A lot can happen in just one week with the right amount of teamwork and initiative.
Yuval Hemelin, 14, and his team of fellow high school inventors, were given a week in June to research, design and create an innovative solution for a woman with paraplegia.
Yuval, a Fremont High School student, was one of 14 high school aged students participating in Design the Future, a one week summer camp that saw participants work in teams to design solutions for real problems faced by paraplegics, amputees, and others with physical disabilities.
“We know we’re solving real problems and we know that they are going to love what we create because we’re not designing it for them, we’re designing it with them,” said program founder Durell Coleman. “(Participants) are understanding the value of actually talking with people to solve problems.”
Yuval’s team worked June 15 through June 21 to create a solution for Fernanda Castelo of Redwood City, who has used a motorized wheelchair for 20 years. The team worked to give Castelo more range of motion.
“For her mechanical wheelchair, her joystick is on her right side. And over the years she’s leaned over to her right side more and more and that’s causing her back pain and back problems,” Yuval said. “So we decided to try and solve the specific problem of her leaning over to her right side. We’re trying to solve that by making the joystick adjustable.”
The foundation of the program teachings is “design thinking,” which involves five steps of creating something: empathy, definition, ideation, prototyping and testing.
Yuval’s team started by consulting extensively with Castelo, brainstorming designs that could help alleviate the problem then making prototypes out of cardboard and paper. As a team, they decided to move Castelo’s joystick to the center, so she does not have to continually lean to just one side. In addition, Castelo requested a cup holder that is both conspicuous and versatile, so the team was tasked with designing more than one addition.
Even though Yuval and his team felt the time constraints, they were able to produce something Castelo could actually use by the end of the program.
Castelo was involved in the program every step of the way and was impressed by the dedication students displayed during the camp.
“They did not come here because they were forced to, they came here because of some encouragement, but it was the final decision for the students to show up seven days a week from 9-6,” she said. “That’s just so completely intense.”
The program was held at Stanford and Radicand Labs in Redwood City. The program takes lessons and parts from the Stanford Institute of Design, or school, namely the five steps of design thinking, to educate participants on how to look at a problem and create a solution through design.
“It’s been pretty awesome,” Yuval said of the program. “They started out by explaining what we’re going to do through the program then they taught us how to think about design and the steps that are involved in design thinking. I’ve learned that making anything that you want is possible.”
Coleman said that the program offers students a different way of looking at things, and an opportunity to change lives, and possibly, the world.
“My goal for these kids would be that they are able to use this experience for the rest of their lives to really make sure that what they’re trying to do, what they’re trying to create is something that will really work,” Coleman said. “I want to see Design the Future have the biggest impact that it can possibly have in helping younger people look at the world differently. And begin to not just look at it differently but also make an impact that is lasting.”
The cost to participate in the program is $1,200, but three participants qualified for scholarships from Coleman’s Sunnyvale-based company DC Design.
“We believe that it doesn’t matter what your background is or what your skill set is, you can come in and learn new skills and you can contribute something to any team as long as you’re willing to think about what people really need,” said Coleman.
A Design the Future Expo was held on the final day of the program, June 21. All student teams showcased their final projects.
For more information, visit dcdsgn.co or send an email to info@dcdsgn.co.
