Cognitive Assistive Technology for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury

Need. A fully accessible wayfinding device to increase independent navigation and decrease reliance on caregiver support for individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury and other cognitive disabilities. Goal. To develop a prototype utilizing features from both the Sendero GPS customizable software platform and University of Washington (UW) intelligent wayfinding software to address common travel difficulties experienced by persons with TBI. * Short term (Phase I) goal: To fully implement and deploy one function (automatically identifying the mode of transport) in a prototype using the existing Sendero GPS software platform. * Long term goal (detailed in Phase II below): To investigate methods for implementing and deploying 5 functions of UW’s intelligent wayfinding software on a robust, commercial personal GPS platform. Objectives. This project targets 4 specific, measurable objectives. 1. By October 31, 2007, determine the appropriate platform for software. 2. By December 15, 2007, port Sendero GPS software to the platform defined in Objective 1. 3. By March 15, 2008, incorporate mode of transport function into Sendero GPS software and complete functioning prototype. 4. By March 31, 2008, Project summaries and reporting. Work Plan. Capitalizing on the accessible GPS platform created by Sendero Group and the TBI and computer science expertise of the UW and Rochester teams, this project will develop a prototype running Sendero GPS with intelligent wayfinding features added. The project application targets specific wayfinding problems encountered by persons with TBI.