Seattle is a nexus of technological innovation, and the thriving collaboration between tech innovators, academia, and community organizations makes it the perfect setting for groundbreaking advancements in healthcare robotics. At a recent Seattle AWIS event, Dr. Taylor Kessler Faulkner captivated an audience of healthcare and technology enthusiasts with her work on ADA, a robotic system designed to assist individuals with upper-extremity mobility impairments in one of the most basic but vital daily activities: eating.

A Passion for Robotics, Rooted in a Unique Journey

Dr. Faulkner’s career is a testament to how early exposure to STEM can pave the way for meaningful contributions to society. Homeschooled through high school, she found her first spark of inspiration at a FIRST Robotics competition and quickly realized the profound impact of robotics on problem-solving and teamwork. This foundation, coupled with her multidisciplinary education in computer science, mathematics, and music at Denison University, positioned her uniquely in the field of robotics.

Her academic journey brought her to the Socially Intelligent Machines Lab at the University of Texas at Austin and later to the University of Washington’s Personal Robotics Lab, led by Dr. Siddhartha Srinivasa. These experiences provided her with the skills and vision to apply cutting-edge technology to real-world challenges, ultimately contributing to ADA’s development.

The Challenge: Automating Assistance with Empathy

The ADA project, initiated in the Personal Robotics Lab, exemplifies the lab’s commitment to addressing complex manipulation tasks with a human-centered approach. Feeding is a deeply personal activity tied to independence and dignity. For the 1.8 million Americans who require assistance with eating, the process can feel socially isolating or embarrassing. ADA seeks to restore autonomy and privacy by combining robotic precision with adaptive user input.

Under Dr. Faulkner’s leadership, the team faced a significant challenge: balancing automation with user control. Fully automating the process risked ignoring user preferences, while requiring too much manual control from users with mobility impairments could make the system frustrating. The solution lay in carefully designing an interface that allowed users to customize their experience, giving them the power to decide how much the robot should assist versus defer to their input.

Longitudinal Vision: Dr. Siddhartha Srinivasa and the Personal Robotics Lab

Dr. Siddhartha Srinivasa’s Personal Robotics Lab exemplifies the power of sustained, visionary academic research. The lab fosters innovation by addressing meaningful societal needs while providing a platform for collaboration among academic researchers and community partners. Projects like ADA are built on a foundation of interdisciplinary expertise and iterative improvement, enabling graduate students, postdocs, and researchers like Dr. Faulkner to contribute groundbreaking ideas while benefiting from mentorship.

The lab's ongoing commitment to ADA ensures that it remains a dynamic project capable of adapting to new technologies, user needs, and emerging challenges in assistive robotics.

Machine Learning in the ADA System

At the heart of ADA’s innovation is the application of machine learning (ML) and reinforcement learning to solve practical challenges. The robot learns to pick up diverse types of food by observing human actions and clustering these trajectories into representative models. Using real-time feedback from sensors, ADA refines its actions during each meal, learning which strategies work best for specific food types.

For instance, the system uses post-action feedback from its force-torque sensors to recognize similarities between foods like grapes and cherry tomatoes, allowing it to apply previously successful actions to new situations. This adaptive capability ensures ADA continually improves its performance, even in users’ homes.

Collaboration with Community Researchers

A defining feature of the ADA project is the inclusion of individuals with disabilities as "community researchers." Rather than treating users as test subjects, Dr. Faulkner’s team partners with them as co-creators in the design process. These collaborators contribute insights that shape the system's functionality, ensuring ADA addresses real-world challenges rather than theoretical problems.

For example, during a five-day home deployment, a community researcher provided critical feedback on ADA’s usability, helping the team refine its interface and improve its autonomy. This approach fosters empowerment and ensures the system genuinely enhances users’ quality of life.

Seattle: A Hub for Health Tech Innovation

Seattle’s unique convergence of technology, academia, and healthcare makes it a prime location for breakthroughs like ADA. Organizations like Seattle AWIS champion the inclusion of women in STEM, fostering a vibrant community of innovators committed to addressing pressing societal needs. At Product Creation Studio, we are proud to be part of this ecosystem, collaborating with researchers and entrepreneurs to develop solutions that improve lives.

The Personal Robotics Lab’s work on ADA is a shining example of how cutting-edge technology and community collaboration can redefine the boundaries of healthcare. By bridging robotics, AI, and user-centered design, projects like ADA pave the way for a more inclusive and supportive future.

Learn More

• Product Creation Studio

• Seattle AWIS

• Personal Robotics Lab

Conclusion
Dr. Faulkner’s talk underscored the transformative potential of assistive robotics and the power of partnerships to drive innovation. ADA’s development is not just a triumph of technology but also a testament to empathy, collaboration, and the human spirit of discovery.