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A young child holds a ball and looks up to an older child who is using a wheelchair. They are smiling at each other playfully

Type

Editorial

Themes

Culture and Participation
COVID-19 as social disability: the opportunity of social empathy for empowerment

Ikenna D Ebueny, Emma M Smith, Catherine Holloway, Rune Jensen, Lucía D'Arino, Malcolm MacLachlan

Social empathy is ‘the ability to more deeply understand people by perceiving or experiencing their life situations and as a result gain insight into structural inequalities and disparities’. Social empathy comprises three elements: individual empathy, contextual understanding and social responsibility. COVID-19 has created a population-wide experience of exclusion that is only usually experienced by subgroups of the general population. Notably, persons with disability, in their everyday lives, commonly experience many of the phenomena that have only recently been experienced by members of the general population. COVID-19 has conferred new experiential knowledge
on all of us. We have a rare opportunity to understand and better the lives of persons with disabilities for whom some aspects of the COVID- 19 experience are enduring. This allows us greater understanding of the importance of implementing in full a social and human rights model of disability, as outlined in the UNCRPD.

BMJ Global Health; 2020

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Abstract

COVID-19 as social disability: the opportunity of social empathy for empowerment

  • COVID-19 has conferred new experiential knowledge on society and a rare opportunity to better understand the social model of disability and to improve the lives of persons with disabilities.
  • The COVID-19 experience may offer contextual knowledge of the prepandemic lives of persons with disabilities and foster greater social awareness, responsibility and opportunities for change towards a more inclusive society.
  • Information, family and social relationships, health protection and healthcare, education, transport and employment should be accessible for all groups of the population. The means must be developed and deployed to ensure equity – the deployment of resources so that people with different types of needs have the same opportunities for living good lives in inclusive communities.
  • We have learnt from COVID-19 that inclusive healthcare and universal access should be the new normal, that its provision as a social good is both unifying and empowering for society as a whole.

Cite

COVID-19 as social disability: the opportunity of social empathy for empowerment

Ebuenyi ID, Smith EM, Holloway C, et alCOVID-19 as social disability: the opportunity of social empathy for empowermentBMJ Global Health 2020;5:e003039.

COVID-19 as social disability: the opportunity of social empathy for empowerment

A woman wearing a mask, testing her hearing using an app and headphones

Type

Editorial

Themes

Assistive & Accessible Technology

Research Group

Social Justice
Developing inclusive and resilient systems: COVID-19 and assistive technology

Emma M. Smith, Malcolm MacLachlan, Ikenna D. Ebuenyi, Catherine Holloway & Victoria Austin

While the inadequacies of our existing assistive technology systems, policies, and services have been highlighted by the acute and rapidly changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, these failures are also present and important during non-crisis times. Each of these actions, taken together, will not only address needs for more robust and resilient systems for future crises, but also the day-to-day needs of all assistive technology users. We have a responsibility as a global community, and within our respective countries, to address these inadequacies now to ensure an inclusive future.

Disability & Society; 2020

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Abstract

Developing inclusive and resilient systems: COVID-19 and assistive technology

Assistive technology is a critical component of maintaining health, wellbeing, and the realization of rights for persons with disabilities. Assistive technologies, and their associated services, are also paramount to ensuring individuals with functional limitations have access to important health and social service information, particularly during a pandemic where they may be at higher risk than the general population. Social isolation and physical distancing have further marginalized many within this population. We have an opportunity to learn from the COVID-19response to develop more inclusive and resilient systems that will serve people with disabilities more effectively in the future. In this Current Issues piece, we present a starting point for discussion, based on our experiences working to promote access to assistive technologies through inclusive and sustainable systems and policies.

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Developing inclusive and resilient systems: COVID-19 and assistive technology

Emma M. Smith, Malcolm MacLachlan, Ikenna D. Ebuenyi, Catherine Holloway & Victoria Austin (2021) Developing inclusive and resilient systems: COVID-19 and assistive technology, Disability & Society, 36:1, 151-154, DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2020.1829558

Developing inclusive and resilient systems: COVID-19 and assistive technology

Type

Editorial

Research Group

Social Justice
Assistive Technology (AT), for What?

