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  • Assistive & Accessible Technology

Logo of the title of the project: fit for purpose prosthetics. For is represented by the number four which in the center has a hand with half an arm that appear to be a prosthetic.

Country: Jordan, Uganda, United Kingdom

Fit-for-purpose, affordable body-powered prostheses

Fit-for-purpose, affordable body-powered prostheses is designing upper limb prostheses that are both low cost and fit for their purpose and circumstance. The project is funded through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Global Challenges Research Fund.

A close up of an industrial machine leaving a dark pattern on a sheet of perspex/glass.

Country: United Kingdom

MakeSpace at HereEast

GDI hub has joined forces with the Surgical Robot Vision Lab and the Autonomous Manufacturing Lab to create a shared space that brings together a wealth of expertise as well as equipment, improving knowledge exchange and increasing collaboration opportunities.

Affordable powered mobility toy for young children, with panels for children to paint on and a simple seat design.

Country: India, Kenya

Powered mobility for young children everywhere

Young children everywhere need to be mobile - to be able to explore their world, make choices about what they want to do, who they want to play with, and where they want to go.

A picture of a computer model of a dynamic seat for children with severe movement disorders

Country: United Kingdom

Dynamic seating for children with severe movement disorders

GDI Hub is working with Designability to evaluate a new kind of seat that moves with the child and enables them to explore movement while they are seated and well supported

Country: United Kingdom

CROWDBOT: A crowd-aware shared-control wheelchair navigation system

CROWDBOT will enable mobile robots to navigate autonomously and assist humans in crowded areas, rather than simply stopping when the going gets tough.

Country: Indonesia, Sierra Leone

Community-led Solutions: Assistive Tech in informal settlements

Researchers from the Development Planning Unit at UCL, along with Leonard Cheshire, are working with the GDI Hub to undertake an exciting programme working with communities living in conditions of informality (often referred to as slums) in Freetown, Sierra Leone and Banjarmasin, Indonesia.

A busy street scene in India showing a broad range or motor and manually powered wheeled transport for disabled people

Country: India

Street Rehab in India

An EPSRC GCRF project the project tested a new methodology for creating accessible maps for fast changing cities like Delhi. Using embedded sensors attached to wheelchairs, we mapped accessible and difficult to access routes. Initially, the project also aimed to capture rehabilitation metrics whilst pushing a wheelchair beyond a clinical environment, but instead the community of wheelchair users we worked with preferred to use the tool as an advocacy tool.

A computer generated 3D model of a wheelchair on a blue chequered background.

Country: United Kingdom

Power-up! - Fuelling the next generation of assistive technologies

A research project to understand how and when manual wheelchair users need and use power assistance and to determine if fuel cell technology is suitable for the power requirements of assistive technology, specifically wheelchairs.

A computer-generated frame model of a right arm with thumb, index and second fingers extended. Multi-coloured triangles surround the design.

Country: United Kingdom

Body 2.0 - Extending ability through 3D printing technology

This project looked at identity and the changing perception of disabled people and disability. The primary focus was prosthetics and the use of new technologies including 3D printing to democratise prosthetics and allow individuals to customise their assistive devices in a timely and affordable way.

A female wheelchair user in dark clothes and beanie hat ascending a ramp from right to left in a sports hall.

Country: United Kingdom

ARCCS - Accessible Routes from Crowdsourced Cloud Services

Ongoing research where we have developed a new technique for wheelchair localisation and surface determination using a fusion of GPS/IMU information and machine learning. Data captured helps wheelchair users travel in a more effective ways and share data to demonstrate accessibility issues and encourage improvements.

Female in a wheelchair carrying a water bottle in an informal settlement. Kid walking in the back.

Country: Global

AT2030: Drive Availability and Affordability of Assistive Technology

To address the need gap and significantly scale up the provision of affordable and appropriate Assistive Technology, this sub-programme will test market shaping methodologies which include research, scoping, and future planning; the creation of market shaping tools; and pilot testing of market interventions. This sub-programme is led by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).

