Automated Laser Pointing Device for Capuchin Monkey Helpers
By Newton, John C.; Rux, Alan; NSF 2008 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons With Disabilities, pp. 222-223Publication Date: 2011
Description of an automated laser pointing device that enables people with limited mobility to point to objects in their environment to receive help in their retrieval by a service animal. The device was developed by an engineering student at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell for Helping Hands of Boston, a nonprofit organization that breeds, raises, and trains capuchin monkeys to assist their clients with limited mobility, many of whom have spinal cord injuries. The monkeys are trained to retrieve objects in response to a laser pointer. The device consists of a hand held joystick that uses a transmitter to communicate the desired coordinates wirelessly to a receiver, which in turn controls the position of the laser via two servos. The client operates the joystick to select an object in the room. The joystick has a left-and-right X axis and an up-and-down Y axis. Once the laser is positioned correctly, the client activates a button to excite the laser, shaking it in close proximity to the object to get the monkey’s attention. The receiver module, which is powered by an AC/DC adapter, can be mounted to a wheelchair, table, or bed frame. Cost of parts and material for the unit was less than 300 dollars.
Published by: Creative Learning Press, Inc. (Website:http://www.creativelearningpress.com)
Link to text: http://nsf-pad.bme.uconn.edu/2008/Chapter%2012,%20University%20of%20Massachusetts%20Lowell.pdf
ISBN: ISBN 1-931280-15-0
