Jarrod Cook works with electrical engineering students Alex Berlingeri and Max Prokopenko on facial recognition for a modular communications system tailore

d to Jarrod's needs. SASHA ZEIDLER PHOTO

Students design communcations system for writer with multiple sclerosis

By SASHA ZEIDLER

arrod Cook’s 17-year journey of

writing his book inspired a team

of UBC engineering students to

build him a communication sys-
tem.

Cook, who is quadriplegic due to his
battle with multiple sclerosis, connect-
ed with the students through the Neil
Squire Society, a non-profit that devel-
ops computer-based assistive technol-
ogy for people with disabilities. As a
fourth-year project, the electrical engi-
neering students are designing a com-
munication system tailored to Cook’s
specific needs.

Cook, along with friend Trevor Mills,

has been writing and editing a book of
short essays called Ponderations. The
writing process consists of Mills lip
reading, or go-

“T always feel like I’m learning from
him through his writing and I’m re-
ally excited to see what happens when

he is able to

ing through the “He is one ofthe most communicate
alphabet until , le le with less ef-
Cook indicates | Optimistic people Ihave | for,” — Mills
the correct let- * ‘con said.

ter with an ever seen 1n my life. Since last

eyebrow move-
ment.

This
consuming method results in roughly
three words written per minute. Pon-
derations, meant to inspire readers to
think, has taken 17 years to write due
to Cook’s restricted communication
abilities.

time-

— HARVEY JIANG, UBC STUDENT

September
students Har-
vey Jiang, Max
Prokopenko, Mitchell Ho and Alex
Berlingeri have spent roughly 400
hours working with Cook and Mills to
develop a modular system. Using eye
tracking and facial recognition, Cook is
able to indicate a specific section of the

alphabet or letter with a movement of
his eyebrows or mouth.

“[The engineers and Trevor] are pa-
tient, and that’s all that matters to me,”
Cook said of their collabora-
tion.

The system will allow
Cook to communicate
quicker and with less
effort.

“The ability to help
somebody rather than
improve a process in a
company or create a dif-
ferent device is what drew
me into this,” Prokopenko said.

Despite Cook’s condition, his dedi-

cation to making this project a reality

has proven to be a tremendous asset in
the testing process.
“He is one of the most optimistic
people I have ever seen in my life,” Ji-
ang said.
With Ponderations com-
pleted, their search for a
Canadian publisher is
underway. Cook contin-
ues to devote himself to
the projects he starts.
“T am very bad at quit-
ting,” Cook said.
The functioning
prototype will be complete
and available to help others in
similar situations in early April.

Transit Ice cris!

TransLink still
investigating icy
tracks ahead of
possible snowfall

By ALYSE KOTYK

ith snow forecast to fall
this weekend in the Lower
Mainland, TransLink con-

tinues to investigate why the Canada
Line experienced track problems in
Richmond during the region’s recent
cold snap.

In early February, transit riders to and
from Richmond faced significant delays
because of snow and ice. Now, Trans-
Link and Canada Line customers are
looking ahead to what this means for
future winters, and possibly this week-
end.

“We've had many winters for Canada
Line with freezing weather, with snow
with no issues, so the question for us
right now is why did it happen this
year,” said Chris Bryan, a TransLink
media relations officer.

Bryan pointed out that TransLink
has measures in place to deal with the
effects of cold weather, including “spray
trains” that spray the track’s power rail

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Commuters in Richmond during this February's snowstorm. susMiTTED PHOTO

with de-icing agents, sand to help with
traction and on-train staff to help trou-
bleshoot issues as they arise.

After the last drop in temperature,
however, Bryan said a buildup of ice on
the track led to a failure of the train’s
electrical connection, particularly as the
trains crossed the Canada Line Bridge
into Richmond.

Richmond resident Dominique Vaz,
who uses the Canada Line daily to
commute to her job at UBC, said her
usual hour-and-a-half journey took
more than four hours during the last
shutdown.

“The only way to get to and from
Richmond is the Canada Line,” she
said. “And when that fails, there’s no
backup plan. I feel like Richmond al-
ways gets screwed over.”

Richmond Coun. Linda McPhail
said the city contacted TransLink with
requests to find out why the Canada
Line had such track issues and to out-
line its plans to mitigate delays in the
future.

“If you don’t have a reliable public
transit, people are going to be like ‘I
can't chance it, I’ve got to go in my car,”

she said.

Delta B.C.

Campaign aims to

shed ‘Corporation’ tag

and market as a city
By EMELIE PEACOCK

elta — or the Corporation of

Delta as it is officially known

— wants to become a city and
is asking only those residents opposed
to the idea to send in ballots by March
31.

All municipalities in B.C. are legal
corporations, yet Delta is the only one
in the province using the word “corpo-
ration” in its name. To become a “city,”
Delta first has to determine how many
residents are opposed to the move, and
is asking naysayers to fill out ballots at
city hall and recreation centres.

Delta Coun. Sylvia Bishop said be-
coming a city will raise Delta’s profile
for individuals and businesses looking
to relocate. It will also clear up political
misunderstandings, such as when a re-
cent delegation from Delta visited Rot-
terdam and was mistaken for a private
corporation.

“People are always asking, “Well, what
do you mean corporation of Delta?”
Bishop said. “They think we're some
private business.”

Maple Ridge dropped the “corpora-
tion” tag in 2014, with only three people
opposed to the name change. Maple
Ridge Coun. Kiersten Duncan said be-

rebrands

coming a city was the right move.

“It’s significantly easier to get fund-
ing and support from organizations and
corporations and other levels of govern-
ment,” she said.

Delta’s cost to run its campaign,
which includes ads in local newspapers,
is $5,000. Considering voter turnout
for municipal elections in Delta has
hovered around 30 per cent, the name
change is not likely to face mass oppo-
sition.

“T would be surprised if we had more
than a couple thousand [opposed],” said
Lauren Munden, senior policy analyst
at the Corporation of Delta.

If the name change goes ahead, very
little of significance will change. Signs
will be replaced as they age, stationery
will be phased out and benefits Delta
enjoys as a municipality, such as ap-
plications for provincial grants, will
remain.

2014
2015

2007

SOURCE: GOV.BC.CA