Technology Acceptance and User-Centred Design of Assistive Exoskeletons for Older Adults: A Commentary

Shore, Linda; Power, Valerie; Eyto, Adam de; O’Sullivan, Leonard

doi:10.3390/robotics7010003

Cited by 60 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Older adults reported that they did not perceive the need for wearing an exoskeleton device despite their reported difficulties performing daily activities and their dependence on "traditional" mobility aids (see Figure 2). This paradoxical finding might be understood in light of previous work on Technology Acceptance Models (TAMs) that try to explain the complex relationship between the expectation of a person towards a technology (e.g., perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) and their actual use [32]. It seems that older adults assess their health based on their current capabilities and assistive needs.…”

Section: Acceptance Of Exoskeleton Technology For Older Adultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

What Do Older Adults and Clinicians Think About Traditional Mobility Aids and Exoskeleton Technology?

Jung

Ludden

2019

J. Hum.-Robot Interact.

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Mobility impairments can prevent older adults from performing their daily activities, which highly impacts quality of life. Powered exoskeletons, which are wearable robotic devices, can assist older adults by providing additional support to compensate for age-related decline in muscle strength. To date, little is known about the opinions and needs of older adults regarding exoskeletons, as current research primarily focuses on the technical development of exoskeleton devices and on groups with more severe mobility impairments such as people with spinal cord injuries. Therefore, the aim of this article is to inform the design of exoskeletons for older adults from a person-centered perspective. Interviews were conducted with seven older adults and six clinicians. Results indicated that exoskeletons can be a valuable addition to existing mobility devices to support older adults during walking and other actions necessary to perform their daily activities. Although reactions towards the concept of exoskeleton technology were positive, older adults did not currently perceive the need for an exoskeleton device. Exoskeletons for older adults should be easy to use; preferably, users should be able to put the device on and take it off independently. Moreover, the appearance of the exoskeleton should be as inconspicuous as possible, as most older adults do not like to advertise their need for assistive devices. At this point in time, the willingness to use exoskeleton technology will depend on personal needs and preferences.

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Section: Acceptance Of Exoskeleton Technology For Older Adultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

What Do Older Adults and Clinicians Think About Traditional Mobility Aids and Exoskeleton Technology?

Jung

Ludden

2019

J. Hum.-Robot Interact.

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“…With the increasing research and societal interest in understanding factors that determine adoption in older patients, it is necessary to have a deeper insight into technology adoption through further research. This is evidenced by the evaluations of the Whole Systems Demonstrator (Shore, Power, de Eyto, & O'Sullivan, 2018). The demonstrator aims to build upon the existing qualitative evaluation in order to identify predictors of early removal of telehealth.…”

Section: Modelling Adoption Of Assistive Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Selecting the most suitable classification algorithm for supporting assistive technology adoption for people with dementia: A multicriteria framework

Ortíz‐Barrios

Nugent

Cleland

et al. 2019

Multi Criteria Decision Anal

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The number of people with dementia (PwD) is increasing dramatically. PwD exhibit impairments of reasoning, memory, and thought that require some form of self‐management intervention to support the completion of everyday activities while maintaining a level of independence. To address this need, efforts have been directed to the development of assistive technology solutions, which may provide an opportunity to alleviate the burden faced by the PwD and their carers. Nevertheless, uptake of such solutions has been limited. It is therefore necessary to use classifiers to discriminate between adopters and nonadopters of these technologies in order to avoid cost overruns and potential negative effects on quality of life. As multiple classification algorithms have been developed, choosing the most suitable classifier has become a critical step in technology adoption. To select the most appropriate classifier, a set of criteria from various domains need to be taken into account by decision makers. In addition, it is crucial to define the most appropriate multicriteria decision‐making approach for the modelling of technology adoption. Considering the above‐mentioned aspects, this paper presents the integration of a five‐phase methodology based on the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution to determine the most suitable classifier for supporting assistive technology adoption studies. Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process is used to determine the relative weights of criteria and subcriteria under uncertainty and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution is applied to rank the classifier alternatives. A case study considering a mobile‐based self‐management and reminding solution for PwD is described to validate the proposed approach. The results revealed that the best classifier was k‐nearest‐neighbour with a closeness coefficient of 0.804, and the most important criterion when selecting classifiers is scalability. The paper also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each algorithm that should be addressed in future research.

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“…Exoskeletons have potential applications in a wide variety of environments aside from healthcare too [25].…”

Section: Concept and Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To decrease the abandonment and increase the acceptability of exoskeletons, a multi-disciplinary, universal, inclusive user-centered approach to better understand user needs with the development of person-environment-technology interaction should be addressed into the design process [76]. Additionally, research providing user insights may be useful to help understand and optimize the acceptance and adoption of such devices especially by older adults [25].…”

Section: Emotions As Part Of the Design Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Progressive Intertwinement Between Design, Human Needs and the Regulation of Care Technology: The Case of Lower-Limb Exoskeletons

Fosch‐Villaronga

Özcan

2019

Int J of Soc Robotics

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The adoption of robot technology is accelerating in healthcare settings. Care robots can support and extend the work of caregivers in assisting patients, elderly or children. Typical examples of such systems are 'cognitive therapeutic robots,' 'physical rehabilitation robots,' 'assistive and lifting robots.' Although these robots might reduce the workload of care workers, and be a cost-efficient solution against healthcare system cuts, the insertion of such technologies may also raise ethical, legal and societal concerns concerning users. In this article, we describe some of these concerns, including cognitive safety, prospective liability, and privacy. We argue that the current regulatory framework for care robot technology is ill-prepared to address such multidisciplinary concerns because it only focuses on physical safety requirements, whereas it disregards other issues arising from the human-robot interaction. We support the idea that design plays a significant role in shaping the technology to meet the needs of the users and the goals set by the regulation. To illustrate practical challenges, in this article we consider as an example the case of lower-limb exoskeletons. This example helps illuminate the overarching idea of the article, that is, that regulation, design, and human needs need to intertwine and mutually shape each other to serve the solutions these technologies proclaim.

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Technology Acceptance and User-Centred Design of Assistive Exoskeletons for Older Adults: A Commentary

Cited by 60 publications

References 30 publications

What Do Older Adults and Clinicians Think About Traditional Mobility Aids and Exoskeleton Technology?

What Do Older Adults and Clinicians Think About Traditional Mobility Aids and Exoskeleton Technology?

Selecting the most suitable classification algorithm for supporting assistive technology adoption for people with dementia: A multicriteria framework

The Progressive Intertwinement Between Design, Human Needs and the Regulation of Care Technology: The Case of Lower-Limb Exoskeletons

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