Hampshire College

What do tape recorders, curb cuts, and remote controls have in common?

Each was originally designed as assistive technology--to assist people with physical, mental, or age related disabilities--and is now commonly appreciated by all and even taken for granted. At Hampshire, the Lemelson Assistive Technology Development Center (LATDC) provides students with an experiential education in applied design, invention, and entrepreneurship through the lens of assistive and universal design (products or built environments to be used by the widest range of ability levels possible).

Applied design is a broad-based holistic approach to the design of functional objects. Applied design draws on the basic principles of industrial and mechanical design, adaptive and appropriate technology, and sculpture. It utilizes prototype development and craft-making practices while considering the aesthetic aspects of design. This academic program, now a part of Hampshire's School of Interdisciplinary Arts, grew out of the original Lemelson Program, which provides a framework for nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit and penchant for innovation that exists at Hampshire College.

Students of many disciplines have benefited from design courses offered through LATDC. Courses cover areas including soft goods design and construction, mechanical design and construction, prototype creation, assistive technology, and universal design. Issues covered include the principles of applied design, anatomy and ergonomics, problem-solving and need-finding, market influence on design, prototype building and testing, consumer research, establishing design parameters, intellectual property protection, and the impact of our society’s aging on design. Courses are experiential and include student participation in prototype construction, with some student-created equipment placed into the hands of the public for real-world use.

In addition to academic courses, the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for Design offers workshops, called trainings, in a wide variety of design and fabrication skills. These trainings, which include both introductory and advanced sessions, are intended to give students the skills necessary to design and fabricate assistive technology and universal design prototypes as well as other innovative applied-design projects.

The center for design offers a laboratory for the exploration of design and fabrication. It is open to all Hampshire students and includes a shop equipped for working with metals and plastics as well as a design lab for manual and computer-aided design. Students may use the facility for both academic and personal projects. There are no prerequisites to use the facility and all skill levels are welcome.