Documentary Highlights Rose-Hulman Students' Device

August 24, 2012

News Release

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- A new mini-documentary by global innovation leader Siemens is showcasing a prosthetic device created by two Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology biomedical engineering students for an Indiana boy as the latest example of how technology benefits people.

The four-minute video is currently featured on the company’s international Web site www.siemens.com as part of the “/answers” campaign about real people being impacted by Siemens technology. The stories are produced by renowned filmmakers.

View the video at http://www.siemens.com/entry/cc/en/.
The project features Daniel Wilson, a curious, dinosaur-loving eight-year-old boy from Rockville, Indiana. He was born with a longitudinal deficiency, severely limiting the use of his right arm. In the video, he wishes to swing a baseball bat and ride a bike. So his mother requested assistance from Rose-Hulman’s Department of Applied and Biomedical Engineering after learning about the success of past projects for assisting youths.

Biomedical engineering students Mark Calhoun and Jacob Price accepted the senior-year capstone design challenge of using state-of-the-art computer-aided design (CAD) and engineering (CAE) software (developed by Siemens)to construct a lightweight, fully functional prosthetic device that utilizes seven subsystems to make Daniel’s life a lot easier.

“Ideas for our campaign videos go through a very selective process, and I am personally excited because this is the first video to feature a Siemens PLM Software-related story,” states Bill Boswell, Senior Director of Partner Strategy for Siemens PLM Software. “We became aware of a past Rose-Hulman project that used Solid Edge software to design a robotic arm for young boy. After learning about the great work that Rose-Hulman was doing in this area, I contacted our Siemens corporate team in Germany to suggest we highlight this success.”

Two filmmakers spent most of the 2011-12 school year following Calhoun and Price throughout the design and construction process. Then, the project was presented to Daniel in May and he’s now using it at home. The video also showcases Daniel’s sister, mother and father.
“Daniel is an awesome kid, the Wilsons are an awesome family and I could not be more grateful with being given this opportunity,” states Price, a 2012 Rose-Hulman graduate who is now a staff validation engineer for Performance Validation in Indianapolis. “I’ll never forget seeing Daniel engaging in the meetings, seeing the pictures of him wearing his prosthetic weeks after we delivered it and watching him use it to pick up toys and scratch his mom's back. There's no better feeling than that of making a difference in someone's life.”

Calhoun is now a graduate student at The Ohio State University.
The prosthesis was one of 12 biomedical engineering capstone projects completed in 2011-12, under the supervision of professors Kay C Dee, Ph.D, Glen Livesay, Ph.D., and Renee Rogge, Ph.D. Other devices constructed included a custom-design walker for a kindergarten student, a vest-like device that corrects proprioception dysfunction and severely-slouched shoulders for children, a lightweight brace that corrects ankle pronation and an insole device that measures and redistributes the stresses on an athlete’s foot.

“Real projects for real clients help our students make real connections to what they can do with engineering,” states Livesay. “The team that worked with Daniel really exemplifies what we're striving for in design: creative solutions and lots of hard work that enable our students to have a strong, positive impact on the lives of people in our community.”
Dee adds, “Design projects let our students use all of the skills in their ‘toolbox’: professionalism, creativity, technical knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills, independent time management skills, hands-on building and technical documentation skills. These are incredible learning opportunities for our students.”

Siemens PLM Software provided Rose-Hulman a $27.8 million in-kind software grant last year to provide the college and its students with the latest advanced hands-on training tools to lead the next generation of engineers for innovative, high-tech careers. The software is being used by students to develop cutting-edge technology in classrooms, laboratories and advanced transportation competition teams.
“At Rose-Hulman, students work with the latest software and simulation programs from Siemens PLM Software to create a lot of exciting projects,” states Boswell.

About Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Founded in 1874, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology offers a rigorous, hands-on education that stresses development of technical and interpersonal skills in an environment characterized by close personal attention for every student. The college, located in Terre Haute, Ind., has an enrollment of 1,900 undergraduate students and 100 graduate students. For 13 consecutive years, Rose-Hulman has been rated the top undergraduate engineering college in the nation that offers the bachelor's or master's degree as its top degree in engineering. The ranking is based on a national survey of deans and senior faculty conducted by U.S. News & World Report for its college guidebook. Rose-Hulman’s emphasis on undergraduate education has also been recognized by The Princeton Review, which cited six of the Institute’s professors for this year’s Best 300 Professors book. Learn more about Rose-Hulman at www.rose-hulman.edu.

Source: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology