LEXINGTON, Va. Could 13, 2024 — The wonder and grandeur of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Shenandoah Valley and the Appalachian Path are unmatched, and a beacon to all who get pleasure from out of doors journey. Campers, backpackers, and day hikers come from everywhere in the nation to expertise Virginia’s pure majesty.
However what about these with mobility impairments? Ought to rocks, slopes, and steep elevations forestall them from having fun with the paths? Not if 12 Virginia Army Institute electrical and laptop engineering (ECE) majors have something to do with it. For the previous educational 12 months, they’ve labored on their senior capstone tasks with three exterior companions to develop a greater strategy to doc and assess mountain climbing trails and share details about their navigability. 
In keeping with Lt. Col. David Feinauer, affiliate professor of ECE, High quality of Life Plus (QL+) is a nonprofit group that challenges STEM school college students to create progressive expertise to enhance the standard of life for injured veterans, first responders, and others who’ve served the nation.
“The engineering capstone expertise is a crucial milestone. It’s a tutorial crucible occasion the place college students are challenged and emerge stronger, extra assured, and extra ready for his or her future careers. High quality of Life Plus is a superb group to work with for these tasks,” he stated.
QL+ introduced two different organizations to VMI as challengers to the ECE cadets: Transfer United (MU), a nonprofit which promotes adaptive sports activities to youths and adults who’ve bodily impairments; and Useful Designs (BD), a rehabilitation analysis and design agency which focuses on creating options for folks with mobility impairments. The challengers requested the ECE majors to enhance the Excessive-Effectivity Path Evaluation Course of (HETAP) created by BD to map mountain climbing trails, and to make details about path navigability publicly accessible.
“The mapping of trails is an important characteristic for these with mobility impairments, because it supplies detailed details about every path, and might make path mountain climbing a extra accessible type of recreation and train. Whereas the present HETAP system works, the challengers wished for enhancements to the software program compatibility with cellular units, wi-fi connections between the sensors and laptop, and a strategy to instantly submit the information gathered to ArcGIS, a geographic info system. These modifications would make the system simpler to make use of, and enhance the information assortment with out affecting accuracy,” defined Feinauer.
The cadets have been divided into two groups, every engaged on a special facet of the issue. Crew A, led by Robert Moran ’24 from Lynchburg, Virginia, centered on high-level measurements together with path slope, cross-slope, path width and distance. They created a cellular system app that’s user-friendly, supplies GPS monitoring, scalable (which means it may well deal with an ever growing variety of customers), and is ABA compliant in its detections.
“Customers can mount their cellular system with augmented actuality capabilities to a wheeled cart, stroller, or wheelchair, stroll a path and create a real-time map. Pins may be dropped to mark sure factors on the path, and the digital camera on the cellular system can be utilized to take measurements of the path width at key factors. All the information collected is then processed and made accessible so potential path customers can gauge the problem of traversing the path,” stated Moran.
The staff admitted there are some limitations to the app together with the truth that it presently solely works on Apple units. The staff really useful that cadets subsequent 12 months write script for Android system compatibility, and to work to make the app accessible on an app retailer.
Crew Z, led by John Lightfoot IV ’24 from Chesapeake, Virginia, centered on offering real-time updates on path circumstances, floor varieties, and obstacles, to boost the out of doors expertise for all customers.
“The purpose was to create a cellular app that allows customers to simply doc their expertise on mountain climbing trails, whereas capturing the required datapoints for use later for evaluation, then communicated to others. Customers can report modifications in floor sort modifications and stage of firmness via a easy dropdown menu and mark obstacles by dropping location pins. Moreover, customers can complement their experiences with photos and detailed descriptions. The app has correct real-time person location monitoring,” acknowledged Lightfoot.
Kristie Yelinek, program supervisor for QL+, has loved working with the cadets.
“Lots of the college students put in an unimaginable variety of hours into the mission, which I feel speaks to their dedication, dedication, and work ethic. All of that reveals within the high quality of the ultimate merchandise. We look ahead to working with them on future tasks that can profit veterans and others who’ve served our nation who’ve adaptive expertise wants.”
Jacob Tyree, coaching coordinator for MU, can also be happy with the cadets’ work.
“They did a wonderful job. I grew up in Roanoke with the Appalachian Path being my yard to discover and luxuriate in. I look ahead to these apps getting used to gather path knowledge and permit folks with disabilities like me, the flexibility to raised plan future out of doors adventures,” he stated.