This year (2022) has seen the publication of the World’s first Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT) [1]. This completes almost a decade of work to ensure assistive technology (AT) access is a core development issue. The lack of access to assistive products (APs), such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, and eyeglasses, as well as less well-referenced products such as incontinence pads, mobile phone applications, or walking sticks, affects as many as 2.5 billion people globally. Furthermore, the provision of APs would reap a 1:9 return on investment [2]. This could result in a family in need netting (or living without) over GBP 100,000 in their lifetime [2] or more, if we count dynamic overspills in the economy such as employment of assistive technology services and manufacturing of devices [3].

Societies; 2021

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Abstract

Assistive Technology (AT), for What?

Amartya Sen’s seminal Tanner lecture: Equality of What? began a contestation on social justice and human wellbeing that saw a new human development paradigm emerge—the capability approach (CA)—which has been influential ever since. Following interviews with leading global assistive technology (AT) stakeholders, and users, this paper takes inspiration from Sen’s core question and posits, AT for what? arguing that AT should be understood as a mechanism to achieve the things that AT users’ value. Significantly, our research found no commonly agreed operational global framework for (disability) justice within which leading AT stakeholders were operating. Instead, actors were loosely aligned through funding priorities and the CRPD. We suggest that this raises the possibility for (welcome and needed) incoming actors to diverge from efficiently designed collective action, due to perverse incentives enabled by unanchored interventions. The Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT) helps, greatly! However, we find there are still vital gaps in coordination; as technology advances, and AT proliferates, no longer can the device-plus-service approach suffice. Rather, those of us interested in human flourishing might explore locating AT access within an operational global framework for disability justice, which recognizes AT as a mechanism to achieve broader aims, linked to people’s capabilities to choose what they can do and be.

Cite

Assistive Technology (AT), for What?

Austin, V.; Holloway, C. Assistive Technology (AT), for What? Societies 2022, 12, 169. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc120...

Assistive Technology (AT), for What?

Three young operators working for Humanity and Inclusion in Uganda assessing an elderly woman who uses a crutch

Type

Editorial

Themes

Assistive & Accessible Technology

Research Group

Disability Interactions
The Digital and Assistive Technologies for Ageing initiative: learning from the GATE initiative

Chapal Khasnabis, Catherine Holloway, Malcolm MacLachlan

We are now in an era of assistive care and assistive living—whereby many people, of all ages, in good health, and those who are more frail, or with cognitive or functional impairments, are using a broad range of technologies to assist and enhance their daily living. Assistive living1 is becoming an important part of population health and rehabilitation, which can help to maximise an individual's abilities, regardless of age or functional capacity. This encouraging shift in ethos has been strengthened by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which a plethora of digital and remote technologies have been used.

The Lancet; 2020

The Digital and Assistive Technologies for Ageing initiative: learning from the GATE initiative

A man is photographed trying out a new Digital Innovation, he is wearing a VR headset

Type

Editorial

Themes

Assistive & Accessible Technology
Culture and Participation

Research Group

Social Justice
Critical Junctures in Assistive Technology and Disability Inclusion

It is clear from the events of the last 18 months that while technology has a huge potential for transforming the way we live and work, the entire ecosystem—from manufacturing to the supply chain—is vulnerable to the vagaries of that ecosystem, as well as having the potential to exacerbate new and existing inequalities [1]. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in the lives of people with disabilities, who make up around 15% of the world’s population and already face barriers to accessing education, employment, healthcare and other services [2]. Some of these barriers are a result of unequal access and opportunities. However, there is a growing movement to better understand how assistive technology systems and services can be designed to enable more robust and equitable access for all. As part of this growing movement, the Paralympic Games in Tokyo this autumn saw the launch of a new global campaign to transform the lives of the world’s 1.2 bn persons with disabilities: the ‘WeThe15’ campaign reached more than 4.5 billion people through its marketing and stands ready to be the biggest of its kind in history. Next year, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), AT scale and GDI Hub will publish the first World Report on Access to Assistive Technology, which will include research from the £20 million, UK Aid funded, GDI Hub-led, programme, AT2030. Ahead of that, in this Special Issue, we focus on how some events and situations—as diverse as the coronavirus pandemic and the Paralympics—can act as ‘critical junctures’ that can enable a rethink of the status quo to facilitate and promote change.

Sustainability; 2021

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Critical Junctures in Assistive Technology and Disability Inclusion

Kett, M.; Holloway, C.; Austin, V. Critical Junctures in Assistive Technology and Disability Inclusion. Sustainability 2021, 13, 12744. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1322...

