On the weekend of 13th and 14th October, the WeMake team was in Rome to take part in Maker Faire Rome, the European edition of the event gathering more than 700 makers from all over the continent showcasing their projects to a audience of around 100,000 people.

As we did in 2016, we met with other EU projects at Roma Makers, and also decided to participate organising a DSI Hunt of Health & Care projects whose objective was simple: explore the Faire, talk with inventors, makers, all those passionate about the field, and award them with a Digital Social Innovator Badge when finding a great example to highlight. Digital Social Innovators are people and groups using digital technologies to create bottom-up innovation in a sector which has been strongly influenced by digital transformation with the aim to empower both individuals and communities.

Here’s the results of our DSI Hunt!

A TACTILE EXPERIENCE: RAFFAELLO, CORREGGIO CARAVAGGIO

By Carmelo Occhipinti, Federica Bertini, Alessandro Marianantoni

The research project aims to set up an experimental exhibition to display reproductions of four masterpieces of painting in tactile format, which have already been produced by Mediars in Los Angeles. The project focuses on the development of the reproducibility of artifacts and on reproducibility new technological resources in order to provide accessibility and fruition of artistic heritage for blind people.

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B-SENSOR SMART CUSHION

By Alessandra Boi, Gian Paolo Troga, Javier Villarroel, Raquel Buj

B-sensor is an intelligent multifunction cushion, controllable via app, which allows you to monitor your posture and sitting time in situations of prolonged sedentariness.
It is designed for people who spend many hours sitting in the office or wheelchair-bound people, who are subject to the formation of sores while maintaining the same position for a long period of time.

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PALPREAST

By Lucia Arcarisi, Carmelo De Maria, Licia Di Pietro, Arti Ahluwalia

Palpreast is a wearable device for breast self-examination through tactile imaging.
The device uses a tissue with integrated pressure sensors which adapts to different breast shapes. Because the nodules are stiffer than breast tissue, their presence can be detected through a inflation system that applies pressure from the outside. The result will be available on a graphic interface appositely developed. Palpreast is user-friendly, safe, and it can be used by all women on their own.

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ESTRO

By Lorenzo Daidone, Sara Guagliardi, Alizè Tincani, Alessandro Magno, Marta Policastro, Simone Rolando

Smart, interactive and personalised games for people suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorders, partially sighted or with motor disabilities. The solution presented aims to help people to rehabilitate themselves autonomously, effectively, enjoyably and in a non-hostile place. In addition, the proposed activities can be enjoyed at home, every day and for how long you want, reducing rehabilitation costs and completely avoiding waiting lists.

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MANUAL WHEELCHAIR TO CLIMB STEPS AND STAIRS

By Andrea Belli, Alexia, Davide, Filippo

An industrially manufacturable wheelchair that can be operated manually to climb stairs thanks to the strength of the arms of the person who uses it. Built entirely and economically at home with wood, screws, nuts, washers and bicycle parts, the chair is useful for people with disabilities and/or carers as it breaks down many of the architectural barriers existing in cities such as steps, sidewalks and small ramps.

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DEEBEE - INNOVATION AND DIABETES

By DeeBee Italia

Think of a diabetic child with continuous hypoglycemic crises. How can she go to school without continuous blood glucose testing? If once it was not possible, today it is, and it’s within everyone's reach thanks to this revolutionary project. For example, a dad working at the office and with his diabetic daughter at the nursery, can now see real-time blood sugar values on his smartwatch, and on his PC.  The project is created in collaboration with Nightscout.

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ABBI-K

By Monica Gori, Giulia Cappagli, Chiara Martolini (Unit For Visually Impaired People, Iit)

ABBI-K is a technological system specifically designed for blind children for the evaluation and rehabilitation of spatial perception. The device has been developed by the research lines U-VIP (Unit for Visually Impaired People) and RBCS (Robotics Brain and Cognitive Sciences) at the Italian Institute of Technology in collaboration with other universities for the european project ABBI (Audio Bracelet for Blind Interaction) coordinated by the Italian Institute of Technology (FP7-ICT-2013-10-611452). The system is composed by a wearable electronic bracelet (ABBI) that produces sounds when moved and gives precise information about body position in space, and an evaluation kit (K) that can be used to assess the level of spatial competence of visually impaired children.

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LAPARY

By Alberto Augello e Colaborando

It’s a simple and great device that allows everyone to learn and to train in laparoscopy (the use of fibre-optic instruments to examine and operate on organs in the abdomen) techniques. It’s a kit composed of some components that can be assembled and through an external monitor, It allows users to look at what's happening inside the body.
LAPARY also gives users also the opportunity to use their own smartphone, action cam and webcam, transforming them into a special video device similar to a laparoscope.

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HACK4FEDE

By Hackability

This is an electronic device for communication via Morse code designed to allow a Federica to speak without the alphabetic table. Federica is a 25-year-old girl who suffers from a particular form of autism that prevents her from verbal communication. The project presented is an electronic device for communication via Morse code designed to allow Federica to speak without the alphabetic table (that she uses), equipped with five buttons: Point, Line, End of letter, Clear letter, End of word. There is also a screen displaying the word entered. Inside the device there is also a "game" mode to facilitate the learning of the new language.

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See you next year at Maker Faire Rome!