The Inflatable Hug Jacket is a device that aims to reduce stress in moments of upset. It is designed to inflate using a release mechanism that causes a chemical reaction. The reaction releases a gas and this gas inflates the jacket, mimicking the feeling of getting a hug. 

Maddie Johnson-Harwitz

The Stand Assist:

An assistive device to bring more independence to the elderly by helping them stand up from a sitting position with more ease and comfort.

Modern society does not do enough to assist the elderly and care for their mental health, as much of the elderly population struggles with feelings of helplessness. The Stand Assist is designed to combat these issues and enable the elderly to feel empowered and independent. The Stand Assist was designed for a client named Prisilla, who was severely weakened by a seven month long coma. Due to her weakened muscles, she has extreme difficulty getting up from a chair. It can take her ten tries to fully stand up, as she attempts to build momentum and throw her body forward, catching herself on her walker. The device uses her momentum and then actuates to assist her to rise into the standing position. The design of the device is minimalist and elegant to appeal to a very proper Prisilla, who was reluctant at first to use an assistive device.

Although it was designed with Prisilla in mind, the Stand Assist is an assistive device that can empower many elderly people who struggle getting up. The improved design fits as two knee braces connected across the legs at the knee joint. The motors on the outside of each brace are started by a single switch, which straightens the braces until they are fully extended, pushing the user from a sitting position to a standing position. 

Janice:

Bad posture and back pain are an epidemic in today's society. With the rise of technology and desk jobs, more and more people are hunched over during their '9 to 5', and teenagers are suffering too, from school work and phone use. Approx. 85% of the population will experience back pain. Inspired by facehuggers from the movie Alien, Xenobrae exposes the parasite that the general public turns a blind eye to. Now that they can see and feel its legs wrap around them, straightening their back will be an undemanding and even appealing activity. 

Xenobrae is made of fabric hardened with resin in the lumbar and clavicle areas for support, and attached with wooden tendrils that are reinforced with rubber-bands to maintain shape and slightly dig into the body to remind the user how to position their body. 

Sina:

Eighty percent of the population will experience back pain at some point in their lives. As technology becomes a more prominent part of people's daily lives, they become more stationary and less aware of their posture. The Xenobrae is a wearable that fits over the back and supports the spine to improve posture. Designed to look like a leeching alien, it highlights the epidemic of bad posture in today's society. 

A single piece of fabric connects the aesthetic and functional parts of the Xenoblade. It has been molded into the form of an alien a tiny leeching alien. A long strip of the fabric running through the center is woven to have rigidity in the areas of the back that need the most support, its shape represents the spine of the alien. Elongated arms come out of the center to hook on and connect to the wearer's body and represent the leeching of the alien. Together they help support the wearer's spine while also creating a creepy alien which leeches onto their back.