Critical Junctures in Assistive Technology and Disability Inclusion

Photograph of the Global Report On Assistive Technology paperback publication

Type

Editorial

Themes

Assistive & Accessible Technology

Research Group

Disability Interactions
Introduction to the companion papers to the global report on assistive technology

Johan Borg, Wei Zhang, Emma M. Smith, Cathy Holloway

GReAT, but do we care?

If accessible, assistive technology would be life changing for a billion people across the world today – and two billion people in 2050 (WHO, 2018). It would make the difference between independence and dependence, inclusion and exclusion, life and death. It holds the potential to improve and transform health, education, livelihood and social participation; fundamental human rights everyone is entitled to. And if we are lucky to grow old, the chances are that we all would use assistive technology by then. But do we care?

Assistive Technology, The Official Journal of RESNA; 2021

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Introduction to the companion papers to the global report on assistive technology

Johan Borg, Wei Zhang, Emma M. Smith & Cathy Holloway (2021) Introduction to the companion papers to the global report on assistive technology, Assistive Technology, 33:sup1, 1-2, DOI: 10.1080/10400435.2021.2003658

Introduction to the companion papers to the global report on assistive technology

Kenyan man holding a prosthesis

Type

PhD

Themes

Assistive & Accessible Technology

Research Group

Disability Interactions
Specifying a Hybrid, Multiple Material CAD System for Next Generation Prosthetic Design

Troy Bodkin

Doctoral Thesis. This work is one of four multidisciplinary research studies conducted by members of this research cluster, focusing on the area of Computer Aided Design (CAD) for improving the interface with Additive Manufacture (AM) to solve some of the challenges presented with improving prosthetic socket design, with an aim to improve and streamline the process to enable the involvement of clinicians and patients in the design process.

Loughborough University

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Abstract

Specifying a Hybrid, Multiple Material CAD System for Next Generation Prosthetic Design

For many years, the biggest issue that causes discomfort and hygiene issues for patients with lower limb amputations have been the interface between body and prosthetic, the socket. Often made of an inflexible, solid polymer that does not allow the residual limb to breathe or perspire and with no consideration for the changes in size and shape of the human body caused by changes in temperature or environment, inflammation, irritation and discomfort often cause reduced usage or outright rejection of the prosthetic by the patient in their day to day lives. To address these issues and move towards a future of improved quality of life for patients who suffer amputations, Loughborough University formed the Next Generation Prosthetics research cluster. This work is one of four multidisciplinary research studies conducted by members of this research cluster, focusing on the area of Computer Aided Design (CAD) for improving the interface with Additive Manufacture (AM) to solve some of the challenges presented with improving prosthetic socket design, with an aim to improve and streamline the process to enable the involvement of clinicians and patients in the design process. The research presented in this thesis is based on three primary studies. The first study involved the conception of a CAD criteria, deciding what features are needed to represent the various properties the future socket outlined by the research cluster needs. These criteria were then used for testing three CAD systems, one each from the Parametric, Non Uniform Rational Basis Spline (NURBS) and Polygon archetypes respectively. The result of these tests led to the creation of a hybrid control workflow, used as the basis for finding improvements. The second study explored emerging CAD solutions, various new systems or plug-ins that had opportunities to improve the control model. These solutions were tested individually in areas where they could improve the workflow, and the successful solutions were added to the hybrid workflow to improve and reduce the workflow further. The final study involved taking the knowledge gained from the literature and the first two studies in order to theorise how an ideal CAD system for producing future prosthetic sockets would work, with considerations for user interface issues as well as background CAD applications. The third study was then used to inform the final deliverable of this research, a software design specification that defines how the system would work. This specification was written as a challenge to the CAD community, hoping to inform and aid future advancements in CAD software. As a final stage of research validation, a number of members of the CAD community were contacted and interviewed about their feelings of the work produced and their feedback was taken in order to inform future research in this area.

