DESIGN FOR ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS: USEFULNESS OF RE-USE?
Year: 2015
Editor: Christian Weber, Stephan Husung, Gaetano Cascini, Marco CantaMESsa, Dorian Marjanovic, Monica Bordegoni
Author: Walsh, Edwin Peter; Daems, Walter; Steckel, Jan; Peremans, Herbert; Baelus, Christiaan
Series: ICED
Institution: University of Antwerp, Belgium
Section: User-Centred Design, Design of Socio-Technical Systems
Page(s): 077-086
ISBN: 978-1-904670-72-8
ISSN: 2220-4334
Abstract
Due to an increased need for Assistive Technology (AT) applications, governmental interest into reducing the total cost of providing AT applications is growing. A commonly reported high rate of AT abandonment indicates a potential for recovering unused AT and re-introducing it into the pool of available AT applications. In this paper we perform a literature review of waste management concepts from the Waste Hierarchy process, and translate these concepts into concepts applicable for AT, with the intention of investigating the potential of re-use (including constraints and conditions) as an attempt to battle the increased health care cost of AT due to an aging population. The key problems and issues, when translating these concepts to the specific needs of the AT market, are highlighted. Re-use concepts that strictly fall outside of the definition of re-use are addressed.
Keywords: Assistive Technology, Design For Re-Use, Re-Manufacturing, Waste Hierarchy, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)