Puffin Innovations

Limited use of upper extremities from disability/injury (spinal cord, brain, hand/arm), preclude people from using computers and smartphones, preventing access to integrated services like mobile banking, e-commerce, home automation, etc., additionally impacting access to education and employment. Puffin is a hardware/software hands-free solution combining IoT, ML, and AI, facilitating complete access to personal electronics - more specifically computers and smartphones. Access to such devices allow people with significant physical disabilities opportunities to integrate into their communities, especially as smart cities develop. The increased adoption of smart homes also facilitate independence by giving a person the ability to control their environment. Puffin will eliminate barriers by facilitating interoperability and flexibility to keep pace with rapidly evolving communication standards and advances in the consumer electronics industry as a whole, including the emergence of Smart City and Smart Home technology - improving community living and participation outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

Limited use of upper extremities from disability/injury (spinal cord, brain, hand/arm), preclude people from using computers and smartphones, preventing access to integrated services like mobile banking, e-commerce, home automation, etc., additionally impacting access to education and employment. Puffin is a hardware/software hands-free solution combining IoT, ML, and AI, facilitating complete access to personal electronics - more specifically computers and smartphones. Access to such devices allow people with significant physical disabilities opportunities to integrate into their communities, especially as smart cities develop. The increased adoption of smart homes also facilitate independence by giving a person the ability to control their environment. Puffin will eliminate barriers by facilitating interoperability and flexibility to keep pace with rapidly evolving communication standards and advances in the consumer electronics industry as a whole, including the emergence of Smart City and Smart Home technology - improving community living and participation outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

We project a disabled population of 5.2 million people in the US to ultimately benefit from this solution. Within the first year, we will be targeting approximate 500,000 unemployed (job hunting) individuals with disabilities who are actively searching for a solution like ours to help them gain technological access/training within months for opportunities in the workforce within three years. Seeing the remarkable effects our solution has provided Adriana (CEO) over the last year in leading this venture, we concur with our bevy of happy beta testers: this solution will enable users equal access to job opportunities. 

A Bluetooth-enabled, battery-powered, mouth-operated input device that uses a novel interaction along with IoT/ML/AI to facilitate advanced access to all electronic devices. We designed the Puffin with three attributes in mind: flexibility, functionality, and independence. It features a joystick with a tip containing photo-transistors that are triggered when covered, and a physical button triggered by lightly biting down. A Bluetooth LE module translates the user's interactions with the buttons on the tip and the movement of the joystick into HID mouse commands, allowing a user to wirelessly communicate with countless Bluetooth enabled devices.

Various button combinations map to various commands such as a left click, right click, drag, or scroll, allowing the user to efficiently navigate through web pages, spreadsheets, etc. Two LEDs on the side of the Puffin notify the user of events such as pairing to a new device, battery power levels, and entering drag mode. A lithium polymer battery powers the Puffin, and allows the user to take the Puffin wherever they need to go, without having to worry about tethering the device to a power source. Finally, magnetic connectors attach the Puffin to an external mounting system, allowing the device to easily be detached and moved to a different location. 

Also, we have developed a cross-platform application that allows users to manage settings such as joystick speed and sensitivity, active Bluetooth connections, and fluidly switch between those connections. Bodies of people with disabilities are inconsistent from day-to-day thus benefiting from embedded ML/AI technology. This will allow the Puffin to learn the way in which users interact with it and adjust accordingly when one seems to deviate from “baseline.” We also intend on including sensors to monitor motion and temperature. The data obtained by tracking users’ body movements will not only help influence the Puffin’s adaptability/autonomy and future development, but also be a valuable resource for medical professionals to create more effective treatment plans, as well as for innovators. Tracking temperature is especially important, more specifically for those with spinal cord injuries, as a majority are unable to regulate their body temperature. The combination of IoT connectivity and AI will notify the user of risky temperatures so they can take proper action to avoid health complications; in the case of one having a smart/connected home, the thermostat will be adjusted. These features would be a first in the AT space, allowing us to become leaders in the field.

Puffin is taking advantage of IoT connectivity and data collected using ML/AI to develop a disruptive assistive technology that not only advances access to personal electronics but also learns from a person's usage patterns to facilitate a higher level of accessibility never seen before. IoT connectivity is a comprehensive tool that furthers full inclusion, and machine learning assists in user-centered product development while improving the way people interact with the device and ease of use. Put together, the device has the potential to improve a person’s quality of life in ways we could not have imagined in the past.

Our solution is a novel mouth-operated input device that serves as a seamless, hands-free connection between human and machine.  The mechanism provides axial controls as well as clicking and gesture functionality. Our product is paired with our unique digital platform to provide access to a multitude of technologies, connecting users to their surrounding network. The interface was designed to allow users to self-regulate the device, fostering independence for a group previously completely reliant on assistance. The combination of these tools enable users with physical disabilities to fully participate and thrive in the community.

