UAB biomedical engineering projects finalists for international award

Two student R&D projects at UAB attract international attention.
Written by: Katherine Shonesy
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Two University of Alabama at Birmingham Biomedical Engineering Capstone Design Course products are among 15 finalists for the 2014 da Vinci Awards, an international program that celebrates the best research and development in all fields of assistive and adaptive technology helping individuals overcome physical limitations.

The projects, which were developed into products through a partnership between the School of Engineering and the Collat School of Business, are a wheelchair that toddlers control with a joystick and the Scale-Metrix Wheelchair Scale, an affordable home wheelchair scale used for weight monitoring.

The toddler wheelchair, which has been in use at the Lakeshore Foundation and the Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs, was designed by Ryan Densmore, Shelby May, Daniel McFalls and Stephen Mehi. The Scale-Metrix Wheelchair Scale was designed by Jarrod Collins, Josh Haynes, Austin Johnson and Brandon Sherrod.

Video submissions for each finalist are featured online. The entry receiving the most “thumbs up” votes and views on YouTube will receive the 2014 Leo Award, the people's choice acknowledgment.

The two UAB projects were chosen from applicants around the world and are among finalists from the United States, France, Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Video submissions for each finalist are featured online. The entry receiving the most “thumbs up” votes and views on YouTube will receive the 2014 Leo Award, the people's choice acknowledgment.

All finalists will be recognized, and a winner will be announced April 10 at a special awards gala at the Ford Conference and Event Center in Dearborn, Mich. Proceeds from the da Vinci Awards benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.