Disability technology showcased by Detroit Mercy nursing, engineering students

DETROIT (FOX 2) - For nearly 20 years, a program at the University of Detroit Mercy have allowed engineering and nursing students to create new technology to make life easier for people who have disabilities.

Big picture view:

The Faces on Design program ends with a final presentation that allows students to showcase their new designs.

For so many people, a simple task like getting in and out of a vehicle can be challenging because a person is disabled or elderly.

But nursing and engineering students at UDM are combining forces to create safe technology that can help people overcome challenges.

Each team worked with a person who have a disability, when as they designed their product.

"I decided to take this class because I knew it was going to make a difference," said Marianne Mati, UDM nursing student.

"This is the ARMS device, an assistant reaching modular system," said Jezelle Manni, UDM mechanical engineering. "It has carbon fiber tubing, it can extend and retract as well as many different attachments that can be clipped on. We have the hooks, the handle, the skinnier handle, the massager, a back scratcher and a scooper device. These are used by Richard on a daily basis."

What they're saying:

Richard Dries suffered a spinal cord injury and uses the ARMS device.

"Totally awesome - the creativity and the detail more than anything," he said. "This is going to help so many people."

"As professors we’re trying to teach our students the discipline that they’ve chosen, and then how to collaborate with other disciplines to build a better product," said Professor Molly McClelland, UDM Nursing. "Using all the minds and all the disciplines that you can."

The goal is to get these products on the market.