1,309 research outputs found
Future bathroom: A study of user-centred design principles affecting usability, safety and satisfaction in bathrooms for people living with disabilities
Research and development work relating to assistive technology
2010-11 (Department of Health)
Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 197
Customer experience challenges: bringing together digital, physical and social realms
This paper discusses important societal issues, such as individual and societal needs for privacy, security, and transparency. It sets out potential avenues for service innovation in these areas
Do Robots Care? Towards an Anthropocentric Framework in the Caring of Frail Individuals through Assistive Technologies
As a consequence of modern medicine and modern style of living, two demographic
trends, namely longevity and a decline in fertility have greatly increased the aging
population. The number of older persons aged 60 years or over is expected to be 1.4
billion by 2030 (World Population Data 2017). This demographic change combined
with changes in family structure challenges the future of elderly care, and contributes
to grounding a case towards the use of advanced robotics and AI to either integrate or
radically replace human-provided services in this field.
This paper introduces an anthropocentric framework – as defined by the European
Commission in its 2018 Communication on AI – for the care of elderly individuals
through assistive robotic technologies. Firstly, the concepts of care and cure are
distinguished, followed by a critical analysis of the function of robots in the context
of care. The paper continues with an analysis of the aforesaid technologies with the
notion of care provided to highlight that machines have the potential to interact and
simulate a relationship, but not to establish a real meaningful one with the user. User’s
deception and deprivation of a meaningful care-relationship is discussed as a
potential risk emerging from an incorrect use of technology in the treatment of fragile
individuals, and the fundamental legal principle of human dignity is considered with
respect to its potential application and impact on policies in this domain, as an objective
criterion that poses limits also to the individual’s freedom of self-determination
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