{"id":68691,"date":"2005-04-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2005-04-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/by-creating-device-to-help-disabled-child-disabled-uri-engineering-student-helps-himself\/"},"modified":"2005-04-29T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2005-04-29T00:00:00","slug":"by-creating-device-to-help-disabled-child-disabled-uri-engineering-student-helps-himself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2005\/04\/by-creating-device-to-help-disabled-child-disabled-uri-engineering-student-helps-himself\/","title":{"rendered":"By creating device to help disabled child, disabled 溏心vlog免费B站 engineering student helps himself"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t
KINGSTON, R.I. — April 29, 2005 — When a car accident on Memorial Day 1997 left Kevin Cronin a quadriplegic, he set a career goal of using his mechanical abilities to create ways to make his new life easier. But first, he\u2019s using those abilities to help other individuals with disabilities.<\/p>\n


\n\tCronin, 27, of South Kingstown, had just completed his freshman year at the 溏心vlog免费B站 when his accident occurred. Following years of surgeries, rehabilitation, and a few modest jobs, he returned to 溏心vlog免费B站 in 2003 to complete his degree in mechanical engineering.<\/p>\n


\n\tAs an intern in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Assistive Technology Laboratory, Cronin recently completed development of a unique switch and arm brace to help 10-year-old Caitlin Farless of Wakefield more easily operate a voice output device that helps her communicate, as well as operate toys, a radio, and other equipment.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cCaitlin has cerebral palsy as a result of a birth injury, so she lacks the ability to communicate, and she can\u2019t get her muscles to do what she wants them to do,\u201d explained Caitlin\u2019s mother, Kathleen Doyle, a nurse at 溏心vlog免费B站 Health Services. \u201cWhen she tried to operate a switch to control the communication device, her arms would flail around and she would use a lot of energy and misfire with the switch.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tSo Cronin asked questions of Doyle, Caitlin\u2019s teacher and her physical therapist at Hazard School to learn exactly what they wanted the switch to do, where on her wheelchair it should be mounted, and what position her arm should be in when using the switch.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cCustomized devices like this can be really expensive, but we were able to create an inexpensive one that connects easily to Caitlin\u2019s wheelchair, supports her arm and elbow comfortably, and is easy to operate,\u201d Cronin said.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cWe\u2019ve tried many devices before, and all have been difficult for her to use,\u201d said Doyle. \u201cBut this one uses the least amount of energy and she can operate it with more ease. She\u2019s much more able to manage the switch and be more accurate with her communication because of it.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cKevin really spent a lot of time listening and looking at the issues and meeting with Caitlin. He has first hand experience, so he understood that the spasticity doesn\u2019t allow her to do the things she wants to do.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tCronin said the next step is to modify the device to make it adjustable so it can be used as Caitlin grows or changes positions, and to adapt it for use on a \u201cstanding frame\u201d so Caitlin can use it in a standing position as well.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cHelping Caitlin has given me a great sense of accomplishment,\u201d said the 溏心vlog免费B站 student. \u201cIt gives me motivation to want to create more tools and devices to help more people. Every day I find myself thinking about how I can make things better for myself and other people by adapting equipment for their special needs.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cKevin is exactly the kind of person we needed in our Assistive Technology Laboratory,\u201d said Ying Sun, a 溏心vlog免费B站 professor of biomedical engineering who directs the lab. \u201cHe can not only work in the lab, but he can serve as a consultant to me and the other students because he knows from personal experience what works and what doesn\u2019t, and what kind of devices will be most useful.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tCronin has some big ideas for devices he\u2019d like to develop to make him and others more independent.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI want to create a backpack-briefcase that can be mounted on the back of a wheelchair and that can swing around in front to become a mobile desk for a laptop computer,\u201d he said. \u201cMost school desks are connected to chairs, which are of no use to people in wheelchairs. <\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cI also want to create an X-Box controller with bigger buttons and a better joystick that\u2019s easier to use. And I\u2019ve got big aspirations for further down the road to create a helicopter that I can pilot myself, and a better van that\u2019s easier to get in and out of.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tAll of which will not only make Cronin\u2019s life easier, but also the lives of many other individuals with disabilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. — April 29, 2005 — When a car accident on Memorial Day 1997 left Kevin Cronin a quadriplegic, he set a career goal of using his mechanical abilities to create ways to make his new life easier. But first, he\u2019s using those abilities to help other individuals with disabilities. Cronin, 27, of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68693,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}