Overview

User evaluations of assistive technologies for home environments are necessary to ensure they are used appropriately and consistently. A simulated home environment can provide the necessary control while enabling users to feel more at home during the research and development process. We will provide examples of assistive robots and smart technology research in the McKechnie Family LIFE Home, a human factors research laboratory that mimics an existing home dwelling to support assistive technology design. These examples will illustrate the potential of home simulation to advance the design of assistive technologies to support older adults and their care networks.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe one state-of-the-art human factors laboratory embedded in a realistic smart home environment.
2. Demonstrate at least two capabilities of the space and technologies using a virtual tour.
3. Discuss two or more reasons embedded user evaluation are important in the design of assistive technologies.

Strand(s)

Aging & AT

Target Audience

AT Specialists; Consumers/Individuals with Disabilities; Government/Non-Profit Agencies; Occupational Therapists; Rehabilitation Counselor; Speech-Language Pathologists

Experience Level

Intermediate

Primary Life Cycle Addressed

All

Session Delivery Format

In-person presentation with recording

Course Schedule

This course was given at the ATIA 2024 Conference on Saturday, January 27 from 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM (EST)

Continuing Education Credits

For Satisfactory Completion and Continuing Education information, please visit: ATIA Online Education CEUs

This course is offered for the following CE Provider Credits:
ACVREP; AOTA; CRC; IACET
For: 0.10 CEU Units or 1.0 CEU Hours

Recorded Session: This course is offered for 0.05 ASHA CEU Units or 0.5 ASHA CEU Hours per ASHA guidelines.

Speaker/s:

Harshal Mahajan, PhD

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Research Assistant Professor & Assistant Director of Research

Biography

I serve as the Assistant Director of Research of the McKechnie Family LIFE (Living in Interactive Future Environments) Home Research Center and manage research and development of smart technologies designed to enhance the quality of life of individuals on age and disability spectrums. My educational background is in biomedical and rehabilitation engineering. My research interests span understanding barriers and facilitators that influence health and function in individuals with disabilities and developing smart rehabilitation intervention strategies involving exercise, assistive technologies, and robots to encourage functional mobility. I am the principal investigator on a NIDILRR funded research grant where we evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a multifactorial rehabilitation intervention to address falls and fear of falling related issues in wheelchair users with Multiple Sclerosis. I support activities of two NIDILRR funded Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers that develop technologies to support aging-in-place for people with long-term disabilities and research avenues for enhancing neurocognitive health, abilities, networks, and community Engagement. My other ongoing research activities include assisting with SBIR Phase 1 and Phase 2 (National Institute of Aging) that intend to develop and evaluate assistive robots for individuals with mobility and cognitive limitations. In my previous research, I evaluated perceptions of trust and safety towards pediatric robotic exoskeletons as a step towards generating training recommendations for parents and clinicians prescribing these devices. My graduate training in clinical research was at Veteran Affairs, Pittsburgh’s center for excellence on wheelchairs where my research comprised iterative development of two assistive technology systems and their clinical usability assessments with older adults, individuals with spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and those with neurological disabilities because of cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Overall, my training and research experience has exposed me to the needs of different clinical populations, especially people with disabilities and older adults.

Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
Salary from employment; research grant funding.

Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: No

Samuel Olatunji, PhD

College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Post Doctoral Researcher

Biography

Dr. Olatunji is a postdoctoral research associate in the Human Factors & Aging Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is working as a robotics researcher for human-robot interaction projects at the Human Factors and Aging Lab and also as a research fellow in the McKechnie Family LIFE Home. His research and development efforts focus on using robotics, smart home devices, and various other forms of technology to support independent living, healthcare needs, social interaction, successful aging and everyday activities.

Relevant Financial Relationship: No

Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: No