EPICS Assistive Technology (AT)

We are the Purdue Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) Assistive Technology (AT) team. This semester, we have broken up into two sub-teams: Hippotherapy and Colton Fishing Rod. The Hippotherapy group is partnered with Therapeion Therapeutic Riding Center, which provides therapeutic horse-back riding sessions for people of all ages with disabilities. Hippotherapy is beneficial to patients because it improves core strength, stability, and balance. This group is building a machine to simulate the motion of a horse. Currently, they have a small-scale prototype and are developing code so it accurately mimics the motion of a real horse. The Colton Fishing Rod team is partnered with a boy who has a disorder which makes it difficult for him to move his arms and legs. He loves to go fishing with his father, so this team is making him a self-casting, self-reeling fishing rod that allows him to have more freedom in this activity. Currently, this team has presented a working model to their partner and received feedback. They are simplifying the circuitry for the buttons and improving the mechanical aspects of the rod, including making a more stable stand. If EPICS interests you, please consider joining one of our projects. You can find more information by following this link: https://engineering.purdue.edu/EPICS/purdue/prospective-students/join-epics