Group photo of AT 2030 members

AT2030: Open Up Market Access

To align and consolidate global Assistive Technology efforts as well as to lay the foundations for systems-level change on a global scale this sub-programme will provide a set of global benchmarks and standards for Assistive Technology. The sub-programme will develop models of integrated Assistive Technology service provision, including screening and training tools; develop procurement tools; as well as a mobile tool to identify population needs for Assistive Technology. This programme is being co-led by WHO, UNICEF, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

A wheelchair user facing away from camera at a bright yellow table full of art supplies, the floor is orange/red chequered pattern and there are two other people at the table. It looks like a classroom.

Country: Kenya

AT2030: Assistive Technology Scoping Exercise

Funded by UK AID this focused on mapping and analysis of the innovation landscape around Assistive Technology globally with a focus on low and middle-income countries to highlight potential market failures and to scope out possible solutions.

Audience sitting down at the WHO conference room

Country: Switzerland

GReAT Summit Summary

On the 22nd and 23rd of August 2019 several members of GDI Hub were invited to Geneva to take part in the consultation for the Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT) organized by the WHO. The scope of the consultation was to bring together academics, practitioners, policy makers, and assistive technology users from different countries in the world to help shape the content for the Global Report on Assistive Technology that will be published by 2021.

Giulia presenting in a lecture room. Screen shows projection of a PPT presentation

Country: Italy

AAATE Conference Summary

The Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe held its annual conference, this year with a focus on Global Challenges in Assistive Technology, in Bologna (Italy) between the 27th and the 30th of August. Researchers from GDI Hub and partner organizations including the Clinton Health Access Initiative and ATscale organised a special session focused on sharing the work carried out so far as part of the AT2030 programme.

An ugandan boy in a full classroom raises his hand to ask something to teacher.

Country: Uganda

Inclusive Education in Uganda: The Impact of Assistive Technology

The project focuses on the impact of assistive technology and accessible learning materials in promoting participation of children with disabilities in Uganda. This project aims to provide support to overcome barriers to education through assistive technology and to develop the evidence base for how technology helps inclusion in the classroom.

Group photo of AT Scale members

AT2030 Subprogramme: Support to ATscale the Global Assistive Technology Partnership

To accelerate access to Assistive Technology, ATscale the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology was formally launched at the Global Disability Summit in 2018. The Partnership will catalyse change, amplify existing work, and coordinate access to Assistive Technology by tackling supply and demand side drivers to scale. The AT2030 programme will continue to support the development and implementation of ATscale.

A man sitting in front of a folding wheelchair

Country: Global

AT 2030: Life Changing Assistive Technology for All

Over five years, AT2030 will test ‘what works’ to improve access to AT and will invest in and support solutions to scale with a focus on innovative products, new service models, and global capacity support. The programme will reach 9 million directly and 6 million more people indirectly to enable a lifetime of potential through life-changing Assistive Technology.

Dr Dilisha Patel teaching the Disability, Design & Innovation MSc. She’s looking at a presentation on a large digital screen in a full classroom.

Country: United Kingdom

MSc Disability, Design and Innovation at UCL

We're looking for the next generation of pioneers in this groundbreaking field.

MSc student in a wheelchair in front of the workshop in the UCL building at Here East.

Country: United Kingdom

Snowdon Masters Scholarships

This programme is now managed by the Snowdon Trust.

Lady in a wheelchair, wearing a bright orange top, holding a yellow water jug; a boy follows behind. They are in a street in India.

PhD Research Programme

Talented students are invited to propose a PhD research project in areas related to AI powered Physiological & Affective Computing, with the aim to create novel assistive technology and boost disability innovation.

Disabled Leaders Network title and logos

Disabled Leaders Network

A unique space for accelerating success, the Snowdon Disabled Leaders Network brings together exceptional disabled leaders to engage, build a community and share learnings.

Disability Innovation Live - our webinar series

Sharing knowledge and experiences in disability innovation, GDI Hub's new Disability Innovation Live series is a space for questions, ideas and reflections - we'll be telling the stories behind the innovations, the people behind the products and the pathways to success. Each month will focus on a different topic or theme.

PrimeVR2 Lgogo

Country: Global

Prime-VR2

The PrimeVR2 project is a Horizon 2020 project where commercial, academic and research teams are building a virtual reality platform that will allow people with a hyperkinetic movement disorder, people who have had a stroke, and people with a sports injury to play games and interact in a virtual environment for rehabilitation.

