Xogo Accessibility Platform

Xogo is addressing the digital divide facing people with disabilities (PwD) by providing a scalable and adaptive open platform which enables users of all abilities to connect to consumer technology in ways suited to their personal needs. The goal is to empower PwD by giving them the tools to be independent, connect with others, seek and retain education and employment, and contribute to society both economically and socially.

By creating an interface that allows people with disabilities to use all forms of technology in a way that works for them, it provides not only access to technology, but access to other people. Access to technology - in our tech-dominated age - means access to employment, relationships, and community. It builds bridges for the one billion people worldwide with disabilities who are often isolated.

For people with disabilities (PwD), access to mainstream technology often lags years or decades behind their non-disabled peers. In the US alone, there are over 13 million Americans who rely on assistive technology daily and 66% of those individuals reported that their devices aided them in securing employment. These individuals are often unable to use PCs, smartphones, or other consumer technology without the presence of assistive technology to bridge the gap. On a global scale, the World Health Organization estimates that over 1 billion people would benefit from assistive products and this population is projected to rise above 2 billion by 2050.

But, the assistive technology market is highly fragmented, composed of many disparate players each targeting a small niche of users or a single segment of care while offering limited solutions at a very high price point. Xogo addresses this by integrating assistive devices with general consumer technology in a unified platform, and by creating an interface that allows PwD to easily configure their devices to suit their needs. Greater access to technology increases social engagement, employment, and quality of life for PwD, allowing for more independent living while taking full advantage of mainstream technology.

Xogo is a hardware box and open software platform that allows users with disabilities to connect both standard and assistive devices to off-the-shelf consumer technology through an intuitive and powerful configuration app.

Xogo allows a user with a disability to connect whatever device they would like to use - Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, or the 3.5mm jack that many assistive switches use. From there, the software inside Xogo allows users to control any and all consumer devices around them. So in the home, this means users with disabilities can now play video games against their friends using a wheelchair joystick, and those same wheelchair controls work for the lights, front door, thermostat, and more. This is a level of independence that goes well beyond what is available now, and in the office this means users with disabilities can fill positions that were previously inaccessible.

You can see a video of how our solution works with products like Comcast’s X1 platform at this link: https://myxogo.com/demo

The communities we serve are worldwide. An estimated 1 billion people, roughly 15% of the world population, live with long-term or residual disabilities, yet these people are underserved and continue to face barriers that limit their access and inclusion in society. In the US, people with disabilities face disproportionate unemployment which often leads to isolation and poverty. The Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities mandates access to quality and affordable assistive devices, yet only 10% of the people in need report having proper equipment. Universal access to assistive products is essential because it promotes inclusive sustainable development and creates great strides in human rights.

For people with disabilities (PwD), the digital age represents both a tremendous opportunity and a considerable challenge. While technology presents opportunities for improved communication, educational resources, and professional activities, the benefits have been unequally distributed. PwD are over four times less likely to complete higher education, nearly ten times as likely to be unemployed, and nearly three times as likely to face persistent poverty. Indeed, while socioeconomic barriers for accessing digital devices are decreasing in the general population, this relationship does not hold true with PwD.

When we think about how marginalized populations access and create good jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities, the first thought that comes to mind is the technology that has now become universally required to start and grow a business. From accessing desktop spreadsheets and smartphone banking, to activating and controlling webcams for video conferencing, as well as the ability to control the lights and doors at your business location; people with disabilities are often at a disadvantage when their disability affects the ability to control these necessities.

Our platform equips workers with the technology to stay apace in this tech dominated age.

Our innovation is a system for end user programming (EUP) for IoT applications, which enables end users (non-programmers) to modify, control, and automate their devices and services. Our approach promises to give users control over home devices using whatever methods of input the user desires, including physical input devices. This is particularly impactful for people with disabilities (PwD), who are often excluded because of a lack of suitable control options.

For IoT applications, offerings for PwD are severely lacking. IoT platforms such as Samsung’s SmartThings and Amazon’s Alexa have very limited to no support for configuring physical input devices, such as wheelchair joysticks and other assistive devices. Voice assistants such as Alexa are becoming a compelling assistive technology tool, opening more options for access for people with physical disabilities. However, while voice excels in some scenarios, it is also limited in others. For instance, voice is not well-suited to real-time or continuous control of outputs, such as drones, photo-editing programs, or video games. It is also not well-suited to noise or privacy constraints and is not an option for users with speech limitations. Our approach treats voice as one of many input options for users as opposed to an exclusive means of access, thus differentiating us from voice-driven platforms such as Alexa and Google Home.

Our innovation is a system for end user programming (EUP) for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, which will allow end users (non-programmers) to modify, control, and automate their devices and services. The architecture promises to give users control over home devices via whichever input methods the user desires, including physical input devices. The novelty of the system lies in the degree of customizability it supports while remaining intuitive and accessible to non-programmers.

We were recently awarded a Phase I National Science Foundation SBIR grant (link) and you can see a video of our work with Comcast here: https://myxogo.com/comcast

Our goal for this project is to develop an open platform for end user programming (EUP) of IoT applications that addresses accessibility from the ground up. This platform will foster widespread digital inclusion by allowing users to connect with technology in ways that work for them. Initially, people with disabilities will benefit by enabling control of standard consumer technology through physical input devices, especially assistive technology. Later, this same technology will allow the senior population to benefit from Xogo’s simplified and accessible user interface. While this is our initial focus, our long-term goal is for Xogo to benefit the broader consumer market, giving all users better control of their IoT devices.

