From Facial Expressions to Independence: Designing Accessible Technology for Every Child
An international collaboration exploring how affordable assistive technology can empower communication and inclusion for children with complex disabilities.
Onsite student activities took place from 30 June to 4 July 2025.
“What is considered basic independence for some can be a privilege for others.”
At Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), we participated in the ECIU University Challenge in collaboration with Nexe Fundació, working on a real-world challenge: creating a more inclusive environment for children with multiple disabilities.
Our team focused on addressing communication barriers faced by children with severe motor and communication disabilities, particularly those living with cerebral palsy and complex accessibility needs.
We developed a concept for a personalized, affordable, and open-source assistive communication system that enables children to interact with their environment using facial expressions. By combining facial-expression recognition technology with low-cost hardware such as Raspberry Pi and smart-home integration, the system translates expressions into actions, helping users communicate and control connected devices more independently.
The project was built around a simple belief: technology should adapt to people's needs, not the other way around.
Working closely with accessibility experts, mentors, and international students reinforced an important lesson for our team:
What is considered basic independence for some can be a privilege for others.
The experience strengthened our commitment to designing technology that prioritizes accessibility, affordability, dignity, and inclusion from the beginning.
The project was developed by Abhishek Kumar, Prashant Gode, and Harsh Lokhande from Hamburg University of Technology as part of the challenge programme.
As we continue building solutions in healthcare and assistive technology, the insights gained from this collaboration continue to influence how we think about user-centered innovation and equitable access.
Partner Organizations: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Nexe Fundació
Focus Areas: Accessibility • Assistive Technology • Inclusive Innovation • Human-Centered Design