Assembly Advisor

This project researches and develops natural support mechanisms for people with intellectual disabilities that facilitate greater opportunities and independence in employment settings. This project demonstrates the technical merit, feasibility, and cost effectiveness of combining state-of-the-art portable wireless technology and sensor technology with an innovative approach to develop the first semi-automated supervisory system designed to guide the consumer through the assembly process and verify the quality of the consumer’s work. This allows the Assembly Advisor the ability to detect the status of specific factors related to the job task, and then dynamically adjust the delivery of task prompts to properly coach the individual with an intellectual disability based on these factors; thus, increasing the jobs available to them and facilitating independence while maintaining quality. Specific objectives for Phase I include: (1) determining end user requirements, (2) developing a proof-of-concept prototype of the Assembly Advisor system, and (3) performing a usability analysis with actual users. A comparison of the user’s sense of independence is performed between Assembly Advisor and the traditional approach of human supervision.