A Message from the Director

At the Quality of Life Technology (QoLT) Center we believe independence is the most important part of quality of life.  Our vision is a future of invisible robotic systems - systems that are there without you knowing it - that will aid and compensate for deficits in perception, cognition and mobility, three key components of independent living. Whereas the traditional goal of robotic autonomy is to function with no human involvement, the QoLT Center is turning this around.  We are increasing human involvement by understanding human functions –  psychological, physiological, physical and cognitive – and relating this understanding to the design of intelligent devices and systems that aid, interact and work in symbiosis with a person.  QoLT systems are person-aware as well as environment-aware.

We can't accomplish our goals without our users, collaborators and partners.  Through multi-disciplinary research with a full partnership of engineers, clinical practitioners and users, we are creating revolutionary technologies that will improve and sustain the quality of life for all people.  We thank those who take part in our focus groups and user studies, and provide user feedback.  We also thank our collaborators and industry partners who provide many resources, testbed access and expertise that help to further our research agenda.

Takeo Kanade
Director