MESSIAH COLLEGE's COLLABORATORY:

Messiah College’s Collaboratory for Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research has been instrumental in development of:

the initial WERCware device hardware
the first WERCware application, an ASD-sensitive job coaching curriculum both through grant funded projects and student volunteer project teams

The Collaboratory engineering team whose development work and refinement spanned the summer of 2008 through academic year 2008-2009 have designed a client device consisting of a micro-computer transceiver base unit and power supply hard-wired to a camera-mounted headset that appears to deliver full functionality audio and video.

It is anticipated that "appears" can be replaced with "has been confirmed" after a November 2010 research study is conducted using the device in a real world work environments.

Having defined device parameters in research to date, a current focus of research is determining whether two more years of evolution in wireless technology will now permit a wireless link between a much smaller and less obtrusive combination cell phone-like earpiece headset and camera and the base unit/transceiver.

It is possible that this may permit/require transitioning from a micro-computer base unit to a cellular smartphone and Bluetooth headset-camera. This would likely deliver further benefits of reduced power-supply demands and longer periods of use between battery recharges.