Group of wheelchair users and I2I project staff

Country: Bangladesh, Kenya

Innovation to Inclusion: i2i

i2i is a three-year programme focused on technological initiatives that directly improve access to paid private sector work for people with disabilities in Kenya and Bangladesh.

CHI 2021 Logo Image

Country: Japan

Disability design and innovation in low resource settings. Workshop at CHI2021

Research that focuses on understanding technology and how it could be used to empower people with disabilities who live in the Global South is sorely needed, yet conducting and planning studies in the field is often challenging.

We want to co-create a long-lasting, sustainable and creative community, made by and for researchers and practitioners from academia, NGOs, and the private sector who are interested in conducting work around technology for people with disabilities living in the Global South. Our unique workshop is designed to support this aim through synchronous and asynchronous activities. Our vision is to spark engagement beyond the boundaries of this CHI2021 workshop.

CHI 2021 Logo Image

Country: Japan

Rethinking the Senses: A Workshop on Multisensory Embodied Experiences and Disability Interactions

The dynamic aspects of living with disability, life transitions, including aging, psychological distress, long-term conditions such as chronic pain, and new conditions such as long-COVID affect people’s abilities. Interactions with this diversity of embodiments can be enriched, empowered, and augmented through using multisensory and cross-sensory modalities to create more inclusive technologies and experiences. This workshop will explore three related sub-domains: immersive multi-sensory experiences embodied experiences, and disability interactions and design. The aim is to better understand how we can rethink the senses in technology design for disability interactions and the dynamic self, constructed through continuously changing sensing capabilities either because of changing ability or because of the empowering technology.

Country: Global

Assistive Technology 2030: technical research

AT2030 (Assistive Technology 2030) brings together partners who haven’t traditionally focused on assistive technology (AT), with experts, innovators and AT users to experiment with new ideas and thinking.

GDI Hub Academic Research Centre provides robust evidence of the effectiveness of the AT2030 projects to drive evidence and knowledge.

Country: India, United Kingdom

PhD Research: Erasable Tactile Doodling - Toodleoo

Designing a new way to produce erasable tactile drawings and graphics to present visualisations to blind and partially sighted students and professionals. The project uses smart materials and research on ways to make them operational. The final output will be particularly useful to understand STEM subjects and to express and communicate ideas and creativity.

Country: United Kingdom

PhD Research: Make It Visible - using 3D imaging and printing from microscopic

PhD student Kate Burton​ is conducting research on using 3D imaging and printing from microscopic images to provide tactile representations for visually impaired people. The aim is to take the world seen through a microscope and make it accessible to those with visual impairments​ using tactile 3D printed models​.

Country: Bangladesh

Mobile-powered employment opportunities for all; i2i challenge call for Bangladesh

Up to £20,000 is available to support winning applicants in the development of employment solutions focused around mobile in Bangladesh. Mobile technology can act as a bridge to employment opportunities by helping people learn skills, increasing awareness of job opportunities and helping to get and retain employment opportunities.

Country: United Kingdom

Mapping Multisensory Experiences at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were hosted at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (QEOP) with the view of creating a dynamic new heart of east London. The park was designed to continue the legacy of the Paralympic Games and to create a diverse and inclusive space for all.

Our project contributes to this vision by (i) engaging the disabled community of east London in a conversation about their experiences and perceptions of the QEOP and then (ii) co-creating a multisensory representation of the experience of blind people as a reminder of diversity and inclusion at the park.

the lady watch video on the phone

Country: Uganda

Technology for Disability Inclusive Education: A call for participation

GDI Hub is conducting a Global Survey on behalf of the World Bank to understand the level of access and the impact of technology on education for children with disabilities. We are inviting all individuals, researchers, educators and other professionals who have relevant experience on EdTech and Inclusive education to fill in this short survey.

Local Production Local Solutions Grantee Map

Country: Africa, Nepal, Nigeria, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia

Local Production Local Solutions

Global logistics have been compromised by lockdowns and border controls across Africa and other low to middle-income countries (LMICs), leaving many businesses and citizens without key parts of their supply chain. This condition has exposed the rigid, inflexible state of production in many settings, demonstrating the need for locally resilient, flexible production ecosystems. LPLS is working to develop broader, restorative, and agile supply systems, while providing people with the life-saving health and community resources they need to face current restrictions.

