Project Idea 1: Diabetes Support for Mobility-Limited Adults

Target User:
Elderly or mobility-limited adults with diabetes who live independently.

Common Challenges:

• Difficulty accessing insulin, glucose monitoring devices, or emergency food due to mobility impairments or diabetic neuropathy.

• Risk of hypoglycemic episodes, where the user may be unable to reach help or retrieve food/juice in time.

• Potential cognitive decline or memory issues that interfere with timely insulin use or mealtime routines.

Stretch's Role:

• Deliver emergency glucose tablets, snacks, or juice during hypoglycemia.

• Bring insulin or testing supplies when prompted or on a schedule.

• Detect unresponsiveness or user distress (e.g., lack of movement after a scheduled check-in) and notify caregivers or emergency contacts.

User Engagement Plan:

• Conduct interviews with diabetic individuals and caregivers to learn about their routines and difficulties.

• Prototype delivery tasks (e.g., snack or insulin kit delivery) and test them with feedback from users on accessibility, speed, and safety.

• Observe how users interact with current systems (apps, alarms) to better tailor robot interaction.

Project Idea 2: Mail Deliver Support for Mobility-Limited Adults

Target User:

Elderly or mobility-limited adults who can’t walk and live independently.

Common Challenges:

• Traditional mailboxes are inaccessible to elderly and disabled individuals. Mobility impairments make it difficult or impossible to collect mail independently.

• Relocating mailboxes is only a temporary fix and not a long-term solution. USPS delivery to relocated mailboxes is inconsistent and unreliable.

• The USPS hardship delivery program only delivers mail to the front door, not inside the home.

• No scalable solution currently exists that fully addresses in-home mail delivery for people with mobility challenges.

Stretch’s Role:

• Detects a custom-designed indoor mail drawer where the mail is delivered and takes the drawer out using visual recognition and manipulation.

• Delivers the drawer directly to the user inside the home.

• Can be programmed to check the drawer on a schedule or by user request to reduce the need for human assistance, increasing user autonomy.

User Engagement Plan:

• Install a two-way accessible mail drawer in the user's home.

• Use a simple interface (e.g., touch screen or voice command) for robot interaction.

• Allow users to request mail delivery manually.

• Allow users to schedule automatic daily mail checks.