2020 LiveWell RERC App Factory application development awards announced!

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The LiveWell RERC is pleased to announce the funding of 5 new assistive technology apps slated for development and release in 2020 as part of our App Factory development project.

We received numerous competitive proposals in response to our 2020 call. After careful review, the following projects were selected for funding:

  • Brain Education Strategies & Technology will modify the existing BEST Suite app features to tailor it for a younger audience. This new app will be called BEST Suite Kids and will include 4 iOS apps that work together to support energy/time management, goal setting, task management and strategy management. The BEST Suite will be modified for Kids by (1) integrating a rewards system; (2) creating a library of templates for younger users; (3) allowing customization of settings for younger users; and (4) establishing an online dashboard for access to app-related information by authorized individuals, such as parents or teachers.

  • Mark Bresler, a rehabilitation engineer with more than 30 years of experience in assistive technology and rehabilitation engineering, will lead development of FootNoter. This project will develop an app that works with an external body worn sensor that senses foot rotation to provide the user feedback on lower extremity position while walking. This app will be designed for use by people who may benefit from supportive cueing to volitionally adjust foot pronation when walking to improve safety and efficiency of mobility.

  • BRG Company, LLC will expand development of MyEmotionality, a partial prototype already existing, resulting in completion of a web app aimed at assisting people with mood management challenges to manage mood through design features aligned with principles of Behavioral Activation.

  • Zyrobotics will create an active speech therapy agent in ReadAble Storiez, an AI-powered app they previously developed on iOS and Android that is designed to analyze the reading capability of both struggling readers in the age range of 4 to 8 years old and readers with speech and language. The addition of an active speech therapy agent will include creation of adapted interventions aimed at improving speech skills for young children with varying abilities and integrate them within the existing application to provide speech and language interventions for underserved children.

  • Aira Tech Corp, a company who has successfully developed an accessible navigation iOS app called Seeing Eye GPS, will create an Android version of the app. Seeing Eye GPS provides turn-by-turn instructions with enhanced features uniquely designed for users with visual impairment including provision of detailed intersection descriptions (i.e. type of intersection, angle of intersecting streets), the ability for users to create their own personal points of interest and routes, and the ability to connect the user with personalized visual assistance with the newly released Aira integration. Development of an Android version will increase accessibility of GPS navigation support on Android devices.

These new apps will provide solutions to a range of challenges that users with physical, sensory and cognitive impairments face and help support community participation and management of health conditions.

We look forward to sharing these new apps once they're released next year!

The LiveWell RERC's App Factory project has funded over 20 assistive app development projects over the past 5 years through an annual call for proposals.