Our technology can be used by anyone who needs hands free access to electronics by simply altering the form factor; from people with disabilities (i.e., SCI, CP, TBI, loss of limbs, etc.) to those interacting with virtual reality or augmented reality such as workers in intelligent manufacturing or the military. Our mission is to transform the lives of those with physical disabilities, a market size of nearly 2 million people in the United States with 12k new SCIs each year. However, to ensure a sustainable business model we have opened up opportunities in VR/AR and the military. 

Finances are certainly a major barrier: as with many companies, the employee payroll is our largest expenditure. While we have held our own through grants and competitions, we cannot currently afford hiring many full-time team members; critical pieces to our puzzle, such as individuals specialized in embedded systems and data acquisition & analysis, are fairly non-existent. Another rather unique issue we face in our industry stems from the discrediting of women-led, engineering-based endeavours by the general public. Solve is the perfect medium to address these concerns: a means of funding and validating our venture, with the backing of an inclusive community. 

One full-time staff, one part-time staff, one contractor

Puffin Innovations has formed a team of people passionate about assistive technology (AT), business, and engineering. We know we are uniquely qualified because we are solving the challenge of the founder and many others with significant disabilities, which is our motivation and inspiration every day. 

Adriana Mallozzi - CEO and Founder of the company with a lifetime of experience using and innovating AT; an influential leader within both the local and national disability communities, Adriana guest lectures/speaks at Northeastern University and Boston University PT and OT/AT classes respectively and serves on the Board of Directors of Easterseals Massachusetts. 

Christine Prendergast - professional roots in the biotechnology industry, beginning with R&D Project Management and later transitioning into finance roles. She has diverse experience over her 20-year professional career which includes accounting, forecast and budgeting, joint ventures, and mergers. 

Elijah Tucker - Software Engineer with a passion for computers, AT, and the integration of Artificial Intelligence into AT. In addition to chairing the ADA Commission in Maynard, MA, Elijah also volunteers with the Service Dog Project in Ipswich, where he helps care for canines that are in training to become service dogs for people with mobility disabilities.

Still in pre-launch, we’ve deployed our device to a subset of our user base for the purpose of testing functional aspects and generating the optimized position of our optical and physical buttons. Users from Boston Chapter of United Spinal, Easterseals, and the Seven Hills Foundation have tested our system, providing feedback on usability, design, use cases and technical features, helping us develop an optimal interactive device that will better serve them all.

We're also working with Avnet for finalizing design in  preparation for manufacturing. 

Our customers include government entities, nonprofits, and people who are quadriplegic. This encompasses both a B2C and B2B revenue model. We are not only filling a gap in the field of assistive technology by integrating IoT connectivity and ML/AI, but we are also priced at almost 30% less than the devices that are already on the market. For government entities and nonprofits this makes the technology more accessible and allows them to maintain the strict budgets these entities are held to. For individuals who are purchasing the device for themselves, the device is more affordable, it is easier to use, and opens up more opportunities than ever before. 

Sales forces active in trade shows and conferences will sell to other businesses (nonprofits/government entities); simultaneously, we’ll sell directly to users through social media and online marketing techniques. We project the latter stream to increase after sufficient growth enables our product line to enter mass production, significantly reducing costs while enabling better margins. Additionally, aggregated user data (e.g. muscular interactions with devices) can be sold to medical professionals and AT innovators using a SaaS/PaaS model. We have also garnered interest from the military and intelligent manufacturing companies regarding integration into AR/VR headsets, and plan to pursue this larger market to help subsidize our venture.

Given our aforementioned disruptive strategy entails maintaining control of product sales and expanding into an online distribution platform, we will manage our inventory from a single distribution point to match sales and demand, ensuring an efficient and sustainable sales cycle. Globally speaking, our product is tailored towards the present and the future: an interfacing platform designed for compatibility with cutting edge technologies and futuristic smart homes/cities. Further, in updated models, our device will accommodate able-bodied users in certain workforce segments. Additional expansion options include partnering with mobile device companies/providers and licensing our technology to wheelchair manufacturers.

We are applying to MIT’s Solve to enter an initiative with an impact-driven, forward-thinking and open-minded approach. Having launched our company from an MIT hackathon, our team understands that Solve is nested in a culture and community that has the vision and expertise to see a future in which disabilities are not a limitation. Building a support system and gaining recognition within this framework fosters greater ideation, collaboration and feedback regarding our products, and provides a great potential towards enhancing our brand’s marketing capability.

We engaged a few companies, like Flexible Circuit Technologies, that can provide versatile components required upon our device’s aforementioned form factor changes. Microsoft representatives have expressed interest in showcasing our product at their stores as a compatible input device facilitating bi-directional communication, coinciding with their (and our) mission of making consumer products accessible. Along those lines, we’re inquiring about partnerships with companies producing AI developer platforms (e.g. Amazon, Microsoft), as well as organizations such as The Reeve Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We also seek to advance our product’s implementation into military and intelligent manufacturing applications.

Additionally, we hope to form corporate partnerships with various technology companies whose products contribute to our mission of eliminating all environmental barriers, this could be urban planners focused on smart cities to elevator companies looking for innovative solutions to accessibility. The range of partnerships is expanding as innovations grow.