Competition History

Number of entries: 24

JUDGES:

Daniel Behrner > Biomedical Engineering Technologist with Technology for Living

Evan Mutrie > Member, Technology for Living and on the Board of Directors

James Hektner > BC Interior Regional Community Liaison at the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute

Jerzy Pacek > Biomed Technician with Technology for Living

Marie Brown > Occupational Therapist with SET-BC, specializing in assistive technology

WINNERS

Simon Cox Principal Award: ENABLE Wheelchair Obstacle Detection System device (UBC)

Description of project: This project partners with a peer seeking a wheelchair camera
proximity system. Our prototype offers a wide field of view (FOV) behind the electric wheelchair, providing visual and auditory alerts about the surroundings. The system includes two components: the ultrasonic detection system and the camera system. The ultrasonic detection system has four sensors in a bevelled formation, encased in a watertight 3D-printed enclosure for outdoor use. The Arduino Uno- operated system updates object distances, displaying color-coded information on a 7-inch LCD screen for user-friendly interaction. The camera system works alongside ultrasonic sensors, featuring a wide-FOV module relaying live footage to the LCD screen. This approach displays both live footage and color-coded indications of the wheelchair’s proximity to objects, enhancing the user’s awareness.

Team members: Rohan Birk, Angie Peng, Alicia Fung, Rohan Arvind, Alexander Martinez, Shahzad Shams, Heena Sharma, Sharifah Nur Irdina Binti Syed, Andre Yu, Sidhant Sidana, Daniela Guevara Giraldo, Naomi Endale, Nathan Lodder, Justin Qian, Julian Santos, Rishi Upath

Achievement Award in Honour of Kinsmen Jim Watson: Multiple Sclerosis to Movement (M2M) (UBC)

Description of project: Multiple Sclerosis to Movement (M2M) is a sensor-equipped glove to interface with a custom mobile application that offers games based on hand rehabilitative exercises. The games dynamically adjust sensor thresholds to accommodate observed fluctuations in the user’s
condition and optimize exercise difficulty accordingly. Collected performance data will be displayed in a user-friendly manner in our app for end-users and physiotherapists to track improvements and areas of weakness clearly. Our ultimate goal is to transform the traditional rehabilitation experience into a more enjoyable one with engaging gameplay and progress visualization.

Team members: Yara Nasrallah, Hanna Khan, Wesley Chan, Ripdaman Malhans, Perry Huang, Kennedy Yung, Kiarash Taheri, Eva Ruban, Marina Chen, Bobby Smith, Blake Lao, Chantelle Xu, Nora Kotkas, Beatrice Gonzales

Innovation Award in honour of Dr Jeremy Road : Assistive Knitting Device (UVIC)

Description of project: An assistive knitting device to enhance accessibility for people with reduced mobility or dexterity, including those using only one hand. The design features self-supported needles on a turntable base, reducing the need for strong grips and enabling more controlled movement irrespective of the users’ mobility. The turntable base facilitates smoother knitting with fewer intricate steps at the beginning and end of each row. Traditional knitting, requiring precise use of both hands, can be challenging for those with chronic pain or limited hand mobility. Pain, repetitive movements, pinch force, fine motor skills, and project support are common barriers. Current solutions often involve adjusting knobs between rows, failing to address single-handed knitting needs. Our device aims to be a “set and forget” system, allowing knitters to continue without the physical demands of traditional methods.

Team members: Miriam James, Maya Daniels, Celesta Buchanan, Erienne O’Grady, Kiana Darrell, Lauren Mark

Ken Kramer Peers’ Choice Award: ENABLE Wheelchair Obstacle Detection System device (UBC)

Number of entries: 14

Judges: Jason Cheung (GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre); Taylor Danielson (Technology for Living); Vivian Garcia (Community Advocate); Chris McBride (Spinal Cord Injury BC); Wayne Pogue (Technology for Living).

Simon Cox Principal Award: Assistive Shoe Tying Device (UBC Okanagan)
Congratulations to UBC Okanagan Team members, Audrey Cunningham, Becker Salkeld, Kavneer Dhaliwal, Hisham Khan, Chase Anderson Hanaa Diab designed this assistive device to aid individuals who struggle with tying their shoelaces.

It comprises a hook and hoop system that can be attached to any type of shoe, with no modification to the shoe required. By simply hooking and unhooking the laces into the top eyelet of the shoe, the wearer can avoid the need to tie laces, thereby minimizing the fine motor skills required.

This can be particularly helpful for individuals with disabilities or injuries that affect their hand dexterity or mobility, enabling them to maintain their independence and functionality. 

