Pizza delivery app Fitness trackerDashboard GPS. Usually, for people whose life is already easy, technology makes life easier. But what about next? Wheelchair or 3D Printed artificial limbs? In the field of assistive technology, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs have also made life easier for people with disabilities to solve real big problems at a steady pace. Their success may accelerate. \"I think we are making a technological revolution for people who are flawed,\" said David leinkensmeyer, a biobot researcher at the University of California at Irvine. Alex Mihailidis said: \"From the time I started 15 years ago to the present, the field has really seen the appeal that young people want to participate in,\" said Professor at the University of Toronto, who chairs rehabilitation technology. \"People think it\'s a challenging and exciting application. However, these researchers often face obstacles to mainstream technology designers -- Whether it\'s stupid or really useful No: regulatory barriers, market fragmentation, and even our own unconscious bias. Gary Kurek grew up in Alberta as a high school science student Fairness, ranking at provincial, national and international levels. In his senior year, after seeing his grandmother struggling with the effects of cancer, he started building a better wheelchair. His novel design has sparked interest from Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel, who chose Kurek to offer a $100,000 Thiel scholarship to entrepreneurs under the age of 20. Among other mobile devices, Kurek has built a wheelchair that can climb stairs. But he eventually gave up the project, largely due to regulatory difficulties. \"We are really in trouble. . . \"It will take a lot of money and a lot of time,\" he said . \". The market size of his products is not enough to justify the investment. Although he wants to return to mobile products, Kurek is currently working on automated manufacturing. Because many assistive technologies fall within the scope of medical devices, they must be approved by Health Canada or the US Department of Health. S. Food and Drug Administration People in the field acknowledge that security is critical, but they say that the process sometimes kills innovation: it\'s long and expensive, \"and it\'s still very daunting for many startups. \"This is one of the next major obstacles that we need to address as an area. \"What makes this problem even more complicated is that the market for assistive technologies is highly fragmented, although with the aging population of most developed countries, the market for assistive technologies is large and growing rapidly. \"Of course, there is a very big demand. . . But the market is very diverse because there is a lot of damage that can lead to disability, \"said Melanie Barko, a professor at New York University who specializes in assistive technology. \"Everyone has different experiences. Even reaching these consumers is a challenge. Many people who need these products do not buy them directly: insurance companies, caregivers and clinicians act as mediators. At the same time, other technological advances have begun to open up new ways of moving forward. The emergence of 3D printers, Baljko and Mihailidis has driven a thriving DIY culture in which, the design of the modified light switch and spoon and other items in bypassing the needs of the traditional market allows low Cost customization. \"It really puts the power of technological development in the hands of people who know it best,\" Baljko said . \". Other advances have also contributed to the development of auxiliary technology: the price of sensors is declining, machines Learning algorithms are becoming smarter and smarter. Smartphones and tablets create a platform for interactive games that help people cope with challenges. The change of social attitude is also helpful. \"There is technology in your body that is increasingly accepted by society -- Apple watches, for example . \" \"We just use technology to improve our capabilities. But attitude is the most invisible barrier to assistive technology, he added. \"You know what\'s holding us back? The attitude that people can\'t be: \"You can\'t have a spinal injury, you can\'t play basketball, you can\'t ski. . . How long has this social attitude hindered the development of technology? ” he asks. \"We don\'t even know what our assumptions are. \"Last week, there was a prosthetic knee every week, and during the production process, Canadian assistive technology equipment was introduced for nearly 10 years: the entire leg staff Terrain knee, a better designed prosthesis More affordable than competitors. Designed by researchers at the Bloorview Institute of Rehabilitation Hospital, Bloorview Netherlands, Toronto, and supported by the Canadian challenge The designers of the knees spent several years studying how to improve the biomechanical efficiency as much as possible with a new locking