The Quality of Life Plus Laboratory (QL+) is a multidisciplinary facility within the preeminent School of Engineering at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California in 2009. The QL+ Laboratory is dedicated to the development and application of technology to improve the quality of life of wounded and disabled veterans of the military, law enforcement and intelligence organizations.

Cal Poly.

This laboratory is the pilot facility for research and development of QL+ sponsored innovations. The Program will provide solutions to challenges that will improve the quality of life in ways that will enhance their ability to, work, live and play. Solving these challenges provides a key educational benefit to the students who participate. Team-based problem solving promotes project-based learning at Cal Poly and other universities, as well as to provide research opportunities for faculty members. The QL+ Laboratory serves to create an ongoing innovation engine designed to serve our nation’s heroes.

QL+ will promote actual projects, in the form of challenges, to faculty and students.  This begins with identifying specific challenges from the broader disabled community that are not adequately addressed by current research institutions or the commercial market. Assistive technologies will be developed by QL+ to serve smaller populations or specialized needs by leveraging the creativity of engineering students and faculty. These innovations will be focused on solutions rather than commercial viability. QL+ will use a variety of incentives to encourage student participation and can take the form of competitions and temporary employment opportunities. However so far we have seen a very high level of interest by the engineering students. QL Plus is a popular program among many who are interested in meaningful senior projects.

The QL Plus Program is fortunate to have support at all levels of school management, faculty and the students at Cal Poly. The Biomedical students contributed $30,000 of their money to assist in the development of the program.