Autism therapy device vying for Dell social innovation award

Thu, February 25, 2010 |

A therapeutic device designed and built by Valparaiso University engineering students for people living with autism spectrum disorder is among the potentially groundbreaking ideas for addressing critical human needs that could get a $50,000 boost from a national innovation contest.

A point vibration therapy device developed by a team of Valpo College of Engineering students is among the projects entered in the 2010 Dell Social Innovation Competition, which is sponsored by the Clinton Global Initiative University. The competition aims to take student innovations focusing on significant social issues from idea to reality, with the team or individual with the top idea receiving a prize to launch their venture.

Members of the public can vote on projects they deem the most significant at http://www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com through March 1. The projects with the most votes will advance in the competition and students will develop their ideas into detailed venture plans, including three-minute video pitches to a panel of judges. The finalists will present their plans to a committee of business, nonprofit and government leaders.

To vote for Valpo's point vibration therapy device, go to http://www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com and register by providing a username, password and e-mail address. After registering, enter "Valparaiso" in the Search Ideas box in the top right hand corner of the Web page, then select "Promote" to vote for the project.

To individuals on the autism spectrum, the world often seems incoherent, and actions such as banging one's head against the wall or biting oneself are the only way for them to provide the focus needed to make sense of things. Valpo's point vibration therapy device was developed with the goal of providing relief from those sorts of potentially harmful actions.

The device, which is similar to a wristwatch, contains a cell phone vibrator and can be strapped to the wrist or ankle. Students designed and built the device - believed to be the first small yet individually controlled therapy device for autism spectrum disorder (ASD)- to see if it can provide the stimulation individuals on the autism spectrum need to make their environment coherent. The idea is that the stimulus provided by the point vibration therapy device will help individuals with ASD keep track of where their body is in space, replacing potentially disruptive, self-stimulating behaviors.

"We don't see this as something that can cure autism," said Dr. Mark Budnik, Jenny professor of emerging technology and one of the team's advisers. "But if we can help even 1 to 5 percent of people who are on the spectrum move from a special education classroom to a regular classroom or enable them to lead happier lives, that's benefiting a lot of people."

Since people are affected in varying degrees by autism, Valpo's therapy device is designed so it can be tailored to the individual needs of the person wearing it. For some, the device can be programmed to vibrate every few seconds, while for others, the stimulus is provided only a few times each day. Students also aimed to create a prototype that is both affordable and unobtrusive, and the team believes its prototype could eventually be manufactured and sold for less than $100.

Valpo's engineering students currently are testing the effectiveness of the device.

The team took first place for its project in a 2009 student competition of the American Society for Engineering Education's Illinois/Indiana section.