In a world where so many 3D-printed objects are still simply toys or test cases, it is refreshing to see such technology being put to use in the service of helping kids who cannot otherwise write and draw.

The ‘Glifo‘ (images by Sara Monacchi) series is a set of customizable writing utensils that can help young people with nervous system impairments to express themselves while also facilitating rehabilitation processes.

Affected children frequently have trouble with the smaller movements and grips necessary to hold and utilize implements, making it difficult to connect what their brain visualizes to the fine-tuned actions needed to realize that vision on the page.

The series consists of various handles and attachments that help hold down pieces of paper or make it easier to grip pens, pencils, markers and crayons.

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Mobility has long been a problem for the disabled. A wheelchair, whether motorized or standard, allows them to get around, but only for relatively short distances. If longer distances are needed, this concept vehicle would be one cool way to get around – and it eliminates the hassle of a wheelchair lift altogether.

Equal is an electric vehicle created by Croatian design firm Absolute design. Its a concept that would use one large rear hatch that opens wide enough for a person using a wheelchair to move straight into it, sans assistance. Standard features would include a steering wheel that is adjustable and easier to use because of an attached spinner knob, and the Autoadapt Carospeed Menox, a smart hand control device used to accelerate or brake.

The main technical idea behind Equal is best described by founders Vedran Martinek and Dario Dropucic. “Because of…the use of electric hub motors in the back wheels, there is no need for any mechanical linkage between the wheels. That allowed us to make a clear path for the disabled person to simply and independently enter his/her car without ever exiting the wheelchair,” they explain on their Idiegogo campaign site. It’s an impressive, feasible concept that could give near-total independence someone with a disability.

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We are entering the age of bionic bodies and perhaps even the end of growing old. A Japanese company called Yaskawa Electric has created a new assistive device that will help older people (and those with lingering injuries) get around quickly and easily on their feet. The Ankle Walking Assist Device (AWAD) is kind of an exoskeleton for the feet. The device is meant to keep elderly people active and healthy.

Two robotic boots and a battery pack around the waist are all the setup an older person needs to increase their balance and speed. The boots sense the moment the wearer’s heel touches the ground and helps them propel forward smoothly with a little boost of strength. As the wearer walks, he or she is kept at a steady pace thanks to the boots doing some of the work. The amount of help provided by the AWAD is adjustable based on how much help a wearer needs to get around. The AWAD should be on the market by 2015, but don’t get too excited if you aren’t elderly or disabled – it won’t make you faster than a speeding bullet.

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This smart wheelchair robot could help put wheelchair users on eye level with the general population. The i-Transport vehicle would help people get around easily in a sitting position, then move into a standing position to look others in the eye or reach for objects.

The chair was developed by researchers at National Cheng Kung University’s BioMedical Engineering department. The chair was designed with an integrated health monitoring system to keep track of a user’s pulse, respiration and blood pressure. The system allows users to be largely independent while ensuring their health and safety.

Of course, the safety of the rider was paramount in the team’s design. The chair can calculate whether the chair’s position and configuration is dangerous for the rider based on physiological parameters. The i-Transport may or may not ever make it out of the research lab, but it offers hope for those who are frustrated with current wheelchair designs.

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The wide variety of systems used by paraplegics to interact with the world run the gamut from using simple puffs of air from the mouth to tracking intentions based on brain waves. Most of these systems are incredibly expensive and some are physically invasive as well. A group of bioengineers at London’s Imperial College have developed a system using off-the-shelf components that are not only affordable, but completely non-invasive and simple to control. In the Journal of Neural Engineering, the team says that the system costs up to 800 times less than more complex brain-machine interfaces: about $30.

Using two fast video game console cameras attached to a pair of eyeglass frames, the system tracks eye movement from outside the field of vision. Because it can detect to a high degree of accuracy what is being looked at, it could be used to control computer programs, move wheelchairs or even operate robotic arms. The system is so intuitive and simple to use that testers could play a game of Pong with it within minutes of putting the glasses on for the first time.

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