Contact: Kathleen Tibbetts, (214) 768-7650

FINAL EXAMS MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR THE DISABLED
SMU Students Demonstrate Products Designed for Independence

DALLAS (SMU) – More than 38 million people have some type of disability, according to 2003 U.S. Census reports. The Braille Currency Stamp and The Halo are just two of seven products developed by students in SMU’s 2006 Senior Design Course to help persons with disabilities live fuller and more independent lives.

Most people know exactly how much money is in their wallets – but how does someone count change if he or she is blind? SMU mechanical engineering students have created a solution: a portable device that allows visually impaired people to emboss their paper currency with Braille for easy identification.

Some older citizens rely on a portable transmitter to contact 911 in case of emergency – but what if a trip-and-fall victim isn’t wearing the transmitter when the accident occurs? Students answered this challenge with The Halo, an emergency call system that allows an individual to summon help from anywhere in the home by touching a baseboard.

STUDENT PROJECT DEMONSTRATIONS
Wednesday, April 19
Jerry Junkins Engineering Building, Room 110
6251 Airline Road, SMU campus

Teams will be available during the one-hour lunch break, noon-1 p.m., to demonstrate these designs for the media:

The ARM (Automatic Reaching Mechanism) – a device that allows a person in a wheelchair to retrieve items from a high shelf or change a light bulb in a ceiling fixture.
Braille Currency Stamp – a portable device that allows visually impaired individuals to distinguish among paper currency of different denominations.
The Halo – an emergency call system that allows the user to summon help from any location in the home by touching a baseboard.
Portable Trapeze – a lightweight and compactable medical trapeze that can be used outside the home.
Wheelchair Lockdown – an easy-to-use wheelchair lockdown system for use in vans.
The Roof Loader – a device that transfers a wheelchair from the driver’s side door to the trunk of the car with limited user assistance.
Wheelchair Locking System – a wheelchair wheel lock device that is safe, reliable and easy to use.

Begun in 1978, the design program has produced almost 200 new product concepts. Since 1996, the projects have focused on improving products for individuals with disabilities, funded by the United Service Association For Health Care Foundation and the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation.

With support from sponsors, students conduct field research with individuals and then use their findings with the theories learned in class. Some students will investigate filing for patents on the original designs they have invented.

Lana Montgomery Couch, President of the United Service Association For Health Care Foundation (USA+ Foundation), says, “It seems like the projects get more creative each year. We are very proud to be linked with a program of this caliber that promotes leadership in engineering, empathy and visionary design to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities.” The USA+ Foundation has worked with the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation to grant funds to the SMU School of Engineering since the inception of the concept for senior students to develop mechanical designs for the disabled as their graduate projects.

“The purpose of the Senior Design Course is to teach product realization while responding to the needs of the customer and society. The students are challenged to develop innovative concepts, dramatically better than existing options,” says Dr. Charles Lovas, SMU School of Engineering, professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Senior Design program.
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Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas with more than 10,000 students and offers degree programs through seven schools. More information about SMU is available at www.smu.edu.