Cite

Specifying a Hybrid, Multiple Material CAD System for Next Generation Prosthetic Design

Bodkin, Troy L. (2017): Specifying a hybrid, multiple material CAD system for next-generation prosthetic design. Loughborough University. Thesis. https://hdl.handle.net/2134/25...;

Specifying a Hybrid, Multiple Material CAD System for Next Generation Prosthetic Design

Image of a young man in a red t-shirt sitting in his wheelchair inside a community space

Type

PhD

Themes

Assistive & Accessible Technology

Research Group

Disability Interactions
YouTransfer, YouDesign: A Participatory Approach to Design Assistive Technology for Wheelchair Transfers

Giulia Barbareschi

Doctoral Thesis. This thesis makes two contributions to facilitate wheelchair users’ engagement in the participatory design process for ATs, while being mindful of the burden of participation. The first contribution is a framework that provides a modular structure guiding the participatory design process from initial problem identification and analysis to facilitating collaborations between wheelchair users and designers. The framework identifies four factors determining the need and adoption process for ATs: (i) People focuses on the target population, (ii) Person includes personal characteristics, (iii) Activity refers to the challenges associated with the task, and (iv) Context encompasses the effect of the environment in which the activity takes place. The second contribution constitutes a rich picture of personal and external elements influencing real world wheelchair transfers that emerged from four studies carried out to investigate the effect of the framework factors on the design process for ATs.

UCL (University College London)

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Abstract

YouTransfer, YouDesign: A Participatory Approach to Design Assistive Technology for Wheelchair Transfers

Transferring independently to and from their wheelchair is an essential routine task for many wheelchair users but it can be physically demanding and can lead to falls and upper limb injuries that reduce the person’s independence. New assistive technologies (ATs) that facilitate the performance of wheelchair transfers have the potential to allow wheelchair users to gain further independence. To ensure that users’ needs are addressed by ATs, the active involvement of wheelchair users in the process of design and development is critical. However, participation can be burdensome for many wheelchair users as design processes where users are directly involved often require prolonged engagement. This thesis makes two contributions to facilitate wheelchair users’ engagement in the participatory design process for ATs, while being mindful of the burden of participation. The first contribution is a framework that provides a modular structure guiding the participatory design process from initial problem identification and analysis to facilitating collaborations between wheelchair users and designers. The framework identifies four factors determining the need and adoption process for ATs: (i) People focuses on the target population, (ii) Person includes personal characteristics, (iii) Activity refers to the challenges associated with the task, and (iv) Context encompasses the effect of the environment in which the activity takes place. The second contribution constitutes a rich picture of personal and external elements influencing real world wheelchair transfers that emerged from four studies carried out to investigate the effect of the framework factors on the design process for ATs. A related outcome based on these contributions is a framing document to share knowledge between wheelchair users and designers to provide focus and promote an equal collaboration among participants.

Cite

YouTransfer, YouDesign: A Participatory Approach to Design Assistive Technology for Wheelchair Transfers

Barbareschi, Giulia. “YouTransfer, YouDesign : a Participatory Approach to Design Assistive Technology for Wheelchair Transfers / Giulia Barbareschi.” Thesis (Ph.D.)--University College London, 2018., 2018. Print.

YouTransfer, YouDesign: A Participatory Approach to Design Assistive Technology for Wheelchair Transfers

A man holding a bicycle seat with a 3d printed splint on his wrist

Type

PhD

Themes

Assistive & Accessible Technology

Research Group

Disability Interactions
Understanding wrist splint user needs and personalisation through codesign

Charlotte Pyatt

A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Loughborough University.

Loughborough University

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Abstract

Understanding wrist splint user needs and personalisation through codesign

Wrist splints are a common treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, however their effectiveness is compromised by patients not wearing splints as often as prescribed. Previous research has identified a number of reasons for non-compliance, but typically lacks insights that could lead to improved splint design.

This thesis investigates the motivators for patients to wear and not wear their wrist splints and, the impact of personalisation of splint appearance on patient wear. The work is based on the premise that digital design and manufacturing processes, such as Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and 3D Printing, can produce bespoke splints on demand.

The research begins with a literature review across the core areas of: splinting, additive manufacture, product appearance and personalisation. This literature review identifies gaps in knowledge from which research questions are established for the work.

The research employs a qualitative, generative design research approach and, follows a codesign framework employing telling, making and enacting tools. The thesis is made up of three studies. The first study is a sensitisation study and uses design probes to prepare the participants for the research and begin exploring the problem space. The second is a comprehensive study into participants splint wear behaviour and uses context mapping and scenario picture card tools to investigate the motivators for participants to wear and not wear wrist splints, along with positive and negative outcomes or wearing/not wearing splints. The final study uses a personalisation toolkit to elicit patient needs for a future wrist splint design and investigate self-reported expectations regarding compliance of patients who used the toolkit.

