Small and rural communities in Texas are charged with the handling of compounded economic, medical, and social vulnerabilities accompanying the mobility challenges. Small-town residents, particularly those with disabilities and older adults, have struggled to obtain needed transportation and health care. In this session, we examine an innovative program that uses emerging technologies to solve the access to transport and healthcare services in Nolanville (population 5,330), a small town located in central Texas.
In November 2020, ENDEAVR Institute launched ENDEAVRide, a novel “transport + telemedicine 2-in-1” service for vulnerable residents in Nolanville. As an on-demand transport service, ENDEAVRide provides door-to-door service for passengers to access food, water, shelter, clothing, and healthcare. As a mobile telemedicine clinic, ENDEAVRide van allows users to video chat with a healthcare provider inside the cabin or tailgate. The van is equipped with various features, such as a video conferencing system, a 5G hotspot, vital sign measurements, and remote diagnostic devices. All vital signs data are viewable by the doctor in real-time. Remote diagnostics such as auscultation are integrated into the same video conference session. In 2021, ENDEAVRide received the prestigious Smart 50 Award (Smart Cities Connect, 2021 ).
ENDEAVRide is a collaborative program supported by many partners, such as Texas A&M University, City of Nolanville, Wocsor LLC, and iHealth Clinic. Members of the program will introduce the transportation and healthcare needs in the community, share experiences, and discuss the lessons learned.
The session seeks to address the following questions:
What do vulnerable populations in small and rural communities need in terms of transportation and healthcare?
How do residents in small towns perceive telemedicine and on-demand transport services?
How did we initiate and operate the ENDEAVRide services in Nolanville, TX?
What are the challenges we faced when implementing ENDEAVRide services?
What are the impacts of ENDEAVRide on its participants?
Kevin Roscom
Kevin is a hardware and software developer with over 13 years of experience writing software for embedded platforms. He specializes in porting software to run on different hardware. Kevin has been a major contributor to the open source, semi-automated driving system Openpilot and added support for many models of Toyota, …
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Kevin is a hardware and software developer with over 13 years of experience writing software for embedded platforms. He specializes in porting software to run on different hardware. Kevin has been a major contributor to the open source, semi-automated driving system Openpilot and added support for many models of Toyota, created the SmartDSU gateway interceptor, added Toyota support for the Comma Pedal interceptor, and created the first port for Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 vehicles. Kevin has also developed hardware and software solutions for industrial environments, with such applications including part counting, asset tracking, and measurement devices.
Over the years, Kevin has developed a particular skill for working with extremely limited resources, building his first robot from a radio-controlled toy car and a Raspberry Pi. Doing so has given him a keen ability to think outside-the-box and deliver solutions, even in the face of supply shortages and tight budgets.
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Zhiheng Hu
Zhiheng Hu - Speakers
Ph.D. Student | Graduate Assistant
Texas A&M University
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Zhiheng Hu - Speakers
Ph.D. Student | Graduate Assistant
Texas A&M University
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Andong Chen
Andong Chen - Speakers
Ph.D. Student | Graduate Assistant
Texas A&M University Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning
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Andong Chen - Speakers
Ph.D. Student | Graduate Assistant
Texas A&M University Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning
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Jane Bian
To be added
Wei Li
Dr. Wei Li (PI) is Associate Professor of Urban Planning. Prior to ENDEAVR, he has led several project-based active-learning projects at Texas A&M University. He is a grant recipient from the National Science Foundation (NSF) – Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, which provides research training for undergraduate students from underrepresented …
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Dr. Wei Li (PI) is Associate Professor of Urban Planning. Prior to ENDEAVR, he has led several project-based active-learning projects at Texas A&M University. He is a grant recipient from the National Science Foundation (NSF) – Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program, which provides research training for undergraduate students from underrepresented minority groups. Dr. Li is an expert in sustainable transportation and urban economics; he has produced impactful research work funded by NSF and NIH. His work has been published in various journals, such as Journal of Planning Education and Research, Landscape and Urban Planning, Urban Studies, American Journal of Public Health, Environment and Planning, and Transportation Research Record.
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