When the Albany Guardian Society (AGS), a senior advocacy group, wanted creative solutions to facilitate independent senior living, it chose to partner with Rensselaer and the O. T. Swanson Multidisciplinary Design Laboratory (MDL).

“While there are many fine organizations that are working on senior issues, we selected Rensselaer and the MDL because we knew that not only would we get effective solutions to our problem, we would give engineering students a chance to think about using their skills in a manner that focuses on seniors,” said Rick Iannello, executive director of the AGS.

What the AGS got from the MDL student team was a design for a lift-assisted posterior walker. The walker has the potential of giving enough rehabilitative support and mobility to allow seniors to maintain their independence and remain at home. The design has been submitted for patent approval.

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