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EagleEyes
The purpose of the EagleEyes Project is to help people with severe
physical disabilities develop and be educated to their fullest by
enabling them to access the computer. EagleEyes allows people to
control the computer by moving only their eyes. EagleEyes works
through five electrodes placed on the person’s head. Developed at
Boston College and licensed to the Opportunity Foundation of
America, EagleEyes is provided free of charge to users.
FuelCall System
The FuelCall System
enables drivers with disabilities to know which service stations
provide assistance and enables them to easily summon this
assistance. The FuelCall touch pad is
mounted on a steel bar at a designated island at the station making
it accessible to the driver, eliminating the difficulty associated
with leaving the vehicle. The touch pad is connected wirelessly to a
receiver inside the store that rings when pressed, thereby alerting
employees that a customer needs refueling assistance.
Handybar
Handybar is a strong, lightweight
aluminum portable handle with a non-slip, comfortable Pantene
medical grip that fits securely into the vehicle striker plate,
enabling easy entrance and exit from a vehicle. Handybar is
available all over the world.
INDENDENCE®
iBOT®
4000 Mobility System
iBOT is the brainchild of renowned
inventor and 2002 da Vinci Lifetime Achievement Awardee Dean Kamen.
The iBOT, produced by Kamen's research organization DEKA and
Independence Technology, a Johnson and Johnson company, is a
wheelchair which allows its user to power across sand, gravel, grass
and other uneven terrain, easily climb curbs up to 5” and steps,
rise to an “eye-level” position and hold a conversation, even while
on the move.
PROPRIO
FOOT
The world's first
intelligent foot module, the PROPRIO FOOT provides unprecedented
physiological benefits for transtibial amputees. A wide and
automated range of ankle flexion with proven Flex-Foot dynamics
means function is as close as you can get today to the human foot.
The PROPRIO FOOT thinks for itself, responding beautifully to
changing terrain and transforming the approach to stairs and slopes,
as well as level-ground walking. Angling itself appropriately, it
also helps amputees to sit and stand up easily and more naturally.
The PROPRIO FOOT™ also has a calibrated alignment control feature.
Overall, the effect is a feeling of improved proprioception with a
more balanced, symmetric and confident gait with reduced wear and
tear on the back, hips and knees. Proprio Foot was featured in the
June 12, 2007 issue of Business Week magazine and received the Gold
2007 Medical Design Excellence Award.
WalkAide
The WalkAide System
is designed to assist users with foot drop, due to stroke, spinal
cord injury, multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy. It resides in a
unique space between prosthetics and orthotics called
Myo-OrthoticsTM technology. More than simply bracing a limb to
improve mobility, Myo-Orthotics technology actually restores the
functionality of an impaired extremity by mimicking and recreating
natural nerve-to-muscle response by way of electrical stimulation.
About the size of a deck of cards, the AA battery- operated WalkAide
is worn around the leg, just below the knee.
The WalkAide System was made available to the public on May 1, 2006.
It earned the prestigious 2006 U.S. Orthopedics Product of the Year
Award from Frost & Sullivan and has been featured on television on
The Montel Show and the Discovery Health Channel.
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Lifetime Achievement Award
Recognizes a lifetime of
significant contributions to advancing accessibility
Dr. Rory Cooper
Dr. Cooper began his career as
a soldier in the United States Army and in
the late 1970s qualified to represent the U.S. Army
during the Olympic trails.
Unfortunately, his Olympic aspirations
were derailed by a tragic bicycle accident, which
left him paralyzed. After his
spinal cord injury, he returned to the
States where he earned his undergraduate, masters,
and doctoral degrees in
engineering. Dr. Cooper’s energy
and devotion to the field of rehabilitation engineering
and assistive technology are unmatched. His career
has been dedicated to improving
the lives of individuals with
disabilities. Dr. Cooper is Director of the Human
Engineering Research Laboratory at the University
of Pittsburgh and Co-Director of the Quality of Life
Technology Center. He is immediate Past President of
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology
Society of North America (RESNA).
Spirit of da Vinci Award
Recognizes the creative use of
assistive technology by an individual
Dana Bowman
Bowman was a member of the
U.S. Army’s elite parachute team, the Golden Knights.
In 1994, he lost his legs when he collided in midair
with his teammate during a training. Nine months
later, Bowman turned this tragedy
into a triumph when he became the
first double amputee to re-enlist in the
Army. Bowman’s hobbies include skydiving, scuba
diving, skiing, snowmobiling and bicycling. He spends
time helping other amputees and disabled or
physically challenged people and
works on designing parts for
prosthetic limbs to improve their function. Bowman’s
motto is, “It’s Not the Disability – It’s the
Ability™.“ His life shows that
there is no limit to what a person with a
disability can achieve.
Founder's Award
Recognizes
an individual who has increased media awareness of assistive
technology and accessibility issues.
Roger McCarville
The Founder’s Award, personally selected by
da Vinci Awards founder and Steering Committee
member, Michael J. Rokosz, will be presented to
Roger McCarville. The Founder’s Award recognizes
an individual who has increased media awareness
of assistive technology and accessibility issues.
Mr. McCarville is the host and co-producer of
Disabilities Today, the nation’s first and only
weekly television program
dedicated to helping those with
disabilities. He has been an advocate for the
disabled for more than 25 years, since his own
injury in 1975.
da Vinci Apprentice Award
Grayson Rosenberger
Fifteen-year old
Grayson Rosenberger of Nashville, Tennessee, has developed a
low-cost Bubble Wrap covering for artificial legs, and just
returned from a trip to Ghana where he trained local workers
in making the covering. These cosmetic coverings provide
amputees in developing countries with a way to blend in with
their local community. In addition to being the 2007 Grand
Prize Winner in the 2007 Bubble Wrap Competition for Young
Inventors, Grayson has also been featured in People Magazine
and on the Today Show.
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