As a professional student researcher with a physical disability, I am motivated by a powerful, innate force: autonomy is the soul of independent daily living that is achieved with the advancement of technology. I am a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) working with Dr. Tim Oates.

I have worked at the National Science Foundation's Engineering Research Center - Quality of Life Technology Center (QoLT) in Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh and IBM Business consulting services. Also, I am also a Ford Foundation Predoctoral and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.

My research involves the development of robotic systems to provide assistance and increase independence for people with disabilities. Currently, I am developing several prototype robotic systems that will support transferring, repositioning, and personal care, with a focus on accessible user interfaces for control that are feasible for persons with severe disabilities.

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Kavita Krishnaswamy, Ph.D. Candidate
Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow
Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
University of Maryland Baltimore County
(443) 718-9463
http://www.csee.umbc.edu/~kavi1/

Essay: Beam Smart Presence System (Beam)

The technology that has made the biggest difference in my life as a doctoral student and professional researcher with a disability is the Beam Smart Presence System (Beam) from Suitable Technologies. The Beam provides users with the ability to remotely connect on interact with audio, video, and autonomy to physically move in different conference, events, and museum locations with the two versions of BeamPro and Beam+. Individuals with severe physical disabilities and the aging population can utilize the Beam to overcome and reduce barriers of travel and mobility. Seniors and people with disabilities can use the Beam to travel the world effortlessly with Internet or 4G connection and their computer with a click of a button. In fact, the de Young Museum, Seattle Art Museum, San Diego Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, San Diego Air and Space Museum, the San Diego Museum of Man, Computer History Museum and the University of South Dakota’s Natural History Museum have Beams to allow virtual tours.

The first time that I used the Beam was in September 2014 in Seattle, Washington to participate in the ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp 2014). The Beam allows me to stand 5.2 ft tall and have controlled mobility to attend and interact with attendees across the country and around the world remotely. It was a tremendous experience because I never had the ability to walk or crawl so it gave me a new perspective and independent mobility to meet, learn, and network with professionals all over the world. I attend many events and conferences with the Beam allowing me the ability to be visible in the community to explore and expand technological boundaries from my home.

As a result of the Beam, I have presented my research to the broader community and demonstrated the potential societal benefit of assistive robotics for people with disabilities and increased awareness of accessibility. I can become involved in many activities that profoundly contribute to my research advancement and significant development in the
robotics field. For example, I also used the Beam to remotely attend the International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS), which was held in Rochester, NY in October 2014. Using the Beam, I successfully defended my thesis proposal in December 2014. My research involves the development of robotic systems for transferring, repositioning, and personal care, with a focus on accessible user interfaces for control that are feasible for persons with severe disabilities. I also developed a survey to understand the perspective of people with disabilities and their family members and friends on assistive robotic technologies, Link: http://www.csee.umbc.edu/~kavi1/survey.html

In January 2015. I was on the LifeLong Health Summit: Will your robot care for you? panel at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV. Also, I attended the ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction in Portland, OR in March. I was honored and humbled to meet and speak with Madame Axelle
Lemaire, French Minister of Digital Affairs, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain in March. I was also on the People with Disabilities Can "Be There" Too panel in South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, TX.

Beyond professional settings, I also virtually visited a number of museums, events, and conferences via the Beam by Suitable Technologies for accessibility evaluations. In April and May, I presented my research and museum experiences at the Museums and the Web conference in Chicago, SMA SUPPORT SYSTEM Global Webcast online, Refresh Baltimore, and American Alliance of Museums MuseumExpo in Atlanta. I also gave a welcome speech at the Palo Alto Inclusive Playground Grand Opening and tested accessibility at the San Diego Air and Space and de Young museums.

I was recognized as one of RoboHub's 25 Women in Robotics You Need to Know About in 2015. I also was interviewed by Forbes, NSF, John Knox Village Gazette, UMBC Alumni Blog, Technical.ly Baltimore, Times Now, and UMBC Magazine. Likewise, I remotely participated in RoboHub's special YouTube interview. To increase awareness of accessibility, the Beam can create opportunities for promoting universal accessibility world-wide. Ultimately, I am passionate about helping others to live independently via assistive robotics and the Beam has immense potential to positively impact the lives of people with disabilities and seniors.