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ATLAS students pair design and engineering to improve access to nature

In Colorado, access to the outdoors may seem like a given.

But for many, it’s not so simple. Physical mobility challenges can limit even the most passionate nature lovers.

A team of Creative Technology and Design (CTD) master’s students has sought to address that challenge in partnership with Dale (HonDocSci’08) and Pat Hatfield,��active supporters of the ATLAS Institute��and CU Boulder.

Dale and Pat enjoy a shared passion for bird watching, which started with a local eagle pair and their young.

“We would stop and watch the eagles,” Pat said. “One would fly and get food and bring it back, then the other one would leave and they would stay in the nest. It was fascinating to watch.”

Pat lives with ALS and has mobility challenges that make it difficult to explore the outdoors. As longtime members of the ATLAS community, she and Dale thought this would be a great opportunity to work with students on a solution.

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A student team — Emrys Baldonado, Jacob Fakult, Graham Stewart, Maria Theresa Villatoro and Althea Wallop — came together in Technology for Social Impact Laboratory, taught by lecturer Erika Palmer.

The class engages students in reframing design problems from the user’s perspective. The process starts with listening to stakeholders, then documenting and finding alignment on critical needs and desires before iterating on appropriate solutions in coordination with the client.

With clear directives and strong communication between the students and the Hatfields, the team quickly developed a working prototype.

“We were in the ATLAS Grad Lab, and they pointed the camera and scope out the window,” Pat said. “We’re at the front of the lab, and just that distance away, they were able to pan and show people walking down the street outside of ATLAS.”

To continue improving the tool, particularly around picture quality and latency, the team embarked on (sometimes literal) field research — testing hardware options, remote software tools, optics, 3D printing and user experience/user interface.��

“Our visit to the Summer Bausch Observatory was pivotal and inspired the second iteration of our 3D-printed connector,” Villatoro said.

The final WildStream system integrates a spotting scope with wireless technology, enabling live video streaming from remote locations without the need for a cellular network. It features large dials, quick-release attachments and a user-friendly interface with enlarged fonts.

Now Pat can view wildlife in real time��and in high resolution, on a mountable��iPad as Dale directs the scope.

Students in the CTD social impact track come away with valuable tools for defining problems and empathizing with users.

“As a data analyst, I rely on these techniques daily — they’ve made me more attuned��to understanding inputs and anticipating��the needs of executive stakeholders,”��
Villatoro said.

Dale Hatfield said the project “enforces the importance of experiential learning—actually going out and building something, getting close to your customers.”

Dale and Pat Hatfield at their home in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo: Jesse Petersen/������Ƶ)

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