mechanism that mimics real knee stability. Although the trend of artificial limbs has always been high In January, Lego chief technology officer Andrysek pointed out that most low-end robots Amputees live in countries and communities that do not have access to such expensive technologies. \"We put forward very simple concepts that provide the functionality we need,\" Andrysek said . \". After several rounds of clinical testing in Chile, Tanzania, Myanmar, Canada and elsewhere, LegWorks aims to adopt widely: \"We are working to be everywhere. Five new assistive technology teams from engineering undergraduate students at the University of Toronto designed the shaver to adapt to the strenuous exercise of Huntington\'s patients. This is one of the seven T finalists of the 2015 barrier-free innovative design project of the Ontario College student competition. Michelle samphera The work of this team is \"well worth it. ”The sensor- The stuffed gloves are worn by stroke patients and play games much like guitar heroes. The system helps stroke survivors use this hand movement that can help them recover their dexterity. It was created by Nizan Friedman, a former graduate student at the David leinken Meyer Laboratory at the University of California, Irvine. It is not named after dessert, but in Italian. “pick me up” — This app tracks public transport in real time using crowdsourcing and reports how full the upcoming bus is. It can be used by anyone, but it is designed to be particularly helpful for people who are in wheelchairs or other disabilities who are generally not able to get on too crowded means of transport. ( Tiramisu is currently available only in three US cities. S. cities. ) Professor Goldie Nejat, who directs the autonomous systems and Bioelectronics laboratory in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at T, designed a social-Assisted Robot, Brian. Using machine learning, Brian can speak and joke, aiming to help seniors with cognitive impairment complete tasks such as eating or taking medicine on time. Designed by students at Columbia University in the UK, Reveal is still in the prototype stage and is a wearable technology suitable for autistic patients to extract anxiety indicators from users\' skin, and report these levels to caregivers through the app. Andrea Palmer, a colleague. Founder, won the Canadian Global influence competition for the device. This is a typical email from my dad who has Parkinson\'s disease: \"Kate, I hope your gum problem is relieved, and then you, I know a benign tooth -- Try this again. You are a kind Frosh, a News Express from Frosh. What I\'m trying to say is that if you see your mistake, now regularly floss your teeth --my God! It said I wanted to thank you for the time you gave me to say goodbye. \"If you don\'t know, he\'s trying to urge me to get my teeth cleaned better with floss ( I\'m 30 years old, on the record). But the voice- The recognition software he used To get around his trembling hand Obviously there are other ideas. My English- The father Professor sent garbled emails for joy, as he often did. I forwarded it to my brother and forgot. But a few weeks later, when I was excited about a new app, it offered- I stopped and thought: this is ridiculous. Why are so many people trying to make it easier for me to buy a sandwich, and it\'s already very, very easy for me to buy a sandwich? How many people are trying to \"destroy\" the crappy technology that my dad can use and he actually needs it? In trying to answer this question, I stumbled upon a fascinating new study led by scientists at the Toronto Institute of Rehabilitation. University of Toronto speech leading research group- Yana Yunusova, a professor of language pathology, is testing whether using video games to visualize speech therapy exercises can be more effective in helping patients with Parkinson\'s disease improve their specific articulate speech. User repeat tongue The tongue twister with an inductor is inserted in the mouth. the better it is, the more fire the virtual dragon spit out, burning a stand tree. My dad is playing games. We showed up with TRI on Tuesday morning and the team carefully wired him up. \"Super Sue sat sewing,\" he said over and over again. He found the process frustrating. \"I have to say they have a strange idea of what a game is,\" he wrote to me later -- But recognize the importance of what scientists are trying to accomplish and will be re-involved in the trial. As I \'ve found, it\'s a lot harder to bring assistive technologies to market than to build Uber for sandwiches or apps that only say \"Yo. \"But it\'s not because of the lack of a community of people who are deeply concerned and working very hard. Clarification-June 5, 2015: The article was edited from a previous version to make it clear that Swizzle was a finalist for the University of Toronto to take part in the competition, but was not shortlisted for 10 pre-competition in the province.