Research

Translating Research to Reality

The McKechnie Family LIFE Home is designed to support interdisciplinary research to advance the science and engineering of home innovations.  The research is focused in the home environment, user-centered, and intended to advance solutions that are accessible for a broad range of individuals and families in both existing home designs and future home concepts.

Spotlight of Research Projects

Assessing the Use of Digital Assistant Technologies by Older Adults with Mobility Disabilities

The aim of R2 (Assessing the Use of Digital Assistant Technologies by Older Adults with Mobility Disabilities) is to assess the potential of digital home assistants.

The Fireside Exploration Project

The research aims to explore the potential of electric fireplaces to contribute to well-being through the creation of environments that bolster enrichment seeking in midlife and older adulthood.

Older Adults’ and Healthcare Providers’ Perspectives on Telehealth Robotics

The research aims to investigate perceptions and attitudes towards a telehealth robot, explore potential health care use-cases, and elicit design requirements for the robot to be used in supporting health checkups at home.

CREATE Virtual Reality Project

The goal of this project is to design and evaluate an immersive Cognitive Activity Social Technology (CAST) virtual reality system.

Center for Enhancing Neurocognitive Health, Abilities, Networks & Community Engagement

ENHANCE is a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

TechSAge RERC

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technologies to Support Aging-in-Place for People with Long-Term Disabilities (RERC TechSAge) funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

Wayfinding Assistance via Mobile Robotics for People with Vision Impairments

This project is funded by an Illinois Campus Research Research Support Award to develop mobile robots to assist with wayfinding and navigation tasks for people with vision disabilities.

Stretch Robot

The Stretch Robot offers a mobile robot manipulator from Hello Robot Inc. equipped with a lightweight telescoping arm and a dextrous wrist designed to support everyday activities.

Currently Recruiting Projects

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