CATCH researcher teams up with top engineering students for creative crowdfunding bid

CATCH researcher Aejaz Zahid and the University of Sheffield’s iForge Makerspace team will be pitching their innovative invention at Sheffield Soup tonight.

Aejaz said: “I am working with a team of some of the brightest engineering students at the University's new iForge Makerspace to create a robot, the Sheffield ArtBot, that will enable an artist who has been completely paralyzed, due to Motor Neurone Disease, for over a decade to be able to paint on canvas again.”

Prior to being diagnosed with MND, over 15 years ago, Sarah Ezekiel was a painter. Due to her condition, she had to give up her passion until she discovered how to create art again though the assistive technology she uses for communication, a Tobii Eyegaze device, combined with design software on her computer. Since then it has been her desire to be able to paint on canvas again in real-time. The Sheffield Artbot will help make that happen.

The project will be filmed from initial ideation through to implementation and trial of the first prototype with Sarah. This short film will be used to help promote the first national Assistive Technology Make-a-thon that Aejaz will be helping to organise in conjunction with the Technology 4 Independence conference in late November. 

Sheffield Soup is an amazing event that supports emerging Sheffield based projects, community groups and start-ups. Every few months, between 15 to 20 projects submit a proposal to Soup and following a judging process, four teams are given the opportunity to pitch their idea for seed funding raised through this live crowdfunding process.

You can support Aejaz and his team from 6.30pm on Wednesday 27^th June at St Mary’s Church, Bramall Lane. For more information and to register, click here.

Find out more about The iForge here.