The Cube XL Assembly team from Lawrence Technological University in Southfield won the national 2018 SourceAmerica Design Challenge, along with Poolesville High School in Maryland.
More than 120 teams of high school and college students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs across the country competed in the challenge.
Lawrence Technological University had two teams in the finals. The first-place winners crafted the Cube XL Assembly. This device helps people with dexterity issues assemble struts that hold pipes to mounts in ceilings. Cube XL allows struts of varying sizes to be assembled with only one hand.
Throughout the competition, students worked closely with employees with disabilities at nonprofit agencies in their communities. Their goal was to understand the challenges employees face and to design innovative assistive technology to make jobs more accessible, more efficient and more fun.
SourceAmerica, a national nonprofit agency with a mission to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities, hosts the Design Challenge annually. The contest is designed to bring greater awareness of the need and the impact of assistive technology in the workplace and encourage upcoming generations to develop an inclusive mindset.
For more information, visit www.sourceamerica.org.
-Submitted by Kerry McGinley