AccessiBelt – Car Seatbelt for Users with Limited Hand Dexterity

Our hand function can be affected by different diseases and disorders, such as arthritis and neurological injuries. Having limited hand function will immensely affect our life and will make everyday simple tasks challenging. There are about 1 million Canadians who reported struggling with daily activities due to this limitation. One task that is challenging for a person with limited hand function is buckling and unbuckling a car seatbelt. Car seatbelts are life-saving devices and are crucial for the protection of passengers in a car. Creating an accessible device such as AccessiBelt will allow individuals with limited hand function to easily and independently buckle and unbuckle their car seatbelt, and will thus improve their overall quality of life. Rick Hansen Institute aims to improve the life of individuals with spinal cord injuries, and partnering with them will contribute to this mission.

Faculty Supervisor:

Roger Tam

Student:

Alaa Heshmati

Partner:

Rick Hansen Institute

Discipline:

Engineering - biomedical

Sector:

Health care and social assistance

University:

University of British Columbia