130 research outputs found

    Documenting Downloadable Assistive Technologies

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    This major research project explores Downloadable Assistive Technologies (DAT) and the possibilities as well as the limitations of publishing and fabricating DAT through online 3D printing communities. A design probe was used for this research within the context of Thingiverse, in the form of a 3D printed dog wheelchair design probe – the FiGO Dog Wheelchair. FiGO enabled an exploration of issues of design and communication of DAT. Through research involving both end users as well as a health professional, as well as interactions within the FiGO project page on Thingiverse, criteria for communicating DAT published on Thingiverse were developed, and a second FiGO project page reflecting these criteria was prototyped and evaluated. It is concluded that DAT could potentially benefit most greatly from a structured set of guidelines of use and communication of risks in the form of a design brief, and that there are specific considerations to developing a meaningful design brief for DAT including: 1) Tell the story of the design, 2) Do not make assumptions about the end user, 3) Clear instruction about the design use, 4) Inclusion of source files to enable user participation and extension of the design

    Relating the Makerspace Movement to DIY Adaptive Equipment in an Online Intervention Course for Adults with Physical Disabilities

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    Many occupational therapy programs use hybrid instruction methods that include virtual learning. To ensure active learning techniques, instructors must alter and adapt traditional instruction methods to the virtual environment. This article explores the use of a virtual Makerspace to create adaptive equipment used throughout online intervention course experiences. Thirty-seven first year occupational therapy students participated in an exclusively online, synchronous course focusing on interventions for adults with physical disabilities. A Makerspace was created to allow students to have access to adaptive equipment (AE) and teach students how to fabricate low-cost AE for future clients. During class, guided instruction was provided to fabricate a sock aide and a universal cuff. This AE was then used throughout the course to provide hands on learning opportunities. Summative assessments were used at midterm and at the conclusion of the course. Students noted enjoyment and preference for hands on activities such as Makerspace, acknowledging how this connected with roleplaying and client interactions. Students were observably engaged throughout the course and integrated AE into learning scenarios throughout. Student feedback supported the use of a virtual Makerspace and reinforces the notion of the maker movement as shared ideas and space to build community. This not only provides a learning opportunity but offers connection in virtual environments. Makerspace activities can also be used to build competence and confidence in OT intervention. A Makerspace is an active learning opportunity that can be successful in person or virtual environments

    E-textiles Assisting Healthcare, Rehabilitation, and Well-being - To whom, for What, and How?

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    The use of e-textiles in healthcare, rehabilitation, and well-being (referred here as assistive e-textiles) is spreading for its obvious benefits, such as monitoring of physiological signals and vital signs. Although there are versatile studies on individual applications of assistive e-textiles, there are not many that include in the design process a wide variety of stakeholders who have roles in development or use of assistive technology. To provide stakeholder-oriented design knowledge regarding the development of assistive e-textiles, we organized five multidisciplinary ideation workshops for 50 participants with different backgrounds and roles. Many distinct ideas were created that targets a diverse set of users from different age groups, ability levels and even for non-human actors. Participants came up with ideas related to work environment, rehabilitation, healthcare, and daily life. This article presents those findings and discusses how those can help designers and researchers in the field.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

    e-NABLE: DIY-AT Production in a Multi-Stakeholder System

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    The e-NABLE community is a distributed collaborative volunteer effort to make upper-limb assistive technology devices available to end users. e-NABLE represents a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to traditional prosthetic care. In order to learn about the attitudes and challenges of stakeholders working in and around e-NABLE, we conducted interviews with 12 volunteers in the e-NABLE movement and 3 clinicians. We found that volunteers derive a rich set of benefits from this form of altruistic activity; that both volunteers and clinicians recognize that end users benefit from aesthetic customization and personal choice in device selection; and that volunteers and clinicians bring separate, but potentially complementary, skills to bear on the processes of device provision. Based on these findings, we outline potential ways for volunteers and clinicians to optimize their talents and knowledge around the end goal of increased positive patient outcomes

    Challenges and Opportunities in DFO-AT: A Study of e-NABLE

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    In this paper, we present the results of a study of the e‑NABLE community–a distributed, collaborative volunteer effort to design and fabricate upper-limb assistive technology devices for distant strangers. We position e‑NABLE as the prototypical example of “Do-it-yourself For Others Assistive Technology” (DFO‑AT) and describe three key findings: how the project does and does not meet the recipient\u27s nuanced needs for functional and social support; how e‑NABLE volunteers\u27 motivations compare to those of volunteers for other efforts, including open source software projects; and we explore the challenges inherent in the distance between volunteers and recipients. We also describe opportunities for future research into DFO‑AT activities and support tools

    ThermoPixels:Toolkit for Personalizing Arousal-based Interfaces through Hybrid Crafting

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    Much research has shown the potential of affective interfaces to support people reflect on, and understand their bodily responses. Yet, people find it difficult to engage with, and understand their biodata which they have limited prior experience with. Building on affective interfaces and material-centered design, we developed ThermoPixels, a toolkit including thermochromic and heating materials, as well as galvanic skin response sensors for creating representations of physiological arousal. Within 10 workshops, 20 participants created personalized representations of physiological arousal and its real-time changes using the toolkit. We report on participants’ material exploration, their experience of creating shapes and the use of colors for emotional awareness and regulation. Reflecting on our findings, we discuss embodied exploration and creative expression, the value of technology in emotion regulation and its social context, and the importance of understanding material limitations for effective sense-making

    Do-It-Yourself Empowerment as Experienced by Novice Makers with Disabilities

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    Recent HCI research has highlighted the potential afforded by maker technologies for supporting new forms of DIY Assistive Technology (DIY-AT) for people with disabilities. Furthermore, the popular discourse surrounding both the maker movement and disability is one of democratisation and empowerment. Despite this, critics argue that maker movement membership lacks diversity and that within DIY-AT, it is seldom the people with disabilities who are creating such designs. We conducted a qualitative study that explored how people with disabilities experience the empowering potential of making. We analysed online videos by makers with disabilities and conducted fieldwork at two makerspaces. These informed the design of DIY-Abilities, a series of workshops for people with disabilities in which participants could learn different maker technologies and complete their own maker project. Through analysis of participants’ narratives we contribute a new perspective on the specific social and material capacities of accessible maker initiatives

    Phenomenological Approach to Product Design Pedagogy: A Study on Students’ Experiences in Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Settings

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    Product design pedagogical approaches require a specific mix of competences that demand multiplicity of perspectives, hybrid knowledge that exceeds professional field silos, and continuous problem reformulations. To do this, design studio education follows many traditions, among which is design critique. Design critique is believed to provide students with the ability to reframe design problems, but it can also lead to misunderstandings. The necessity of this approach is put into question by assessing the experiences of a group of students in an intensive course structured for interdisciplinary work, intercultural teams, and projects based on challenges from practice, where the critique was not part of the pedagogical program. The course was conducted over four consecutive weeks and supported a hands-on approach based on an interdisciplinary work between the areas of product design and occupational therapy, with the participation of Brazilian and Norwegian bachelor students and professors. Students responded to questionnaires prior to and at the end of the course that addressed their expectations of and experiences in the course. A qualitative analysis of the students’ responses was carried out based on content analysis. The joint work with occupational therapy students and professionals, as well as the opportunity to develop projects that targeted demands from people with disabilities, were shown to be factors that contributed to students’ engagement in the course and overall gain of knowledge. The experiences reported here indicate that the phenomenological approach to the design studio, which focuses on providing an immersive environment, deserves more attention from educators, and that design critique is not necessarily a crucial ingredient in design education
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