| Summary: | 博士 === 國立成功大學 === 工業設計學系 === 103 === This research notes the importance of using design and engineering approaches to develop assistive devices. In the past, design and engineering approaches were adopted separately by different groups in isolation. However, the devices produced using a single approach often have a bias in the developers’ expertise. Systems generated with a design approach may have deficits in functionality, while those developed with an engineering approach may have poor usability. This research considers each approach as a solution to the problems of the other. To illustrate this, this research develops two assistive devices to improve previous devices that have problems with regard to their usability or functionality.
The research targets people who are blind. Two assistive devices have been developed using design and engineering approaches to improve their usability and functional qualities. The first device is a bowl. Previous electronic indicators for detecting the water level need batteries for power, but the bowl developed in this work enables blind people to detect water levels without the use of batteries, and is thus more usable. The other case involves an electronic mobility aid, and although these have existed for many years, and are able to help blind individuals’ navigate outdoors, they are still unable to detect the symbols used for taxis, pedestrian walk symbols, zebra crossings, and tactile guide paths. The novel detection method presented in this work is able to automatically detect these four targets in low-resolution images, and solve a number of functional problems. These two projects show how using design and engineering approaches can provide more opportunities to improve assistive devices and better meet user needs.
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