• Currently: 100 people
• One Year: 1,000 people
• Five Years: 250,000+ people

1. Our initial rollout will be a direct-to-consumer launch to our initial focus of people with disabilities
   1. We will concurrently launch in organizations that serve PwD (rehab centers & hospitals)
   2. During this phase we will launch and grow our open-source ecosystem of contributing users and developers, which will enable our platform to scale with user's needs
2. Mainstream market via retail and partnerships
   1. We expect strong initial demand from tech-savvy smart home users
   2. We will expand on our initial partnerships with corporations like Comcast to help companies with their accessibility options
3. Long-term plans include using the Xogo platform in the physical rehabilitation and telemedicine space. In the clinic, we will allow patients with injuries and disabilities to play video games during recovery and rehab. From there, we will build a clinical platform with a suite of tools to enable therapists to use video games to drive physical therapy regimens in inpatient, outpatient, and home settings. The goal is to increase the enjoyment as well as the patient engagement of rehabilitation

Although large corporate partnerships are potentially very helpful, they also present a risk. Our prior work with Comcast has demonstrated our ability to solve their users’ pain points on a small scale. One risk facing our technology is that our business funding constraints may necessitate full focus on a Comcast deployment, limiting our architecture’s potential to benefit US consumers at large. Although Xogo will certainly be valuable to Comcast and its users, we also do not want its capacity for social and economic impact to be limited to this market segment.

Funding from grants will help us mitigate this risk by providing us with the resources necessary to develop an open platform available to all users. Our goal is for Comcast to serve as an initial distribution partner to deploy Xogo into at least 250,000 homes of PwD across the US, followed by expansion to general consumers over the next three years.

• Full time employees: 2
• Contractors: 7

Dalton Banks is the co-founder and Chief of Product and is an experienced engineer who holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering and an MS in Robotics from the University of Pennsylvania. His engineering skillset was bolstered by industry experience at Siemens Healthcare, where he developed a testing infrastructure for a robotic clinical diagnostics platform. He also gained clinical research experience through his work at the Penn Medicine Rehab Robotics Lab (Penn GRASP Lab). In addition, Dalton has a deep appreciation for the pain points of our users. Growing up close to someone with a disability, Dalton was exposed to the everyday challenges of living with a disability, and while training as an engineer he grew passionate about using technology to improve physical ability and independence. He has since been responsible for all aspects of Xogo’s software and design, and wrote the patent assigned to Bansen Labs for the novel architecture behind the Xogo ecosystem.

Ray Abel is the co-founder and CEO at Bansen Labs. He is an experienced leader, successful entrepreneur, and skilled project manager whose knowledge and familiarity with our target market is bolstered by his experience as a program coordinator for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He has cultivated relationships with many rehabilitation centers, NGO’s, and hospitals in support of the community of PwD. These relationships are essential to understanding our users during the design thinking process and will also have a direct impact on our sustainability.

• The National Science Foundation - we are an SBIR grant awardee
• Comcast - we have completed one pilot test and are working towards a larger rollout with their users
• Magee Rehabilitation - they are a pilot test partner for us
• Various rehab centers - we have tested Xogo at 6 rehabilitation centers around the country

We have a strong grasp of our initial market and have formed key partnerships with both national and international corporations including Comcast (US), Liberty Global (UK), thirteen rehab centers and hospitals, and many non-profit organizations. We have also undertaken two market research studies, conducted pilot tests with six research institutions, and have two advisory board members with disabilities. These partnerships will help with our initial product launch.

We recently fulfilled a contract with Comcast to pilot a limited version of Xogo to connect users with disabilities to their Xfinity X1 cable platform. We were also their first ever Startup-in-Residence and are one of only five companies authorized for access to the X1 API. The Vice President of Accessibility has strongly endorsed our project, and Comcast is eager to purchase and distribute our hardware once we have a commercialized version.

Magee Rehabilitation Center, based in Philadelphia, PA, is one of ten rehab centers that have expressed strong interest in acquiring Xogo devices to use in their facilities. Magee is one of three founding members of the Christopher & Dana Reeve NeuroRecovery network, was ranked #13 among US rehabilitation hospitals in 2019, and is one of 14 Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Model Systems designated by NIDILRR39. They will be partnering with us for this project to pilot test with their users and have been a partner for previous tests of Xogo.

We are finishing our work on a Phase I NSF grant and will be applying for a Phase II. In conjunction with the Phase II SBIR grant, we will be completing a contract with Comcast for a large pilot test with their users who have disabilities. We were recently awarded a manufacturing grant and will have production-ready units available in August for a beta rollout to users.

We believe that once we complete the Phase II SBIR and the concurrent beta test with Comcast, we will be ready for a full launch to the users we serve in 2021.

We believe that the mentorship and strategic advice will be invaluable to us as we move from an idea, to a viable product. The impact of this mentorship can not be understated. Also, the funding from the program will help us to stay focused on our mission and continue hiring the right team to see our vision come to fruition.

We believe that MIT faculty would have great insight into our technology, and we are also excited about the potential to work with companies like GM. We were extremely happy to see that they have a passion for seeing a level playing field in the workforce, and we would love to be able to collaborate with them to provide solutions to workers with disabilities.

Since our founding, we have believed that people with disabilities should have the same opportunities as those who are fully-abled. That extends to the workforce, and we have been very interested to see how we could help users on production lines as well as offices connect to workplace technology that they are currently unable to use. The ability to partner with a company like GM and to see how we can help users with disabilities at their headquarters and plants would be an extraordinary opportunity for us, as well as the families we serve that are often excluded from well-paying jobs.