Biomedical Device Program Changes Lives
Students in a new biomedical device engineering program at Foothill College have teamed up with California Children's Services to design and create devices that help children overcome disabilities and become more independent. The hands-on program, which launched in 2014, is unusual in community colleges. Students make use of the college's 3-D printers to fabricate assistive devices they've designed, such as tools to securely grasp eating utensils, toothbrushes, pencils and other similar objects.
In January, a student-designed exoskeleton that allows 4-year-old Noel Gaeta to bend his arms to play and perform day-to-day activities was featured in an article in the San Jose Mercury News. Coming up with a successful design was a life-changing experience for the Foothill College student who worked on the project.