UW-CREATe
Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology

[Narrator: James Beal]
Liam Martin began studying wheelchair technology after a diving accident two-and-a-half years ago. 
He and his father, mechanical engineering professor Jay Martin, soon realized that relatively simple modifications, combined with further engineering and research, could greatly improve wheelchairs and other devices, and allow people with disabilities to lead more independent lives.

[Liam Martin]
Instead of having, say, a wheelchair control and a computer control and a remote control for the stereo and TV, that would all be in one device, and so, instead of having to have someone switch the devices, it would all be in one package, so it would be very convenient.

[Narrator]
Professor Martin and his peers at the University of Wisconsin formed UW-CREATe, or Collaboration on Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology. 
The group is focused on making technology work for the disabled; technologies such as assistive robotics, voice control, sensory substitution, and universal remote control.

[Prof. Nicola Ferrier]
What we are working on is a system where you would have sensors on the robot and a haptic interface to the person's tongue to give them sensations of what the object feels like.
So this includes things like how hard they're holding something, and whether it's slipping in the gripper, to allow them to control the interaction, not an autonomous robot system. 
So the person is in control.

[Narrator]
Disability ranks among the nation's biggest public health concerns, affecting an estimated 52 million Americans. 
Martin points out that greater independence for the disabled means less time spent providing assistance and a reduction in costs for society as a whole.

[Prof. Jay Martin]
There are so many opportunities here to improve the lives of a worthy group of people through engineering and also the marriage between engineering and medicine, and at this time, there is not enough activity in this area.