Qualified Self: Designing Next Generation Technology for Health & Wellness

Radhika Kashyap, Klaire Tsai, Kiki Wang, Christine Xiang

Coupled with software applications, these two physical devices use an electrode pad and a neuromodulation transmitter to help paralyzed patients regain mobility in a rehabilitation setting.

Placed directly on the patient’s spine, the electrode pad is lightweight, physically invisible and easily adaptable to individual needs. A physical therapist initially adds or subtracts the necessary electrodes for the specific patient and sets the modes for the exercise series – which are color coded – on the accompanying software app.

Connected to the patient via a belt, the small transmitter receives the software information and activates the electrodes which stimulate the patient’s nervous system for movement. After PT sessions, the technician and doctors can access the data to chart and consider the next round and long-term physical activity plans for their patients.

Lars Fiva, Gen Hur, Ian Liao, Ross Orthwein

This wearable learning device targeted for use in schools utilizes advancements in EEG research to present teachers with detailed analysis of students’ brain activity to help young learners achieve optimal mental focus in the classroom.

The two-device system consists of a lightweight personalized headset that employs EEG electrodes wore by students and an Echo-type smart hub used by the instructor to monitor – via Bluetooth – student brain activity during in-class discussions, lectures and group work. As the teacher engages the class, s/he can watch how students are reacting to the subject and presentation based on their brain wave patterns – are they attentive or bored?

When students leave the classroom and place their headsets back on a charging rod, the teacher can upload class data for deeper mental focus insights. The interface display offers numerous options for tailoring curriculum based on how students historically learn and their current state of mind. In addition to teachers having access to the aggregate data, parents can also watch how their children are responding to the workload and class subjects.

Noel Ekker, Diana Choung, Pooja Nair, Tricia Sada

Scope consists of EEG hardware and software that will benefit field and clinical brain researchers. Test subjects will agree to wear a customized form-fitting beanie-type cap that contains 360+ electrodes to monitor their daily brain wave activity. Additionally, the subject’s vital body statistics are also recorded in real-time along with a body camera.

Collected large-scale data from test subjects will be integrated into software that will be easily sharable among clinical researchers. Data can be analyzed in a variety of subjects to see correlations between certain brain functions (i.e. seizures) and life happenings (stress levels, etc.). The software display allows various researchers to use and analyze the data and share findings with one another in a collaborative group system.

The wearable hat can be branded to encourage other test subjects to participate in the studies. The messaging, inspired by space exploration, positions brain studies as an exciting unknown and invites people to become astronauts of the brain.

Sky Coopenrath, Alberto Esses, Margaux Reynolds, Jikke van Giffen

A physical device to improve on today’s “one size fits all” walker designs, this product combines function and performance with portability and aesthetics to combat the typical social stigma associated with rollators. The walker also addresses many complaints about the current products that are perceived as clunky and often noisy with unstable brakes and transportability issues.

Team members engaged in ethnographic interviews with users and caregivers at Rancho Los Amigos and used a walker themselves for a week to better understand the constraints of the current walker.

Designed to assist the upcoming aging population that even with mobility issues will want to continue an active lifestyle, this sleek walker features a larger front wheel size that allows for smoother movement over rough terrain.

Customizable for size, color and graphics, the walker also includes redesigned ergonomic handles with assistance braking, a 3D printed pattern for shock absorption, and rear disc brakes with a pressure sensor.

With a simple one-push-button system, the walker is easily folded into a compact shape that meets the size requirements for carry-on luggage on commercial airlines.

Sherlan Abesamis, James Gildea, Alan Lee, Joseph Park

Nanoteer inspires the next generation of nanoscientists by showcasing current translational advances in cancer therapy pioneered by UCLA researchers Dean Ho, Theodore Kee, and Darron Miya, on topics encompassing nanodiamond-mediated therapies and augmented artificial intelligence (A.I.). Uniquely, this team led by Ho has taken nanodiamonds into clinical trials, allowing Nanoteer to provide insight into the most current breakthroughs in nanomedicine. Featuring Nanodiamond Nora and Neal, characters created through a comic book series developed by Ho, Kee and Miya, this educational platform combines the hands-on elements of nanotechnology and nanomedicine synthesis with the thrilling action of battling cancer or “bad” cells.

With a target audience of 10-year-olds, the educational platform combines aspects of a video game and science lab set. The immersive experience is accessed using an iPad, which can be held and rotated during gameplay, a lab set pad, and two pipette-like controllers mimicking the tools and equipment used by researchers in the lab synthesizing the therapies targeting specific cancer cells. The application will display actual cancer cells and simplified A.I. concepts used to optimize therapy combinations for cancer treatment.

During the course of the game, the player must discover and assess the type of cancer or ailment the patient has, strategically calibrate a specific medicine to administer using the pipette controller, and deliver the medicine in a battle-like mode, rotating the iPad to navigate toward target cancer cells in fast-action movements.

In addition to today’s youth, the game also aims to appeal toward parents, grandparents, and teachers who wish to encourage scientific thinking in an engaging and innovative platform. For children, shedding light on both the etiology as well as the treatment for various diseases and ailments can be the first step in future prevention. In addition, this platform has the chance to initiate and inspire potential careers in medical research and health sciences.