Top 3 Assistive Technology Trends Helping People with Disabilities

61 million adults in the United States live with at least one disability, CDC statistics reveal. Fortunately, assistive technology is design...

61 million adults in the United States live with at least one disability, CDC statistics reveal. Fortunately, assistive technology is designed to help people with disabilities enjoy greater freedom and independence and successfully navigate life’s daily obstacles and problems. Assistive robots, special needs apps, and autonomous electric delivery vehicles are some of the latest innovations to hit the market.

Top 3 Assistive Technology Trends Helping People with Disabilities

1. Assistive Robots

Assistive robots can help improve quality of life for people with disabilities both inside and outside the home. Scewo Bro, for example, is a self-balancing power wheelchair and the first of its kind to climb stairs, achieving 30 steps per minute. It’s three driving modes include drive mode, track mode, and park mode in order to allow users to navigate obstacles and cross every terrain, including steep or slippery conditions. Assistive robots have also taken the form of wearable exoskeletons to help people with disabilities move around easily and comfortably in daily life. Some wearable exoskeletons help wearers complete household tasks like cooking and cleaning, for example, as well as lift heavy objects.

2. Special Needs Apps

Numerous special needs apps have been designed to help people with communication difficulties. For example, cerebral palsy apps help children with this condition who may be nonverbal or have speech impairments. These apps (also known as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) apps) utilize various tools like text-to-speech voices to help people with disabilities improve their communication and language comprehension. MyTalkTools Mobile, for instance, is an easy-to-use AAC app that allows children with communication difficulties to use combinations of words, images, and sounds in lieu of verbal communication. The user can choose the type of content they want (including, simple grids or boards with big images) and touch an image to play a recorded sound, with the ability to form complete sentences also possible.

3. Autonomous Electric Delivery Vehicles

People with disabilities are often unable to perform basic tasks like visiting their local shops or picking up prescriptions from the pharmacy. Fortunately, electric delivery vehicles can solve this common problem and help ensure people with disabilities are able to access the vital items they need. Nuro, for example, is a new low-speed autonomous electric delivery vehicle that works without the need for drivers. All people with disabilities need to do is place an online order with their local pharmacy for their medication (which includes both prescription and non-perception items). Nuro can then deliver their order right to their front door. Founded by an engineering duo who also worked on Google’s self-driving car project, Nuro has so far only been launched in the United States, but will also be made available in other parts of the world in the near future.

Assistive technology is playing an essential role in helping people with disabilities live more fulfilling, independent lives. Assistive robots, special needs apps, and autonomous electric delivery vehicles are just some of the most exciting latest developments to hit the market.