Left to right: Angela Vernon; Mark Budnik; senior electrical engineering student Alex Lau, senior mechanical engineering students Reva Van Aartsen and Jackie Kondratko; and Scott Duncan.

To individuals with autism, the world often seems incoherent, and actions such as banging one’s head against the wall or stomping feet are the only way for them to provide the focus needed to make sense of things. But, as a result of efforts of more than 20 Valparaiso University engineering students over the past two years, people living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may find relief from these sorts of potentially harmful actions.

That relief could come from a wristwatch-like mechanism called a point vibration therapy device that contains a cell phone vibrator and can be strapped to the wrist or ankle. Valpo students designed and built a prototype—believed to be the first small, yet individually controlled therapy device for ASD—which they hope will provide the stimulation individuals on the autism spectrum need to make their environment coherent. The team will begin testing it as part of a pilot study this spring, and also will be presenting their research and the device at the 2010 International Symposium on Bio- and Medical Informatics and Cybernetics—a prestigious, peer reviewed conference focused on biomedical topics.

“We chose this project because of the immediate impact our engineering solutions can have on improving people’s lives,” said senior mechanical engineering major Reva Van Aartsen. “We’ve worked very hard to create a prototype that is as small, discreet, and comfortable as possible, and we believe that the prototype can eventually be manufactured and made available for under $100.”

Since people are affected in varying degrees by autism, the 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.

“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.”

“The work that students have done on this point vibration therapy device is an example of the emphasis Valpo’s College of Engineering places on offering experiences for our students to apply their engineering skills in a real-world setting,” Dr. Budnik said. “Students have worked as a team in all stages of the device’s development – from its initial design to building prototypes to testing its effectiveness. That is excellent preparation for what students will encounter as they launch their careers as professional engineers.”

Also collaborating with Dr. Budnik and the College of Engineering students on the project are Dr. Scott Duncan, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; Dr. Angela Vernon, assistant professor of psychology; and students from Valpo’s Department of Psychology.