Not-for-profit organisation TOM: Melbourne helps create accessible and affordable assistive techonology products that help improve the lives of people with disability especially in cases where there are no obvious or current solutions available. They work with people who have specific needs and connect them with professionals such as engineers, industrial designers, health professionals and tradespeople.
Their past prototypes include powered crutches, wheelchair wheel cleaners and bespoke exercise machines. Each of the product’s intellectual property is then shared through an open source, Digital Product Files, to make these products accessible and be easily replicated.
TOM: Melbourne also runs a mix of programs and events. Some of them are:
Makeathon
The TOM: Melbourne Makeathon is a weekend marathon of creating and making that is attended by participants who will need to work together with a team of professionals. These professionals will consult the participants about their specific challenges. Over the weekend, they create custom-built assistive technology that assists individuals with a solution for their specific need.
For those interested to join their upcoming Makeathon, visit this page: tommelbourne.org/makeathon.
TOM @ University
The TOM @ University program is currently underway with Bachelor of Engineering (Product Design) students at Swinburne University. These students have the opportunity to take on a challenge submitted by an individual with disability or their support network (referred to as Need-Knowers) for their final year Professional Project. It is an extremely rewarding program where individual students work collaboratively with a participant to develop a solution for their challenge.
Students spend the year (March-November) researching, developing and refining their innovative designs to produce a prototype, technical drawings and an accompanying technical report. The collaboration sessions are individually organised between the Need-Knowers and students.
In August there is another TOM @ University program taking place at Swinburne’s Design Factory Melbourne (DFM) where postgraduate Occupational Therapy and Design students work on a Need-Knower’s challenge for 3 months.
TOM @ Schools
The TOM @ Schools programs are custom-built STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) workshops teaching students about the design process, disability awareness and prototyping. The TOM@Schools progam looks to foster engagement, aspiration and build an interest in STEM subjects whilst raising awareness about the real-world application of STEM to solve challenges for people living with disabilities.
To learn more about TOM: Melbourne, visit tommelbourne.org.
Comments are closed.