The research finds that patient compliance is affected by practical and aesthetic limitations of current splints. It identifies 4 motivating factors to wear a splint and 10 motivating factors to not wear a splint. Additionally, it identifies 6 positive outcomes of wearing splints, 6 negative outcomes of wearing splints, 3 positive outcomes of not wearing splints and 3 negative outcomes of not wearing splints. Requirements for an improved splint design are established and form the basis of the design for a prototype personalisation toolkit. Testing of this toolkit reveals that patients are keen to own more than one splint and personalise splints to match the scenario in which it is to be worn. Patients reported that they expected to be more compliant with a personalised splint when compared to their current splint.

Cite

Understanding wrist splint user needs and personalisation through codesign

Pyatt, Charlotte (2018): Understanding wrist splint user needs and personalisation through codesign. Loughborough University. Thesis. https://doi.org/10.26174/thesi...;

Understanding wrist splint user needs and personalisation through codesign

A screenshot of examples of common interfaces of wheelchair use, a joy stick, head control and sip/puff switch

Type

PhD

Themes

Assistive & Accessible Technology
Shared Control for Wheelchair Interfaces

Dr Chinemelu Ejiamatu Muoma Ezeh

Doctoral Thesis. Independent mobility is fundamental to the quality of life of people with impairment. Most people with severe mobility impairments, whether congenital, e.g., from cerebral palsy, or acquired, e.g., from spinal cord injury, are prescribed a wheelchair. A small yet significant number of people are unable to use a typical powered wheelchair controlled with a joystick. Instead, some of these people require alternative interfaces such as a head- array or Sip/Puff switch to drive their powered wheelchairs. However, these alternative interfaces do not work for everyone and often cause frustration, fatigue and collisions. This thesis develops a novel technique to help improve the usability of some of these alternative interfaces, in particular, the head-array and Sip/Puff switch.

UCL (University College London)

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Abstract

Shared Control for Wheelchair Interfaces

Independent mobility is fundamental to the quality of life of people with impairment. Most people with severe mobility impairments, whether congenital, e.g., from cerebral palsy, or acquired, e.g., from spinal cord injury, are prescribed a wheelchair. A small yet significant number of people are unable to use a typical powered wheelchair controlled with a joystick. Instead, some of these people require alternative interfaces such as a head- array or Sip/Puff switch to drive their powered wheelchairs. However, these alternative interfaces do not work for everyone and often cause frustration, fatigue and collisions. This thesis develops a novel technique to help improve the usability of some of these alternative interfaces, in particular, the head-array and Sip/Puff switch. Control is shared between a powered wheelchair user, using an alternative interface and a pow- ered wheelchair fitted with sensors. This shared control then produces a resulting motion that is close to what the user desires to do but a motion that is also safe. A path planning algorithm on the wheelchair is implemented using techniques in mo- bile robotics. Afterwards, the output of the path planning algorithm and the user’s com- mand are both modelled as random variables. These random variables are then blended in a joint probability distribution where the final velocity to the wheelchair is the one that maximises the joint probability distribution. The performance of the probabilistic approach to blending the user’s inputs with the output of a path planner, is benchmarked against the most common form of shared control called linear blending. The benchmarking consists of several experiments with end users both in a simulated world and in the real-world. The thesis concludes that probabilistic shared control provides safer motion compared with the traditional shared control for difficult tasks and hard-to-use interfaces.

Cite

Shared Control for Wheelchair Interfaces

Ezeh, Chinemelu Ejiamatu Muoma. Shared Control for Wheelchair Interfaces. UCL (University College London), 2018. Print.

