lifetec: week two

The visit to Lifetec left me feeling a little depressed by the design and availability of the products that we saw on the displays. There were so many great products that are used everyday by people who are disabled but everyday people who just need some help to do specific tasks. I hadn't fully grasped the amount of people who could potentially users of these product and their conditions which include the following:

- broken bones

- strokes

- arthritis

- amputation

- paralysis

- brain injury

- parkinson's disease

- holding a baby

- carrying shopping

The fact that 50% of Assistive Technology is abandoned was a really interesting fact for me as I reflected on everything throughout the day. This can be due to lack of motivation, un-suitable for the needs,  the product that they need doesn't exist yet. I feel that the stigma associated with certain assistive product can also have an effect on the use of the products.

Certain products were really great and I can see uses for them in everyday life for example the attached knife:

one-handed chopping board (Noller, 2011)

The side opening oven is a great one for anybody, it is always so much easier to lift things out of the oven if you can get closer to it and in the right position. 

Side opening oven (Noller, 2011)

The silicon drainer bag is also great because it uses less utensils and works really well, avoiding hot burns and injuries.

Silicon drainer and carrier (Noller, 2011)

I really like this one because it can be useful to anyone, not just dementia and age care users.

Front door key holder

Technologies such as the bed sensors, matt sensor and clock with different indicators on it as can be seen below are a good idea in theory but the reactions they put out are rather jarring and unpleasant.

Alarm clock with attached alert button and carer's remote signaller (Noller, 2011)

Floor matt to alert when someone gets out of bed (Noller, 2011)

Bed sensors for incontinence, movement and could also be used for seizure detection (Noller, 2011)

I think that these product could be executed to a better standard but I also think the matt and the bed sensors could be especially useful to carers. 

The main user-product interfaces were present in the voice and reading technology, the electric wheel chairs and the movable chairs and beds. The reading machines were really good at magnifying reading material and seemed simple enough to use.

Page magnifier for easier reading according to the users needs (Noller, 2011) 

The electric wheel chair interface was a little confusing to move through at times and I don't know how mentally disabled people would learn how to use it easily. The rotating interface was simple enough to use after you go used to it and pressing the sensor with your head but it directs your eyesight to the screen and not where the person is going. It is also very stilted and does not provide much comfort.

Using the chair with the joystick and head control