Abdi, S., Kitsara, I., Hawley, M.S. orcid.org/0000-0002-2349-4491 et al. (1 more author) (2021) Emerging technologies and their potential for generating new assistive technologies. Assistive Technology, 33 (sup1). pp. 17-26. ISSN 1040-0435
Abstract
Limited access to assistive technology (AT) is a well-recognized global challenge. Emerging technologies have potential to develop new assistive products and bridge some of the gaps in access to AT. However, limited analyses exist on the potential of these technologies in the AT field. This paper describes a study that aimed to provide an overview of emerging technological developments and their potential for the AT field. It involved conducting a gray literature review and patent analysis to create an overview of the emerging enabling technologies that may foster the development of new AT products and services and identify emerging AT applications. The analysis identified seven enabling technologies that are relevant to the AT field. These are artificial intelligence, emerging human-computer interfaces, sensor technology, robotics, advances in connectivity and computing, additive manufacturing and new materials. Whilst there are over 3.7 million patents related to these enabling technologies, only a fraction of them–11,000 patents were identified in the analysis specifically related to AT (0.3%). The paper presents some of the promising examples. Overall, the results indicate that there is an enormous potential for new AT solutions that capitalize on emerging technological advances.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 The The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC on behalf of the RESNA. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | activities of daily living; auditory impairment; communication; emerging trends; information technology and telecommunications; mobility; visual impairment |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Health and Related Research (Sheffield) > ScHARR - Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 18 Jan 2022 14:01 |
Last Modified: | 19 Jan 2022 09:35 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/10400435.2021.1945704 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:182686 |