“Just live your life”: volunteer engineers are matched with people in need of adaptive devices

Volunteers for Medical Engineering is an organization that connects engineers with students who work on projects for clients with a variety of needs, such as adaptive work tools, modified sports equipment and even custom beds.

“Dan’s Crown” is a specialized device for a digital artist suffering from cerebral palsy. (Courtesy of Loyola University)

With the recent unveiling of a modified wheelchair – one that allows a little girl with cerebral palsy to play lacrosse – Michael Zimmerman looked on with a smile.

“It’s really exciting. It’s great to see projects being implemented that actually help people and you can see how they impact the person,” he said.

Zimmerman works with Volunteers for Medical Engineering, an organization that connects engineers with students who work on projects for clients with a variety of needs, such as adaptive work tools, modified sports equipment and even custom cribs.

Zimmerman worked with students at College Park Academy in Prince George’s County, Maryland, who produced a lacrosse stick for people in wheelchairs.

VME program director Angela Tyler said her organization not only works with schools across Maryland to connect students with engineers, but also tries to find people who will become “customers” of engineering students.

“We are currently looking for additional creative requests for the fall so that we can match the designs to our schools’ teams,” she said. “If there are families who want a custom device, we are happy to work with them.”

Tyler told WTOP that while students are encouraged to be creative in the problem-solving process, meeting the customer’s needs is the most important thing.

“Everything they (students) have to do has to be in line with the needs of the client,” Tyler said.

Clients range in age from infants to the elderly, and needs are met, from assistance with mobility problems to speech.

For example, one client was verbal but needed help with his speech as he headed to college. According to Tyler, he wanted to be able to be understood in crowds and places where it might be noisy.

“Jared’s Backpack” is a specialized backpack with voice-activated buttons that helps a student with autism communicate in the real world. (Courtesy of Loyola University)

A team of engineers and students created a “communication backpack where you press a button (and includes phrases like: ‘Can you tell me where my classes are? Can you tell me where the bathroom is?’

Tyler said it was also programmed using the young man’s voice, which gave it a more personal, natural sound.

“It’s really amazing,” she said.

The changes that innovation brings are not limited to the customers served by the devices.

“We often hear from students we work with that this was a life-changing project not only from a career standpoint, but more from a social change standpoint,” Tyler said.

Tyler said when the projects are completed, there are tears of joy and families are overwhelmed by the impact these devices are having. She added that it is “something meaningful” for engineering students that allows them to use their talents while doing good in the community.

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