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science 5 - Ennobling Technologies (“assistive” technologies (adaptive…
science 5 - Ennobling Technologies
“assistive” technologies
how it functions, whether by bending light or by limiting range of motion.
Which has been around the longest, and which are evolving the most quickly?
prosthetics | hearing aids | walkers | wheelchairs (including racing wheelchairs)
speech recognition | eyeglasses | sign language to speech conversion
adaptive eating devices
Adaptive eating devices are everywhere you look (even straws somehow fit into this category), the most basic adaptive eating devices consist of spoons, forks, plates, mugs and bowls that have easier to hold grips or specialised designs for ease of use. The higher tech devices often rely on robots or even automated systems in order to provide assistance to those unable to feed themselves.
origins of the “optophone” in the early 1900s—an optical character recognition technology that could “sound out” letters and numbers for the blind.
If a similar device were developed for music, would it be more useful for entertainment or for education?
What new applications might devices of this kind make possible?
If such a device existed for music, it would probably find uses in both entertainment and education; with teachers using it to teach chords to blind people as well as their friends to include them in musical activities. With the technology we have today, there would probably be other applications for the blind to use.
technologies that allow us to track and improve our own health—from fitness bands and glucose monitors to stationary bicycles. t
is it possible for these health-enabling technologies to be too helpful—a
consequences aren’t that severe. Granted we may cease working out more than we should because “according to the fitness band” we’ve already burned enough calories for the day.
nd, if so, in what ways?
Enabling technologies do more than help people overcome physical impediments; they can also address social and resource limitations.
Could 3D printing improve the living conditions of people without adequate access to housing in their communities,
what other applications can you imagine for 3D printing that might help those in need?
prosthetic limbs and even more comfortable helmets.
printing entire houses for a fraction of the price in a fraction of the time, or enabling those with amputated limbs to participate in daily activities again,
or even giving the Vatican Swiss guard some stylish new helmets to show off on parade.
few more obstacles along the way. Namely how to set up such machines and where to build these houses (I doubt a municipal government will be OK with removing hundreds of slums just to make a few dozen 3D printed houses).
possibility of 3D printing giving those in poverty printed foods, affordable furniture, works of art to culturally enrich themselves and maybe even phones with which they can finally become one with the age of information.
or does it face obstacles that this article overlooks?
Could we one day unpack portable classrooms from our car trunks?
Maybe one day we can take school with us (literally!) by 3D printing foldable tables, chairs and blackboards. Perhaps the schools of the future will take learning to the great outdoors even more so than the ones today, with students changing their school location every day.
a person might want something that would ordinarily be uncomfortable or out of bounds.
A vegan might crave a burger; a left-handed person might benefit from a mouse in tune with their intuition
should technology allow people to bypass limits that they choose for themselves?
Why would it be controversial whether genetic engineering could produce kosher pork?
Should the government mandate that left-handed products cost the same as their right-handed counterparts?