DISCUSSION

Discussion Topic 1: Letter of Introduction

TEAMS Academy UMass Lowell
Client Name
Client's Street Address
Client's City and Zip Code


Dear Client,
University of Massachusetts-Lowell is in its second year of hosting TEAMS Academy; a math, science, and engineering college-level program for advanced high school juniors and seniors. We are currently enrolled in a course focused on assistive technology that is aimed at using electronics in order to improve the lives of physically or mentally disabled people. We have formed teams of three in order to engineer a device which is later donated to a recipient to help complete a task that is normally difficult due to their disability. In the past, TEAMS students have taken on assistive projects like illuminated keyboards, automatic watering systems for plants, and enlarged video game controllers, and have done so with great success. We are interested in engineering a product specifically designed to aid your family.

We would like to know if there are any ideas or projects that either you, your family, or colleagues may already have in mind to make your situation easier. We would also be glad to formulate our own ideas for an assistive device, if needed, and we have many ideas formulated already. We hope to begin our project as soon as possible, and we expect it to be finished and ready for use within five months.

We look forward to you response, which you can send either by email, mail, or phone to any of the contact information at the top of the page.

Discussion Topic 2: Products Currently on The Market That Suite The Need of Our Client

• Smart Talk Electronic Learning Aid
  • This toy encourages vocabulary development, both receptive vocabulary (how many words a child understands) and expressive vocabulary (words a child says/speaks).
  • It's not a bad toy for a long car ride either! Young children love anything that looks like a game. Read on...
  • List Price:$89.99
• Busy Box Activity Toy
  • This toy may appear simple, but it packs a big punch for both language, speech, and fine motor skills. Encourage your child's first words by playing with the telephone. Encourage fine motor skills with the shape sorter side. The little bear pops up, so babies learn the early skill of cause and effect. Teach your child basic concepts such as "in" and "out" with the shapes. So many ways to play.
  • List Price:$42.95
• Alphabet Toss And Play Set
  • A fun interactive way to encourage children to learn their letters and their sounds. Once children master naming their letters, you can use this mat to teach them the sounds that go with the letter. Use the matt to challenge the kids to throw a bean bag on the letter that makes the 'k' sound, etc. When the child is older, you can use the mat to spell out words even. Many many ways to play!
  • List Price:$29.95
• Word Whammer Fridge Phonics Game
  • Excellent toy for early reading! My son has spent hours playing with this toy on our refrigerator and sings the little tune that goes along with the letters. I can't say enough about this toy! Read on...
  • List Price:$27.49
• Bee Smart Spelling Activity Toy
  • My son had an older version of this toy and I have to give this toy credit for his learning his letters by the age of two. This is a great simple toy to encourage early reading skills as well as fine motor. This is also a great toy to take on trips in the car or to allow the child to play in his/her bed before bedtime to calm down. I highly recommended this toy as a speech pathologist and a mother!
  • List Price:$19.99

Discussion Topic 3: Early Brainstorming Possible Solutions

• Speech Recognition via Mobile IBM Platform (David Couto)
  • Aspects
    • Mobility
    • Arduino compatible?
    • Price
  • Disadvantages
    • Complicated
    • Programming
• Syllable Puzzle (Max Saccoccio)
  • Aspects
    • Puzzle Pieces assigned to syllables
    • Uses series/parallel resistors to detect state of pieces on board.
  • Disadvantages
    • Possibly large range of resistances due to variety of puzzle peice states.
    • Possibly difficult fabrication process