Transforming Healthcare with Playful Technology: Jared Duval’s Innovative Approach
In a groundbreaking move to enhance healthcare technology, computer scientist Jared Duval has received a significant boost from the Flinn Foundation. This new grant of $300,000 over two years empowers Duval to further his innovative research at the intersection of health, technology, and community needs in Arizona.
Duval, an assistant professor at the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, operates from the Playful Health Technology Lab. The lab’s mission is to develop accessible and engaging technology solutions that cater to the diverse health requirements of the community.
Inside the Playful Health Technology Lab
At the lab, Duval leads a team of 15 students, both graduate and undergraduate, in creating adaptable technologies. These innovations are designed to be user-friendly and cost-effective, leveraging common technologies that are widely available. Duval emphasizes creating “playful probes” targeting specific health outcomes with minimal engineering, allowing users to adapt them to their personal needs.
Collecting data through these probes, the lab aims to enhance community health and inform future research. “We don’t have very many insights into what happens at home,” Duval notes, highlighting the importance of bridging the gap between home and clinical health practices.
The Role of Internet Access in Health
The lab’s NetGauge project exemplifies the connection between internet access and health. Utilizing Twine, a game-building tool, participants collect broadband data across rural Arizona while engaging in physical activity. By challenging overestimated coverage maps from the FCC, this initiative underscores the internet as a crucial determinant of health. “Internet is a structural determinant of health,” Duval asserts, emphasizing its role in telemedicine, job access, and education.
Community Engagement Initiatives
Thanks to the Flinn Foundation’s support, Duval is launching the Hozhoni Game-o-Rama in collaboration with the Hozhoni Foundation. This event will showcase seven technologies from the Playful Health Technology Lab, providing feedback that will guide future developments. One highlight is the Robomoji app, designed to integrate robotic arms with expressive motions, breaking down stigmas and enhancing user interaction.
Personal Motivations and Path to Innovation
Duval’s dedication to making healthcare more accessible is deeply personal, influenced by his upbringing and experiences in disability care. His academic journey in computer science has been driven by a passion for integrating technology with holistic health approaches, as demonstrated in his projects with organizations like Cirkus.
“As academics, we have been operating under the western medicine model of health, which is important research,” Duval reflects. “But what we were missing was the translational integrative research that looks beyond just the clinical outcomes and thinks about health more holistically.”
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