43 Evolution and Future of Adaptive Tech

Over the last century, adaptive technology has evolved significantly. In the early days, it was mainly focused on providing basic support, such as simple prosthetics, crutches, and wheelchairs. As injured veterans returned to North America at the end of World War II, there were two trends that accompanied this – the demand from veterans for less ‘emasculating’ design solutions for prosthetics and to enable ‘manly’ pursuits like autonomous automobile driving, and the pressure from the broader society for design modifications to be as subtle and invisible as possible, so as not to draw undue attention to those who require assistive solutions.^[1]  However, with the advent of computers and the development of more advanced materials, the field of adaptive technology has rapidly grown, with the rate of innovation growing almost logarithmically.

Medical technology breakthroughs in the last few decades have been extraordinary in many realms of disability.  For example, cochlear implants, developed in the 1980s, have been transformative for hundreds of thousands of hearing impaired individuals.^[2] But they also were the first major innovation in surgically implanted neural interface technology.

Some of the most promising and exciting breakthroughs in adaptive technology over the last decade include robotics, home-integrated systems, wearable technology, speech recognition, eye-tracking and gesture control, AI-assisted technology, 3-D printed technology, and virtual and augmented reality (which expands the range of activities, environments, and experiences that can be ‘accessed’).

These are further enabled through exponentially more powerful computer-assisted design (CAD), composite materials such as carbon fibre and fibreglass, lightweight metals such as titanium and aluminum, and biocompatible alloys like cobalt-chromium used in the development of orthopedic devices such as artificial joints and spinal implants. The use of advanced polymers, such as silicone and polyurethane, has enabled the development of soft, flexible prosthetics and orthotics that can conform to the user’s body and provide improved comfort and mobility.

Shape memory alloys, such as nitinol, are being used to develop new types of assistive devices that can change shape in response to changes in temperature or external stimuli. For example, shape memory alloys can be used to develop prosthetics that can be adjusted to different positions or to develop exoskeletons that can provide additional support and stability to the user.

The use of 3D printing has revolutionized the development of assistive and adaptive technologies by enabling the rapid production of custom-fit devices. This has greatly improved the accessibility and affordability of assistive devices, making them more widely available to people with disabilities.

Smart textiles, such as wearable sensors and intelligent fabrics, are being used to develop new assistive devices that can monitor and respond to the needs of the user. For example, smart textiles can be integrated into orthotics to provide real-time feedback to the wearer and can be used to develop wearable devices that can detect and respond to changes in the user’s environment.

The use of exoskeletons in automobile manufacturing, to add to and augment workers’ strength and endurance limitations, is a universal design innovation that holds potential for people with certain musculo-skeletal disabilities.  Some exoskeletons are specifically designed for high-performance athletes, providing additional strength and stability to enhance performance.