A graphic detailing step by step smart liner techniques

Country: United Kingdom

Smart Prosthetic Liners

This current work looks to develop these capabilities in soft material technology, with: the development of a printable nanocomposite stretch sensor system; a low-cost digital method for casting bespoke prosthetic liners; a liner with an embedded stretch sensor for growth / volume tracking; a model liner with an embedded active cooling system.

Assistive Technology Need Data Repository

This project searches and collates population-level data on the need and coverage for assistive technology, in the forms of scoping and systematic reviews, as well as a publicly accessible data repository.

Image of a refreshable tactile display

GDI Hub Accelerate

GDI Hub Accelerate is a global agency for disability innovation. A powerhouse of insight, innovation and technical excellence - we design, test, and scale solutions.

We work with start-ups, ventures, business, bilateral organisations and governments to harness the value of innovation through our Impact Hub, Venture Studio and Bespoke Consultancy.

From ecosystem development to venture support, we challenge the structural barriers to market, bringing together global stakeholders to test, scale and accelerate disability innovation on a global scale.

TIDAL N+ Transformative Innovation in the delivery of Assisted Living Products and Services

Building a transdisciplinary network to improve AT by generating novel design, engineering and technological advances that will empower disabled people, older people and carers through accessible and local solutions.

A young man uses headphones to assist his education

ICT Landscape review - The use of ICT in improving the educational participation & outcomes

A World Bank review, authored by GDI Hub, looking at the current status and trends in the practice of educational technology (EdTech) and the use of ICT in improving the educational participation and outcomes of children with disabilities.

Supporting ADB with Strengthening Poverty and Social Analysis - Disability Inclusion

Building knowledge and capacity around disability inclusion, inclusive design, and assistive technology with the ADB and among ADB Developing Member Countries (DMCs)

Flag of Sierra Leone

Country: Sierra Leone

Local Systems Strengthening: Sierra Leone

This project is developing product-service innovation around local production and repair

Nepal Country Flag

Country: Nepal

Local Systems Strengthening: Nepal

Our current workstreams in Nepal: This project is investigating the potential to strengthen local systems of AT provision and innovation to address gaps in service.

Nepal Country Flag

Country: Nepal

Situational Analysis of Manual Wheelchair Provision: Nepal

Based on the decisions of the Enabling Fridays Community, we are conducting a Situational Analysis of Manual wheelchair provision to inform our local actions

Screenshot of report cover. A landscape review of ICT for Disability-Inclusive Education

Country: Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal, Rwanda

World Bank: A Landscape Review of ICT for Disability-Inclusive Education

Partnering with the World Bank, GDI Hub researched and authored the ICT landscape review, exploring the use of ICT in improving the educational participation and outcomes of children with disabilities.

A technician is placing a 3D printed lateral postural support to the backrest of a wheelchiar

Country: Kenya

Digital Technology, to Revolutionise Wheelchair Provision with Motivation

As part of the AT2030 programme, the GDI Hub will support Motivation in testing their new wheelchair provision system in Kenya to evaluate the quality of the new designs and understand how distributed manufacturing through 3D printing could augment current wheelchair service provision models.

An innovator is heating the socket of a prosthetic leg using a heat gun. On the top right corner is the logo of the company "Amparo" with the phrase revolutionizing prosthetics

Country: Kenya

Changing Prosthetic Service Delivery with Amparo

The GDI Hub, as a part of the AT2030 Innovation cluster, has partnered with Amparo to support them in carrying out a clinical trial to evaluate how the Amparo Confidence Socket could help the provision of lower limb prosthetics in Kenya.

Poster of the event, which reads: Inclusive Design Challenge 1.0 - 6th - 20th June, 2022 - Design solutions for improving access to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for blind and partially sighted people.

Country: United Kingdom

Access to open spaces for blind and partially sighted people

One of the first Spark Innovation activities is an Inclusive Design Challenge, inviting young innovators to design solutions for improving access to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for blind and partially sited people. The event takes place between 6–20 of June, 2022.