Marianne Hause
Images by Kelly Nye
Communications & Advertising
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE
LEXINGTON, Va. Could 13, 2024 — The wonder and grandeur of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Shenandoah Valley and the Appalachian Path are unmatched, and a beacon to all who get pleasure from out of doors journey. Campers, backpackers, and day hikers come from everywhere in the nation to expertise Virginia’s pure majesty.
However what about these with mobility impairments? Ought to rocks, slopes, and steep elevations forestall them from having fun with the paths? Not if 12 Virginia Army Institute electrical and laptop engineering (ECE) majors have something to do with it. For the previous educational 12 months, they’ve labored on their senior capstone tasks with three exterior companions to develop a greater strategy to doc and assess mountain climbing trails and share details about their navigability.
In keeping with Lt. Col. David Feinauer, affiliate professor of ECE, High quality of Life Plus (QL+) is a nonprofit group that challenges STEM school college students to create progressive expertise to enhance the standard of life for injured veterans, first responders, and others who’ve served the nation.
“The engineering capstone expertise is a crucial milestone. It’s a tutorial crucible occasion the place college students are challenged and emerge stronger, extra assured, and extra ready for his or her future careers. High quality of Life Plus is a superb group to work with for these tasks,” he stated.
QL+ introduced two different organizations to VMI as challengers to the ECE cadets: Transfer United (MU), a nonprofit which promotes adaptive sports activities to youths and adults who’ve bodily impairments; and Useful Designs (BD), a rehabilitation analysis and design agency which focuses on creating options for folks with mobility impairments. The challengers requested the ECE majors to enhance the Excessive-Effectivity Path Evaluation Course of (HETAP) created by BD to map mountain climbing trails, and to make details about path navigability publicly accessible.
“The mapping of trails is an important characteristic for these with mobility impairments, because it supplies detailed details about every path, and might make path mountain climbing a extra accessible type of recreation and train. Whereas the present HETAP system works, the challengers wished for enhancements to the software program compatibility with cellular units, wi-fi connections between the sensors and laptop, and a strategy to instantly submit the information gathered to ArcGIS, a geographic info system. These modifications would make the system simpler to make use of, and enhance the information assortment with out affecting accuracy,” defined Feinauer.
The cadets have been divided into two groups, every engaged on a special facet of the issue. Crew A, led by Robert Moran ’24 from Lynchburg, Virginia, centered on high-level measurements together with path slope, cross-slope, path width and distance. They created a cellular system app that’s user-friendly, supplies GPS monitoring, scalable (which means it may well deal with an ever growing variety of customers), and is ABA compliant in its detections.
“Customers can mount their cellular system with augmented actuality capabilities to a wheeled cart, stroller, or wheelchair, stroll a path and create a real-time map. Pins may be dropped to mark sure factors on the path, and the digital camera on the cellular system can be utilized to take measurements of the path width at key factors. All the information collected is then processed and made accessible so potential path customers can gauge the problem of traversing the path,” stated Moran.
The staff admitted there are some limitations to the app together with the truth that it presently solely works on Apple units. The staff really useful that cadets subsequent 12 months write script for Android system compatibility, and to work to make the app accessible on an app retailer.
Crew Z, led by John Lightfoot IV ’24 from Chesapeake, Virginia, centered on offering real-time updates on path circumstances, floor varieties, and obstacles, to boost the out of doors expertise for all customers.
“The purpose was to create a cellular app that allows customers to simply doc their expertise on mountain climbing trails, whereas capturing the required datapoints for use later for evaluation, then communicated to others. Customers can report modifications in floor sort modifications and stage of firmness via a easy dropdown menu and mark obstacles by dropping location pins. Moreover, customers can complement their experiences with photos and detailed descriptions. The app has correct real-time person location monitoring,” acknowledged Lightfoot.
Kristie Yelinek, program supervisor for QL+, has loved working with the cadets.
“Lots of the college students put in an unimaginable variety of hours into the mission, which I feel speaks to their dedication, dedication, and work ethic. All of that reveals within the high quality of the ultimate merchandise. We look ahead to working with them on future tasks that can profit veterans and others who’ve served our nation who’ve adaptive expertise wants.”
Jacob Tyree, coaching coordinator for MU, can also be happy with the cadets’ work.
“They did a wonderful job. I grew up in Roanoke with the Appalachian Path being my yard to discover and luxuriate in. I look ahead to these apps getting used to gather path knowledge and permit folks with disabilities like me, the flexibility to raised plan future out of doors adventures,” he stated.
Marianne Hause
Images by Kelly Nye
Communications & Advertising
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE
