UD tech team takes on a brother's challenge

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Dale Brick loves to play video games with his big brother Brad Eley. The challenge is Dale is a quadriplegic and does not have full use of his left arm or his two legs. It makes it tough for this determined 7-year-old to use the games' intricate controller

So Brad, a mechanical engineering student from the University of Dayton, decided to take the project to his fellow engineering students at the Innovation Center to give Dale a little help.

"We collaborated and came up with mechanical prototypes first to have Dale test them to tell us what would be most comfortable." explained Eley.

Through funding from the Kern Foundation, they eventually came up with a controller that has improved Dale's motor skills.

"He's gotten a lot better," Eley said. "He beats me often, actually."

Much to the delight of their mother, Kelly Brick.

"Bradley was old enough when we adopted Dale. Bradley could've just walked away from it," Brick said. "I think it's easy to have compassion for it but not necessarily engage. He had compassion and engaged."

Now students from UD's Business School are researching the controller to determine it's value off campus.

"When they started the semester they were looking to solve a problem," said John Hageman of the Innovation Center. "Now there looking to meet a need that really exists in society.