Technologies began building on work done by the Air
Force and others and made some important technological breakthroughs, which
enabled LC to fully develop and market Eyegaze to people with disabilities.
To date, more than 150 devices have been sold. 

LC Technologies will continue developing the technology - enhancing it for
future applications and ensuring that customer needs are met at the most
economical prices. 

For more info: http://www.eyegaze.com