Lukas Melchior Achievement Award: The Proximeter (BCIT)
Omar Beydoun, Balmeet Tattla, Adeek Faizal of BCIT designed a proximity system for power wheelchairs which incorporates ultrasonic sensors, a microcontroller, an RGB OLED screen, and a buzzer, aiming to provide a comprehensive solution to the common problem of wheelchair blindspots. affecting user safety.

This entry leverages the power of technology to offer users a lowcost, do-it-yourself tool. The system’s ultrasonic sensors offer constantly updating distance readings, and the RGB OLED screen features updating distance bars (one for each sensor) that fill up and empty in response to the sensor data. A buzzer provides an audible alert when something gets too close, ensuring users are promptly informed of any obstacles in their path. 

Don Danbrook Innovation Award: Tremor Stabilizer (UBC)
UBC Team members, Brendan Chong, Clement Hii, Gourang Kulkarni, Jacky Kam, Umang Kapure developed a devise, which will use gyroscopic stabilization to reduce the tremor intensity caused by essential tremor (ET), a neurological condition that impacts fine motor control.

A wearable device that combines electromyography (EMG) with spatial sensors (accelerometer/gyrometer) to detect user hand motion, orientation, and muscle activity. Moreover, an AI-based software algorithm will actively analyze user hand motion to determine the occurrence of tremor and adjust the device’s response accordingly.

The proposed wearable device aims to mitigate the tremor caused by ET, reducing involuntary shaking and improving the user’s ability to complete everyday tasks.

Heather Morrison Peer’s Choice Award : The Proximeter (BCIT)
Omar Beydoun, Balmeet Tattla, Adeek Faizal of BCIT designed a proximity system for power wheelchairs which incorporates ultrasonic sensors, a microcontroller, an RGB OLED screen, and a buzzer, aiming to provide a comprehensive solution to the common problem of wheelchair blindspots. affecting user safety.

This entry leverages the power of technology to offer users a lowcost, do-it-yourself tool. The system’s ultrasonic sensors offer constantly updating distance readings, and the RGB OLED screen features updating distance bars (one for each sensor) that fill up and empty in response to the sensor data. A buzzer provides an audible alert when something gets too close, ensuring users are promptly informed of any obstacles in their path. 

Number of entries: 15

Judges: Mukhinder Gill (Sunny Hill Children Health Centre); Ean Price (Technology for Living); Wayne Pogue (Technology for Living).

Simon Cox Principal Award: Automatic Drainage Catheter (UBC Okanagan)
The product addresses the need for wheelchair users to drain their catheters in such a way that the drainage can be done independently without the use of fine motor control by the extremities.

Nancy Lear Achievement Award: Parkinson’s Laser & Sound Cueing Module (UBC)
This device will be used as a visual and/or auditory stimulus during a freezing episode for a person with Parkinson’s.

Walt Lawrence Innovation Award: Rainscape (UBC)
A fully functional prototype of an electro-mechanical device that will help keep users dry in the Vancouver rain.

People’s Choice Award : Pea-Wee(BCIT)
The Pea-Wee is a switch-activated catheter release valve that is intended to be used by those who require a urinary catheter and want to independently empty their catheter bag by a press of a button, without the aid of a caregiver.

Number of entries: 11

Judges: Joanne Bengert (CARMA Program); Ean Price (Technology for Living); Wayne Pogue (Technology for Living).

Simon Cox Award: MobilArm (University of Victoria> Kim Arklie, Jacqui Moreland, Adam Chen, Irene Lopez, Lauren Mark, Lilly Roberts, Logan O’Reilly)
The UVic BMED team, in collaboration with Queen Alexandra Hospital Seating Clinic, developed a modular multi-use power wheelchair arm attachment. Inspired by a peer who had difficulties carrying groceries and performing other tasks that require ‘an extra arm’ while operating a power wheelchair; this is an elegant, cost-effective mechanical solution that uses gears and pulleys to rotate the arm from the front of the wheelchair to the back for transport. The device is removable by a caretaker and easily retracted by the user to ensure flexible operation.

Jeanette Anderson Achievement Award: HotGoo (BCIT > David Cui, Terrence Lam, Stan Szeto)
Hot Goo is intended for wheelchair users with limited motor function and poor circulation, to safely provide comfortable warmth to the hands, wrists, or forearms with minimal effort. The device applies heat to warm an exposed portion of the upper limbs of persons with mobility challenges, who may not otherwise be able to easily make use of existing warming methods.

Terry LeBlanc Innovation Award: Mobile Warmth (Kwantlen Polytechnic University > Emile Routley-Long)
A clothing solution for ensuring the warmth of people who use wheelchairs, when they are in adverse conditions.

