A mounting bracket was needed to affix a Kinect camera to the end of a 1 in.² tube. Drawing was created by Alex Lo.

Using a micropipette takes a lot of hand-eye coordination. A jig or guide was developed for a 6-well plate to place the micropipette tip in the right location at the center of a well plate and limit the depth of the tip to prevent touching the bottom of the well plate. Two holes for the micropipette tip were created for each well – one for dispensing liquid directly vertical and another one at an angle for withdrawing liquid. The jig is dogeared at one corner to aid persons that are BVI with orientation.

Williams, G.J., Gonzales, A., Lo, A., Nolan, J., Grimmer, J., Marquis, A., Duerstock, H., Mendrysa, S., Duerstock, B.S. “Accessible Micropipetting and Cell Culturing Tools for Researchers Who are Blind or Visually Impaired”, In Proc. of Annual Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America Conference 2014, June 11-15, 2014.

This holder was developed to place and dip a typical size glass coverslip into a 6-well culture plate. The coverslip is used to plate culture cells so they can be removed from the well plate for simpler microscopical observation. The standard procedure is to use forceps to hold the edge of the coverslip when placing and removing from the well plate. This procedure is difficult for both sighted and BVI users. Williams, G.J., Gonzales, A., Lo, A., Nolan, J., Grimmer, J., Marquis, A., Duerstock, H., Mendrysa, S., Duerstock, B.S. “Accessible Micropipetting and Cell Culturing Tools for Researchers Who are Blind or Visually Impaired”, In Proc. of Annual Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America Conference 2014, June 11-15, 2014.

This device can be fitted onto any standard 250 mL (ID: 28 mm, OD: 35 mm) sized Erlenmeyer flask. It will avoid spillage while also maintaining a constant steady flow when pouring. The lid causes the liquid to flow about 1.8 times slower than a flask without the lid. When 3-D printing, a 109% increase in size is recommended for the lid to fit perfectly on the flask.

This lid will fit on any standard sized 250 mL (ID: 65 mm, OD: 70 mm) beaker. It can be used to avoid spillage while also maintaining a constant steady flow when pouring. The small slit in the lid is for a rubber band. This rubber band can be used as traction to keep the lid from falling off. A flat rubber band with an approximate 76 mm diameter works best.

MIT Technology Review, March 11, 2013, Susan Young. MIT Technology Review Broadband communication and custom signal-processing chips power a new brain-recording device that may one day help paralyzed people.

IEEESpectrum, August 30, 2012, Eliza Strickland. ieeespectrum. A video can be found on EEESpectrum’s website for those interested in seeing this technology in action. Until recently, an artificial leg was an inert object—a clunky piece of wood or plastic that supported a user, but didn’t help much beyond that. But these days artificial limbs can contain advanced sensors and microprocessors, and their motors can provide a power boost for each step.

By Peggy Klaus, February 4, 2012 New York Times MANY people know of Berkeley, Calif., as the birthplace, in the 1960’s, of the Free Speech Movement. Fewer people know that Berkeley also played a major role in the disability rights movement. It was here, also in the ’60s, that Ed Roberts — a student with quadriplegia — became an outspoken advocate of the cause.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012, Joel Watson, examiner.com, Assistive Technology Microsoft’s Imagine Cup ended its five day competition today highlighting some of the world’s best technology students. The tenth annual event takes students from all around the globe and offers them the opportunity to solve important technological issues. This year’s theme, asked to more than 350 students from 75 countries, was to address the world’s toughest problems.

October 18, 2011 | MASHABLE Adaptive technology is a fairly new term, but the basic idea is not. Some adaptive devices are simple, like the cane, which has a history as old as mankind itself. Others seem to come more from the realm of science fiction. However mundane or complicated, all are a testament to human determination, creativity and ambition. Here, we look at seven high-tech assistive devices and how they’re helping those with disabilities lead full and fulfilling lives.

The Scientist, July 1, 2012, Kerry Grens. If you’ve worn out the spike on your stiletto, misplaced your kazoo, or you need a cheap little centrifuge, three-dimensional printing and a growing community of designers devoted to open-source software have the solutions for you.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Students who dream of studying science but face hurdles because of physical impairments, may find new options thanks to a $2 million grant awarded to Purdue University.