This part of the STEM course specifically focuses on the engineering and design process. During the second part of the year, students work in small teams in order to engineer new products – usually assistive technology devices. They meet with clients, conduct patent searches, design and build prototypes, demonstrate their products to expert judges, and deliver the products to their clients.
Sensory overload is when the brain is overwhelmed by too much sensory information and the client is unable to process it. This leads to panic, stress, or anxiety in most people who face sensory overload. People with autism are more likely to face sensory overload and can also face more frequent symptoms of overload. There is currently no way to detect sensory overload as different people have different thresholds to different triggers. The most common triggers are sound and light intensity.
The goal of this project is to develop a device to detect and alert individuals with autism when they are in situations where they may experience sensory overload.
