This edition of TechCast at UMass explores a new invention that promises to help people suffering from a wide range of psychiatric problems to become calmer, more focused and more grounded.
Prof. Sundar Krishnamurty
When we feel stressed or anxious, a good hug can often make us feel better. But did you know it’s not just the emotional connection that lifts our spirits? Researchers who study sensory awareness have long known that physical pressure soothes the nervous system, as long as it feels safe and secure. Parents have known it since time immemorial, swaddling their infants to keep them comforted. Weighted blankets or vests to apply pressure, is an assistive technology being used primarily to help autistic patients become less agitated.
Tina Champagne
A unique collaboration between the department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and sensory awareness expert Tina Champagne, is working to bring the benefits of sensory pressure to a much wider range of people: psychiatric patients, people with ADHD, and even people with sleep disorders. Doctoral student and prize-winning inventor, Brian Mullen, under the guidance of his mentor, Professor Sundar Krishnamurty of the MIE department, has been devising a new tool that is comfortable, can be worn discretely by anyone anywhere, and delivers just the amount of pressure the wearer wants. It’s called the “Portable Hug Vest” and Brian is working with CVIP in developing his company, Therapeutic Systems, to market the vest.
Brian Mullen (left); Chris Leidel
We’ll talk first with Professor Krishnamurty and Brian Mullen and discuss how the idea for the “Hug Vest” came into being, the project’s evolution, and their collaboration with Tina Champagne. Later on, we’ll visit Tina at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts where she is an occupational therapist. We’ll talk about her work and special training in sensory awareness, her partnership with UMass-Amherst, and her hopes for the Hug Vest.
Links/Additional Info
Sundar Krishnamurty
Therapeutic Systems
UMass Amherst Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
http://www.ot-innovations.com
UMass Amherst Technology Innovation Challenge
National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance (NCIIA)
UMass Amherst Dept. of Communication Disorders
UMass Amherst School of Nursing
UMass Amherst School of Management
Cooley Dickinson Hospital
http://www.ecs.umass.edu/index.pl?id=5590
http://www.umass.edu/loop/talkingpoints/articles/75370.php
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/541002/
http://toolsforwellness.blogspot.com/2008/06/weighted-vests-helping-kids-with-autism.html
Techcast at UMass #5: The Portable Hug Vest Promises Help to People with Psychiatric Disorders [27:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
