{"688746":{"#nid":"688746","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Students Stretch the Future of Assistive Robotics","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENow in its fourth year, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/techsage.ahs.illinois.edu\/2025-stretch-robot-pitch-competition-2\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStretch Robot Pitch Competition\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E continues to evolve into one of Georgia Tech\u2019s most imaginative and human\u2011centered design challenges. Hosted by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/techsage.ahs.illinois.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETechSAge Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cidi.gatech.edu\/research\/rerctechsage\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Epart of which\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E is located in CIDI), the competition brings together students from across the Institute to create innovative applications for Stretch \u2013 \u0026nbsp;a lightweight, open source mobile manipulator robot with reaching, sensing, and grasping capabilities. Stretch was developed by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hello-robot.com\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHello Robot\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E which was co\u2011founded by former Georgia Tech professor Charlie Kemp.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith its compact form factor, capable arm, and relatively affordable price, Stretch has already become a favorite among researchers looking to push the boundaries of assistive robotics. The pitch competition invites Georgia Tech students to imagine not just what the robot can do, but what it should do to meaningfully improve daily life for people aging with disabilities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year, teams across several disciplines\u2014from engineering, to business, to computing, and the sciences\u2014submitted video pitches outlining how their technology concept tackles real-world problems users face. The winning team earned $1,000 and, more importantly, the chance to spend a semester working with Stretch in Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/awarehome.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAware Home\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E turning their pitch into a working prototype. Sponsors included TechSAge, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ai-caring.org\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAI-CARING\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/ipat\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInstitute for People and Technology (IPaT)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, and Hello Robot.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFirst place was awarded to \u201cChef Stretch,\u201d a concept aimed at helping older adults with disabilities determine whether food has spoiled so they can prepare and consume food safely. The five-student team included Caitlin Woodward and Elizabeth Thompson (College of Engineering), Aditi Ashok (Scheller College of Business), and Michelle Gu and Vedita Sawhney (College of Sciences).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile Chef Stretch took the top prize, the judges awarded an honorable mention to Ali Vafaeian (College of Computing) for \u201cBimanual Clothes Manipulation and Assisted Dressing\u201d with a $500 cash prize. His proposal tackles another essential activity of daily living, dressing, which can be challenging task for many individuals with mobility impairments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cidi.gatech.edu\/feature\/stretching-future-assistive-robotics\u0022\u003ERead more about this competition and watch the winning students pitches \u0026gt;\u0026gt;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENow in its fourth year, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/techsage.ahs.illinois.edu\/2025-stretch-robot-pitch-competition-2\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStretch Robot Pitch Competition\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E continues to evolve into one of Georgia Tech\u2019s most imaginative and human\u2011centered design challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Now in its fourth year, the Stretch Robot Pitch Competition continues to evolve into one of Georgia Tech\u2019s most imaginative and human\u2011centered design challenges. "}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2026-03-05 18:18:47","changed_gmt":"2026-03-05 18:19:11","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-03-05T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-03-05T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679531":{"id":"679531","type":"image","title":"Chef Stretch","body":"\u003Cp\u003EMichelle Gu, Aditi Ashok, Caitlin Woodward, Elizabeth Thompson, and Vedita Sawhney pose with Stretch and their award certificates. They won $1000 and the opportunity to develop their concept in the Aware Home.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1772734436","gmt_created":"2026-03-05 18:13:56","changed":"1772734469","gmt_changed":"2026-03-05 18:14:29","alt":"Michelle Gu, Aditi Ashok, Caitlin Woodward, Elizabeth Thompson, and Vedita Sawhney pose with Stretch and their award certificates. They won $1000 and the opportunity to develop their concept in the Aware Home. ","file":{"fid":"263704","name":"chef-stretch.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/05\/chef-stretch.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/05\/chef-stretch.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1558640,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/05\/chef-stretch.png?itok=5yT5NAMp"}}},"media_ids":["679531"],"groups":[{"id":"69599","name":"IPaT"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"188084","name":"go-ipat"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}