HP's "Hacking Autism" Initiative To Develop New Technology Tools For People With Autism

Main Category: Autism
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail
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Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization, and the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism have joined HP's "Hacking Autism" initiative, which seeks new ideas for touch technology applications beneficial to people with autism. "Hacking Autism" will crowd source ideas for applications from all across the autism community, including families and practitioners, and will engage developers and designers to voluntarily create applications across touch-based platforms. The "Hacking Autism" innovative designs aim to facilitate and accelerate technology-based ideas to open up learning, communication and social possibilities, and to help give those with autism a voice.

"Innovations in technology are moving forward the race to find solutions to improve daily life for individuals with autism," stated Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D. "Input from the community will accelerate designers and innovators' creative thinking to best apply technology to autism in a way that has the potential to make a significantly positive impact for individuals with autism where they need it most."

"Technology has the power to improve lives, and our hope is to work with the developer community to find ways that technology such as touch-enabled computers, tablets, and software can advance communications and learning experiences for individuals with autism and their families," said Phil McKinney, vice president and chief technology officer of the Personal Systems Group, HP. "We are excited that the Autism Speaks and the Flutie Foundation organizations are joining HP in supporting HackingAutism.org."

Together, the groups announced the appointment of the Hacking Autism Advisory Committee, which will select for development ground-breaking, touch-enabled applications submitted by the autism community for the autism community. The committee is composed of leading technology and autism experts, including McKinney; David Canora, principal technology specialist, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and chairman, Quest Inc.; Chris Mertens, vice president, HP; Autism Speaks Vice President of Scientific Affairs Andy Shih, Ph.D.; Simon Wallace, Ph.D., Autism Speaks director of scientific development Europe; Peter Bell, Autism Speaks executive vice president for programs and services; renowned advocate and author John Elder Robison; Jim St. Leger, Technology Marketing Manager, Intel; and certified speech and language pathologist and advance clinician Kate Grandbois, M.S., CCC-SLP, Spaulding Outpatient Center for Children.

"So many individuals with autism who struggle with verbal communication are able to open up new doors to social interaction when they are able to use tools such as touch applications," explained Canora, who is also dad to a son with autism. "Parents are always looking for new strategies to engage their children with the people and world around them and technology has so much potential to do that."

"We are so pleased to partner with HP and the Flutie Foundation," added Dr. Wallace. "Autism Speaks has been committed to innovations in technology to creatively adapt and promote the use of technologies to meet needs of those with autism. 'Hacking Autism' will significantly accelerate translational technology, from bench top to commercial development."

"We're excited to partner with HP and Autism Speaks on this cutting-edge project," said Doug Flutie, co-founder of the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism. "Through our Laurie Flutie Computer Initiative and our long-time partnership with HP, we have been able to assist hundreds of families and schools by providing them with computers. 'Hacking Autism' will allow the autism community to directly communicate their ideas with HP on what its needs are for technology. It's not often that a mom or dad, or a teacher who works with a child with autism, gets to tell a software designer what type of tools they need to enhance their loved one's life. We feel that this type of collaboration has the ability to really improve the learning and communication experience for people on the autism spectrum."

"Hacking Autism" will culminate in October 2011 at the HP Hackathon and the new technologies developed will be included in its library of applications.

About Autism

Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 110 children in the United States, and one in 70 boys. The prevalence of autism has increased 600 percent in the past two decades. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.

Source:
Jane E. Rubinstein
Autism Speaks

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Implanted Retinal Chip Allows Blind People To See

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Also Included In: Medical Devices / Diagnostics
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A subretinal implant inserted under the retina of three blind people has allowed them to see shapes and objects within days of the procedure, German scientists report in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. One of the patients surprised researchers by identifying and locating objects on a table; he was also able to walk around a room unaided, approach specific people, tell the time from a clock face, and describe seven different shades of gray in front of him.

The electronic visual prosthesis was developed by Retinal Implant AG, Germany and the Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany. The authors describe it as an "unprecedented advance in electronic visual prostheses".

This technology could change the lives of patients with retinitis pigmentosa - a degenerative eye disease affecting approximately 200,000 individuals globally.

Retinitis pigmentosa includes a group of inherited disorders in which abnormalities in the rods and cones in the retina - types of photoreceptors - lead to progressively worsening vision, and eventually total blindness. Patients initially suffer from night blindness, then tunnel vision in which their visual field becomes constricted, and eventually loss of central vision. Retinitis pigmentosa can occur alone or as part of a syndrome, such as Usher syndrome.

Founding Director of Retinal Implant AG, Dr. Eberhart Zrenner, said:

The results of this pilot study provide strong evidence that the visual functions of patients blinded by a hereditary retinal dystrophy can, in principle, be restored to a degree sufficient for use in daily life.

Dr. Zrenner is also Chairman of the University of Tuebingen Eye Hospital.

The subretinal implant is implanted under the retina and replaces the retina's cones and rods - its light receptors - which were lost in retinal degeneration.

The authors explain:

It uses the eyes' natural image processing capabilities beyond the light detection stage to produce a visual perception in the patient that is stable and follows their eye movements.

Unlike epiretinal implants which are placed outside the retina and do not use the integral light-sensitive structures in the eye, this subretinal implant does not require the patient to wear an external camera and processor.

Because this subretinal implant has considerably more light receptors than any other similar device, it gives the patient unequaled visual clarity.

Prof. Dr. Zrenner wrote:

The present study..presents proof-of-concept that such devices can restore useful vision in blind human subjects, even though the ultimate goal of broad clinical application will take time to develop.

Zrenner and team tested the device on 11 individuals. Some of them experienced no benefit because their condition had progressed too far, the researchers wrote. However, the others were able to detect bright objects and shapes.

Best results were achieved when they placed the device further behind the retina - in the central macula area. This they did with three patients.

David Head, Chief Executive at RP (Retinitis pigmentosa) Fighting Blindness, said:

This technology is very exciting; Prof Zrenner is highly respected and should be congratulated on this work. However these devices are at an early stage of development as this report notes, and it's important that we recognize that from early trials to a product that is fully proven and generally available can take a long time.

We look forward to the results of further follow up work in Oxford and other centers and we and our members will be monitoring developments with great interest.

The authors concluded in Proceedings of the Royal Society B:

These results demonstrate for the first time that subretinal micro-electrode arrays with 1500 photodiodes can create detailed meaningful visual perception in previously blind individuals.

"Subretinal electronic chips allow blind patients to read letters and combine them to words"
Eberhart Zrenner, Karl Ulrich Bartz-Schmidt, Heval Benav, Dorothea Besch, Anna Bruckmann, Veit-Peter Gabel, Florian Gekeler, Udo Greppmaier, Alex Harscher, Steffen Kibbel, Johannes Koch, Akos Kusnyerik, Tobias Peters, Katarina Stingl, Helmut Sachs, Alfred Stett, Peter Szurman, Barbara Wilhelm, Robert Wilke
Proceedings of the Royal Society B Published online before print November 3, 2010
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1747

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

posted by Doris K. Taylor on 3 Nov 2010 at 8:17 am

Five of nine children in my maternal grandmother's family were blind. My grandmother's husband, Granddaddy, spent his last years blind. My dad had glaucoma and MD. Three of five children in my family, including me, are under doctor supervision for glaucoma. My mother has a first cousin who is blind and a first cousin who has severe glaucoma. Articles like this one give me so much hope for the future.

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