Medical & Mobility Prototypes

Catalog description

Designing Therapeutic Interactions, 756 course, focuses on the research, design, and development of interactive environments and products that aid individuals with cognitive or physical disabilities. The course is structured around lectures on disabilities and therapeutic interventions, and hands-on workshops on prototype development using sensors and microcontrollers, computing, and material fabrication methods. Students have opportunities to work closely with health experts and nonprofit organizations to develop a better understanding of specific health conditions and ways they can contribute through design and technology innovation, and user-centered research. The course Is complemented by lectures from professionals in user-centered design, business and innovation, bioengineering, and other fields pertaining to designed therapeutic interventions. By the end of the course students gain a better understanding of how their design skills can be applied towards health and wellbeing solutions with social impact and are also equipped with good basic programming and electronic skills to integrate sensory interaction methods in future design projects. There are no prerequisites for the course. No prior knowledge of electronics or programming is required.