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second quarter. However, the automotive projects themselves were not well supported by clients. The intention was to have clients who were employees at a large (but distant) automotive interior design firm. However, these employees simply did not have enough time to work with the 100 teams of students and EDC faculty ended up acting as clients for most of these projects. Students were asked to find their own users which worked well for some projects and poorly for others. Another issue with both the websites and the automotive projects was that they were primarily commercially based, leading some students and faculty to desire projects that were more socially conscious.

The problem for the EDC faculty was now fairly well posed, “For the first quarter of EDC, we want a large group of projects that have similar theme. The projects will allow students to have external, knowledgeable clients and access to a pool of potential users. Finally, the projects will be physical in nature, small-scale, able to be built by freshman in 10 weeks, and preferably have a social benefit.”

Introduction to RIC and RRTC

The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) is the leading rehabilitation hospital in the US (as ranked by US News and World Report for the last 15 years). They have a plethora of programs for treatment of complex conditions including cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, stroke and traumatic brain injury, as well as more common conditions such as arthritis, chronic pain and sports injuries. RIC also provides specialized services such as Assistive Technology, Prosthetics and Orthotics and Vocational Rehabilitation which help individuals of all ages lead more independent and fulfilling lives.

In 2002, RIC and Northwestern received funding from NIDRR to operate research and training projects under the Rehabilitation and Research Training Center (RRTC). The center is focused on finding the technology-assisted solutions for stroke survivors to achieve independence in their home and community environments. Part of the mission of this center is to engage engineering students in the development of novel designs to assist in accomplishing common tasks that prove difficult for stroke survivors. Patients with disabilities present a variety of physical and emotional needs, many of which can be readily addressed by engineers. Stroke causes a number of specific problems. Weakness or paralysis of the arm and leg are the most comment effects, but other problems including sensory changes, speech and language disorders, cognitive deficits, swallowing dysfunction, and visual changes, also affect a stroke patient's ability to function. These deficits cause disabilities in daily functioning such as dressing, bathing, and walking. Rehabilitation consists of measures to improve the patient's ability to perform activities of daily living, including dressing, bathing, and walking, through training, supervised practice, counseling, and the use of specialized equipment. The center also is charged with increasing the awareness of the great potential for rehabilitation for stroke survivors. Student design projects can also aid in achieving this second goal since students get first hand knowledge and experience with the effects and rehabilitation of stroke survivors.

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Elliot, R., & Jacob, P., & Benjamin, S., & Ankenman, B., & Colgate, J. (2006, June), Leveraging Rehabilitation Needs Into Freshman Engineering Design Projects Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--1166