Shared Control for Wheelchair Interfaces

Screenshot of a page of the thesis describing function & Type of Maxillofacial Prostheses

Type

PhD

Themes

Assistive & Accessible Technology

Research Group

Disability Interactions
Materials For Facial Prostheses In Resource Limited Countries

Sophia Esther Liiba Tetteh

A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University

Loughborough University

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Abstract

Materials For Facial Prostheses In Resource Limited Countries

Facial prostheses are artificial devices that replace a missing body part in the facial and neck regions of the body. Defects or deformities in these regions can lead to functional deficiencies; social and psychological effects in addition to cosmetic defects. Restoration or rehabilitation in resource limited countries is usually provided by charities and organisations volunteering assistance overseas, with some training of local staff in the fabrication of these prostheses. Furthermore, these countries typically lack technical knowhow and trained personnel. In industrialised nations maxillofacial prosthetics has developed into a sophisticated medical speciality requiring highly skilled staff and expensive facilities. In resource limited countries surgical procedures may be an option for rehabilitation of these deformities/defects however, they tend to be unavailable or unaffordable and donated prostheses are not suitable. Hence, this research explores, from first principles, the appropriate and affordable local provision of maxillofacial prostheses in resource constrained regions. The investigation provides knowledge on identifying requirements for resource limited areas, resulting in the creation of a guideline constituting priorities, requirements and specifications. It further explores the viability of potentially cheaper, locally available candidate materials via weathering and antimicrobial methods in ascertaining material longevity.

Cite

Materials For Facial Prostheses In Resource Limited Countries

Tetteh, Sophia (2019): Materials for facial prostheses in resource-limited countries. Loughborough University. Thesis. https://doi.org/10.26174/thesi...;

Materials For Facial Prostheses In Resource Limited Countries

Kenyan man holding a prosthesis

Type

PhD

Themes

Assistive & Accessible Technology

Research Group

Disability Interactions
Exploring Thermal Discomfort Amongst Lower-Limb Prosthesis Wearers

Rhys James Williams

Thesis: Firstly, the research provides a methodological contribution showing how to conduct mixed-methods research to obtain rich insights into complex prosthesis phenomena. Secondly, the research highlights the need to appreciate psychological and contextual factors when researching prosthesis wearer thermal comfort. The research contributions are also converted into an implication for prosthesis design. The concept of 'regaining control' to psychologically mitigate thermal discomfort could be incorporated into technologies by using 'on-demand' thermal discomfort relief, rather than 'always-on' solutions, as have been created in the past.

UCL, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing

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Abstract

Exploring Thermal Discomfort Amongst Lower-Limb Prosthesis Wearers

Amongst lower-limb prosthesis wearers, thermal discomfort is a common problem with an estimated prevalence of more than 50%. Overheating does not just create discomfort to the user, but it has been linked to excessive sweating, skin damage caused by a moist environment and friction. Due to impermeable prosthetic components and a warm moist environment, minor skin damage can result in skin infections that can lead to prosthesis cessation, increased social anxiety, isolation and depression. Despite the seriousness of thermal discomfort, few studies explore the issue, with research predominantly constrained to controlled laboratory scenarios, with only one out of laboratory study. In this thesis, studies investigate how thermal discomfort arises and what are the consequences of thermal discomfort for lower-limb prosthesis wearers. Research studies are designed around the principles of presenting lived experiences of the phenomenon and conducting research in the context of participants' real-life activities. A design exploration chapter investigates modifying liner materials and design to create a passive solution to thermal discomfort. However, this approach was found to be ineffective and unfeasible. Study 1 presents a qualitative study which investigates the user experience of a prosthesis, thermal discomfort and related consequences. Study 2 explores limb temperature of male amputees inside and outside the laboratory, with the latter also collecting perceived thermal comfort (PTC) data. Finally, Study 3 investigates thermal discomfort in the real-world and tracks limb temperature, ambient conditions, activities, and experience sampling of PTC. While there were no apparent relationships presented in sensor data, qualitative data revealed that in situations where prosthesis wearers perceived a lack of control, thermal discomfort seemed to be worse. When combined, the studies create two knowledge contributions. Firstly, the research provides a methodological contribution showing how to conduct mixed-methods research to obtain rich insights into complex prosthesis phenomena. Secondly, the research highlights the need to appreciate psychological and contextual factors when researching prosthesis wearer thermal comfort. The research contributions are also converted into an implication for prosthesis design. The concept of 'regaining control' to psychologically mitigate thermal discomfort could be incorporated into technologies by using 'on-demand' thermal discomfort relief, rather than 'always-on' solutions, as have been created in the past.

Cite

Exploring Thermal Discomfort Amongst Lower-Limb Prosthesis Wearers

Williams, Rhys James. “Exploring Thermal Discomfort Amongst Lower-Limb Prosthesis Wearers.” ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2020. Print.

Exploring Thermal Discomfort Amongst Lower-Limb Prosthesis Wearers