Socially Relevant Computing - for Education - for Community

1. Socially Relevant Computing - for Education - for Community Michael Buckley Faculty, University at Buffalo mikeb@buffalo.edu

2. Our Clients & Customers

5. UB Talker

10. Relevant projects and classes to attract and motivate... • Non-traditional students (liberal arts, social sciences?) • High School Seniors • Minorities / off-shore / visiting • Women • The Disabled • Students at Academic Risk • Students with Behavioral Problems

11. 3-point approach • Relevant classwork – problems, examples, topics • A research lab with non-traditional ancillary material - smartphones, tablets, brain interfaces, eye gaze tracking, voice engines, Kinect, military GPS • Community outreach and alliances

12. the target population • those who could benefit from the intelligence, creativity, hard work, of students • those who could not command the technology themselves • those whose quality of life would benefit

13. Student Geniuses Available Do you have a problem that only technology can solve? Free, clever system design. No project too big or too small! Please call the Center for Socially Relevant Computing at UB 716-645-1145

14. Project Examples • Devices to allow quadriplegics to surf the Internet and control their environment

15. Teach cause-and-effect and choice making to children with diminished attention

23. others "my family and I are attempting to get my brother to be able to control his electric wheelchair he is having difficulties understanding when to stop when he runs into walls ext. My idea was a sensor type thing on the wheelchair that would sense when its too close to thingsI and its stopsbefore to prevent damage to oneself, walls, others and so on. Similar to a car sensor that beeps when close to things,  but rather then a warning beep it would have one but once its like 2 inch or so away from object ext. It would stop wheelchair from moving. " • Motorized wheelchair controlled from a smartphone (with cameras and safety sensors, etc.) to teach mobility

26. Spring 2013 • 5 teams of Seniors will develop a mini-CS curriculum to engage high school "interns" • Topics will include general design and programming. • Advanced topics will include deploying working systems in these areas: • Embedded Systems and Robotics • Game Theory and Development • Specialty User Interfaces • Web Design • Mobile and Tablet Device Programming • Augmentative Technologies for the Handicapped

27. High School Interns • Interns will study basic CS for 3-4 weeks from both Faculty and Student Mentors • Program Development • Design • Interfacing • Project specific study for 3-4 weeks • Engagements with a real client and community group • Results in a complete working system, delivered

28. Eye Gaze System–Accurate eye-movement-tracker to allow people with no arm or hand movement to control their environment via custom computer applications. • Single Switch– Single head-switch with auto-scanning and menus to allow people with no arm movement unlimited use of a computer without the need for custom software applications. • Screen-Builder – “Application builder” used by therapists to create custom on-screen selections (particularly for tablet computers) to teach cause-and-effect and choice-making to developmentally disabled children. • Object Locator – Out-of-range inexpensive (i.e. disposable) RFID tags placed on hats, purses, etc. will cause PDA or cell phone based alert and instructions for locating.  • Location-aware AAC – Bluetooth transmitters provide location specific information (e.g. menus, shopping, exhibits) to AAC device and to support efficient location-specific communication. • Brain-actuated Game Controller – Brain and muscle based electrical signatures used to augment or emulate joystick or Kinects functions of XBOX™ game controller.

29. Location-aware Blind Navigation – Bluetooth transmitters and/or Wi-Fi dynamically provide location-specific information (e.g. menus, shopping, exhibits, exits, elevator location, etc.) to augment static GIS information for GPS-based personal navigation devices. • Air Quality Sensor – Miniature, ultra-sensitive warning system for persons with respiratory impairment due to asthma, with storage and statistics to aid doctors in assessing conditions after an incident. Next generation project. • Interactive Gaming for Peak Flow Meter –Video-game like series of exercises for building lung function using a peak flow meter and electronic sensing and feedback. • Talking Avatar – Computer-based relational agent. Greets “home-bound” elders & prompts for medical & exercise regimens. Web-cam interacts with client, family, & medical personnel and serves as electronic companion. Next generation project.

30. Logistics • 8-10 weeks, on campus, in the lab • Dorm stay and meals available • NSF Funding • The Pentagon has graciously offered to provide career program managers • Interns will have to produce regular status and tech updates • Recruitment?

31. mikeb@buffalo.edu