Access and equity through technology
Through UNSW’s AT Hub, biomedical engineers are connecting people living with disability to injury to life-changing, bespoke technology.
Published on the 05 September 2024
Solomon Islands National University
The concept of ‘technology for humanity’ sits at the core of UNSW Engineering – and has done for 75 years now. Expressions of this purpose are found all throughout the various specialisations within the faculty. In the field of biomedical engineering, one of the most exciting examples of how technology is driving positive change for humanity is the Assistive Tech Hub, or AT Hub for short.
The Hub was devised as a course within UNSW Engineering in 2019, by Associate Professor Lauren Kark. A/Prof Kark began her biomedical engineering career with a strong intent for equity of access. AT Hub exemplifies that – providing a unique educational experience to students while contributing to a big gap in society.
“The goal was to match groups of students with people with disability, to create bespoke pieces of assistive technology that they can't get elsewhere”, says A/Prof Kark. “Students get an opportunity to interact directly with their end users and hopefully develop empathy, develop a better understanding of the context in which they operate. Then, of course, our end users get to be part of the process, but also get to have access to a piece of equipment that they otherwise wouldn't have access to.”
This collaboration and co-designing is a fundamental part of the AT Hub. Rather than focussing on how technology can be developed to have the furthest reach or the most significant advancement, the focus remains clearly on what will have the highest impact on the individual life and circumstances of the client students are working alongside. “The goal is not to create a piece of technology”, says A/Prof Kark. “The goal is to get people to participate in the activities that they want to – whether or not you have a disability should not be the barrier to participation”.
Enabling more possibility in more places
The work of the AT Hub has positively impacted the lives of people from all walks of life – empowering them to take part in the activities they love most, where disability might have previously made this difficult. Take Chadi Abi Fadel, who has been able to reconnect with his passion for music – in particular, playing the violin – through the creation of the ventiola, which was developed with AT Hub students. Or Jack and Matilda from the Balmain Community Rowing Club, who are both cutting through the waterways with functional prosthetics developed in collaboration with the AT Hub.
The reach of the AT Hub is continuing to grow too. Last year, a group of students travelled to the Solomon Islands National University to identify new priority projects, which were then brought back to Australia to be developed. The next step? Returning to the Solomon Islands with their prototypes for testing and community feedback.
The opportunity to develop technology for an altogether different part of the world gives students the chance to explore new ways of thinking and creating. “Obviously a person’s experience in the Solomons versus a person’s experience here is going to be very different”, says A/Prof. Kark. “The way you design that technology, the way it’s utilised…. Again, it’s appreciating the context within which they’re operating”.
No matter where or how the AT Hub grows, this appreciation for individual context – and close collaboration with the end user – will continue to inspire the breakthroughs it uncovers.
“The focus isn’t just on the technology, it’s on the possibilities."
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