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Northwestern University

DTC Projects

Featured student projects

Design Thinking and Communication Featured Projects

Browse our projects gallery to see examples of past projects.

If you are interested in partnering with Segal on project, please view our project partnership information to learn how to submit a project proposal.

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DuraCot

DuraCot

A portable changing table intended for a caretaker to change the diaper of a child with cerebral palsy in a public restroom stall.

A mother of a son with cerebral palsy needed a way to change her son's diaper in public restrooms.

The DuraCot is a functional changing surface that is portable, and intuitive for any caretaker to assemble.

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inControl

inControl

A video game controller designed for patients who have hemiplegia.

A recreational therapist observed that patients with hemiplegia have trouble playing video games with a controller designed for two hands.

A team of students designed a controller by mapping both joysticks to the user’s functioning hand.

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Flip

Flip

A cutting board with a side storage bin that can double as a cutting board when flipped.

A team of students found that home chefs have difficulty using cutting boards due to limited countertop space.

Flip offers a space for the user to cut their food and push the items they are saving or discarding into a bin.

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The Alligator Tail

The Alligator Tail

A V-shaped aluminum rail that hooks onto the axle of a wheelchair.

New wheelchair users risk falling backward while learning how to perform a wheelie, a critical skill for navigating in a wheelchair.

While The Alligator Tail is attached, the user will be safely caught if they tip back beyond their point of balance.

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Lambs Locker

Lambs Locker

User-friendly lockers designed for the needs of adults with developmental disabilities

Undergraduate students developed a solution to help developmentally disabled residents at Lambs Farm access their personal possessions.

The students collaborated on an 18-cabinet, nearly hands-free system.

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Sensing Stroller

A stroller that integrates electronic sensors to improve safety.

More than 17,000 children under the age of 5 are rushed to emergency rooms annually for stroller-related injuries.

Kids In Danger, a non-profit organization in Chicago, challenged four Northwestern students to design a safer stroller.

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Roll N Wash

A wheelchair-activated foot pedal to turn on sinks at the Shedd Aquarium.

The Shedd Aquarium needed a wheelchair accessible temporary hand washing station outside of its stingray touch exhibit.

Student engineers created a wheel-chair activated foot pedal to turn on water at these temporary sinks.

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The Slider

A specialized cup for rehabilitation patients who have difficulty swallowing.

Tackling dysphagia after a traumatic brain injury or a stroke.

The Slider is a student-designed specialized cup for patients at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago who have dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing.

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