Toyota Mobility is sponsoring ten teams who aim to break into the assistive technology market with $50,000 of seed funding.
The Mobility Unlimited Challenge attracted nearly 100 applications worldwide, and we are proud to announce our joint team was selected!
Our team here at the University of Washington, together with Oregon State University, submitted a joint application. Highlights are included below. To learn more about Toyota’s Challenge or the other nine fellow awardees, click here.
TITLE: Enabling Independent Mobility and Social Play for Young Children with Mobility Impairments
CHALLENGE: There is a demonstrated lack of commercially-available pediatric mobility devices that promote early mobility and socialization in 1-3 year-old children with mobility impairments. The team proposes an intelligent powered mobility device that enables independent mobility and encourages social interaction and play among young children of different abilities. The device will employ artificial intelligence to ensure safety, while satisfying four key requirements of being (1) low-cost, (2) durable, (3) adaptable/customizable, and (4) aesthetically and functionally desirable by children with all abilities.