People’s Choice Award : Adjustable portable Table Top (UBC > Sabiha Sultana, Angelica Phelan, Evin Li, John Cookson)
A low-cost, light-weight, and portable tabletop that is inconspicuous and easy to use. This portable tabletop will enable users to perform everyday activities (such as eating and writing) on fixed-height tabletops that are normally too low to use. The portable tabletop attaches to fixed-height tabletops and can be raised to an appropriate height for the user.

Number of entries: Five

Judges: Walt Lawrence (BC Rehab); John Meneghello (BC Kinsmen); Ean Price and Nicole Whitford (Technology for Living Peers).

First Place: The Wizard V3 (Attila Olesevitch, Andrew Tran, Kyuhee Lee, Dihn Pham from BCIT)
This sound activated alarm system designed for ventilator dependent individuals with limited muscular movement.

Second Place: Chameleon V3
This device is intended to be used for speech impaired individuals to interact with voice-activated home assistant devices (such as Alexa or Google Home).

Third Place: Steer-X V2
This device will measure maximum, average, and real-time forces that are required to rotate the steering wheel.

Number of entries: nine

Judges: Nancy Lear (PEER Advocate); Eric Molendyk (National Program Coordinator, Tetra Society of North America); Jerzy Pacek (Biomedical Engineering Technologist, BCITS).

First Place: CHAMELEON (Tyler Dierks, Aaron Schneider, Spirit Grinke from BCIT)
The Chameleon enables access to Google Home and Amazon’s Echo for people living with limited voice ability. Using a single switch, the user can send over 100 different commands (check the weather, play music, turn on your lights, call a friend, etc).

Second Place: Automatic Blanket Mover (ABM)
The ABM is  intended for clients with limited arm and hand mobility to move their blanket up or down while in bed, helping them regulate their own body temperature independently. It uses a motor to either fold the top half of the blanket back or to unfold the blanket back for cover, depending on the user’s needs.

Third Place: Steer-X 
The device is intended to be used by occupational therapists, assistive technologists, and patients at GF Strong to assess the ability when turning a car’s steering wheel with one arm. The goal of the project is to measure the force required to fully rotate a steering wheel using hand controls, as well as taking measurements on rotational speed. This data can be used to assess a person’s ability to operate a vehicle using adaptive hand steering.

Number of entries: Eight

Judges: Jason Cheung (Assistive Technologist, GF Strong); Nancy Lear (Peer Network Facilitator, BCITS); Eric Molendyk (BC Chapter Coordinator, Tetra Society); Wayne Pogue (Manager of Biomedical Engineering, BCITS).

First Place: SmartCast  (Dax Ryn and Monica Hofmeier from BCIT)

A 3D printed mesh cast with various embedded sensors collecting and logging data for research purposes, viewed either on a smart device (phone/tablet) or computer.

Second Place: ICPC’s

A device to monitor the temperature inside a car. Text messages are sent to alert a caregiver when the in-car temperature exceeds a set limit.

Honourable Mention: Roam Dome

A wheelchair canopy mounted on the back of an electric wheelchair. The canopy deploys and retracts using a hand operated switch.

Honourable Mention: Bluetec 

A relay device that is activated from a smart device, using Bluetooth technology. The relays then turn power on/off to 4 AC power outlets.

Number of entries: Five

Judges: Wayne Pogue (Manager of Biomedical Engineering, BCITS) Jason Cheung and Chris Speropolous (retired, GF Strong Assistive Technology and Seating Service)

First Place: SmarLift (Ca Liu, Stella Wang, Wei Li from BCIT)
Smarlift is a RFID enabled elevator control. Using an auditory menu and wheelchair positioning, users are able to select floors available to them.

Second Place: The Wizard
Wizard is a call-bell system that is triggered by programmable clicking sounds articulated by tongue.

Honourable Mention: EasyFlip 2.0
Easyflip is a physical book page turner, operated by the user accessing an accessibility switch.

Honourable Mention: Wall–E Jr

Numbers of entries: Four

Judges: Simon Cox; Craig Hennessey (Instructor, BCIT); Esther Khor (Manager, PROP); Wayne Pogue (Manager of Biomedical Engineering, BCITS).

First Place: ibTech (Jeff Shinoki and Don Ta from BCIT)
The ibTech device enables a user to navigate Apple devices such as the iPad and iPhone via a switch.

Second Place: ELVIS (Elevators and Lifts via Infrared Systems)
The device is mounted non-invasively to an elevator system and is activated via infrared. The user activates a sip-and-puff switch to call the elevator or select a floor.

Honourable Mentions: eyeSelect
The eyeSelect is an eye-tracking device intended to provide a means to control media and communication devices using eyes.

Honourable Mentions: Blue Lightning
The Blue Lightning is a non-invasive device measuring the heart rate. The information is displayed as a waveform on a Windows laptop via Bluetooth connection.