This thesis presents the author's work on the transdisciplinary development of artificially intelligent assistive technologies (IATs) for supporting wellbeing, which includes the conceptualisation of novel techniques for guiding IAT development as well as the creation, testing, and evaluation of functional prototypes. The work described in this thesis was conducted between 2002 to 2014. The first chapter introduces the background, scope, and structure of the thesis. Chapter 2 begins by introducing artificial intelligence, assistive technology, and zero-effort technologies followed by models for describing assistive technology interventions. The facets of wellbeing, occupational therapy treatment continuum, and transactionalism are put forward as user-centric schema an IAT development team can use to frame a research challenge. The chapter closes with ethical considerations regarding the design and use of IATs. Chapter 3 defines transdisciplinary teamwork and discusses its benefits and barriers before establishing themes and stages for guiding transdisciplinary IAT development. The next three chapters present the author's work in the development of novel IATs. Each chapter begins with an overview of the research challenge and a literature review, followed by a discussion of the IAT's development; specifically, a robot for guiding upper limb post-stroke rehabilitation (Chapter 4), an ambient environment for guiding hand-washing for older adults with dementia (Chapter 5), and a multi-touch surface for supporting arts therapy for older adults with dementia (Chapter 6). These chapters demonstrate the application of the concepts presented in Chapters 2 and 3. Chapter 7 summarises the significance of this work, followed by potential future research directions and concluding remarks. This thesis presents novel methods for information gathering, prototype construction, and efficacy testing that have resulted in successful, functional IATs. The author's research leadership has guided the creation of techniques for fostering transdisciplinary teamwork, which this dissertation shows to be key for innovative, user-driven device and systems development.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:673809 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Boger, Jennifer Netanis |
| Publisher | Ulster University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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