Shepherd Center and Wireless RERC Awarded Google Grant

The Shepherd Center and the Wireless RERC have been awarded the Google Glass Accessibility Grant to develop an application to assist individuals who experience brain injury-related memory loss. The $15,000 award amount will go towards app development and testing on the Google Glass device.  The wearable computer technology will aid in helping users recognize people who do not regularly frequent their social circle, a common issue for those who have memory loss.

The Google Glass device includes head-mounting, optical display, smartphone-like features and voice response technology, ideal for those who may have usability challenges. John Morris, Ph.D., the project leader for the app, references three potential benefits of the app:

• If the solution proves effective, people living with brain injury may enjoy greater levels of community and family participation, with lower levels of stress and anxiety;
• The user-testing research involved with the app development could help researchers develop a specific clinical practice protocol for use of electronic memory aids;
• The research and development community could benefit from this work through the researchers’ presentation of their results at conferences and in professional publications.

The app will be free to the public upon release. For more information, please click the link below.