NSF Investing $30M to Help Persons with Disabilities
The National Science Foundation https://www.nsf.gov
(NSF) is investing $30 million in research to help address the challenges faced by persons with disabilities. The research will include developing assistive and rehabilitative technologies.
NSF has selected six multidisciplinary research teams to advance from Phase 1 to Phase 2 of NSF's Convergence Accelerator's Trach H: Enhancing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
The Phase 2 teams will produce systems, technologies, and tools to enable persons with disabilities to improve text-to-speech, to help the hearing impaired, work on restoring limb functions for the physically impaired, and increase transportation efficiency for the visually impaired and more.
Phase 2 teams will also participate in an innovation and entrepreneurial curriculum that includes training in product development, intellectual property, financial resources, sustainability planning, communications, and outreach.
Phase 2 awardees include:
- Project Heard AI--led by Michigan State U is going to work to transform voice AI technology accessibility for 80 million who stutter. The solution offers accessibility guidance for compliance checking, a realistic stuttered speech testbed for product evaluation, plus an application programming interface to make voice activated products and services accessible.
- Project Inclusio led by St. Louis U is going to provide an end-to-end software platform to enable rapid sourcing and generation of accessible content that can be felt, heard, and seen across multiple platforms to serve those with low vision and blindness.
- Project MABLE-led by Lehigh U will enable people with disabilities to use crowdsensing, AI, robotics, and provide users with a digital app to use when attending large events, conferences, and educational programs.
- Project DRIVE led by Northwestern U works on power wheelchairs that are accessible to everyone in need. The wheelchairs connect current and future technologies by enabling power wheelchair operations using intelligent robotic assistance.
- Project RAFAS led by Harvard U is creating an at-home rehabilitation solution to restore arm function after a stroke. RAFAS is a wearable technology that supports an end user to practice reaching with affected arm during daily activities while remotely monitoring recovery and providing feedback.
- Project UNav led by N.Y University Medical Center is able to help navigate for visually impaired users through precision localization technology that maps and provides wayfinding for both indoor and outdoor environments. UNav communicates directions and hazards using multisensory feedback.
