• International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.35-50
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• 2023

Assistive technologies are necessary for ensuring independent living and equal participation in an information-based society for people living with disabilities (PLWD). This study investigated the assistive technology preference of students with visual disabilities, and the approach academic libraries should adopt in procuring assistive technologies. The study adopted a quantitative research method, with a survey as the research design. The study was conducted among visually disabled students in four public universities in Nigeria. Using the total enumeration method, an online questionnaire was used to obtain information from 151 students who voluntarily agreed to partake in the survey. The study found that access to electronic resources, scanning/conversion of print resources to electronic formats and access to information on the Web were among the technology-based services provided to visually disabled students. COBRA, ZoomText, Supernova and Dragon Naturally Speaking are the most preferred assistive technologies (software). At the same time, handheld scanners ($\bar{x}=4.40$) and braille keyboards ($\bar{x}=4.60$) are the most preferred assistive technologies in the hardware category by visually challenged students. The study further revealed that the library management should consult with students living with a visual disability before procuring assistive technology. Findings from this study thus provide further evidence of the need for librarians to fulfil their moral and legal obligation in advocating the provision of assistive technologies. Library administrators and university stakeholders should expedite actions on meeting the assistive technology needs of people living with visual disabilities. These actions should transcend mere policy formulation on the provision of assistive technologies to restructuring their services and spaces to accommodate assistive technologies as information service delivery tools for people with visual disabilities.

• International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.43-58
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• 2023

This article is a spinoff of a doctoral study that was completed at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) in 2018 on provision of information services to persons with visual and physical impairments in public university libraries in Kenya. The article examined how ICTs such as internet, e-resources and e-databases, word processing, websites and more were being used in public university libraries to provide access to information by visually and physically impaired persons. Data were collected from the visually and physically impaired students, University Librarians, Systems librarians, staff from disability departments and library staff who provided services to visually and physically impaired persons. The findings revealed that the visually and physically impaired persons in most of the libraries could not access information owing to lack of the necessary assistive and adaptive technologies and weak institutional support and framework. The study recommend that the libraries improve assistive technology infrastructure, embrace new assistive technologies such as telepresence robots, virtual realities and more, and put in place enabling policies and capacity building programmes for library staff to enable them to provide services to persons with impairments.

• Journal of Korean Gerontological Nursing
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• v.20 no.sup1
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• pp.154-159
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• 2018

Purpose: There is a need for artificial intelligence which nurtures human intelligence as the prevalence of dementia and collapse of intelligence of human beings has become a social problem. Purpose of this study is to develop intervention technologies for maintaining cognitive health of older adults. Methods: The method named the Coimagination Method (CM) was proposed and has been developed in order to achieve goal. Conversation assistive technologies have been developed and tested based on the method. Results: The state of the art of the group conversation support system, and regular series of group conversation sessions for full-years with insights for healthy older adults are described in detail. Participatory approach has been applied to the design process for simultaneous research and implementation of the service. Both participants and practitioners have been maintaining their cognitive health for independent living. Conclusion: Findings imply that there exist potentially preventive types of dementia and intervention should be applicable for such types. Ways of thinking and living are gently intervened through understanding of personal values and broadening minds, which lead to improved quality of life.

• Journal of Appropriate Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.146-150
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• 2020

Assistive technologies for people with disabilities are often marginalized in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In this paper, we intend to present the possibility of acquiring tactile information through the tactile display adapting an electromagnetic actuator. The multi-layered display designed for tactile communication has innovatively narrowed the size and spacing of cells in order to express pictures, maps, and graphics. This display has enabled the visually impaired to touch two-dimensional information combining with other assistive technologies so that. It would also provide a technical source of access to STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) so that students will perform better and be better prepared for advanced education. Moreover, it can be applied to public infrastructure and transportation in smart-city projects on the globe. Hence, this paper introduces the principle of Electromagnetic-actuator and how it can be utilized in many diverse areas.

• STI Policy Review
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.14-26
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• 2013

The $1^{st}$ National Plan for Aging Society with Low Fertility, which the Korean government announced in 2006, caused the gradual increase of R&D investment in order to prepare for an aging society in Korea. This study explores if the directions and strategies of R&D projects related to aging are suitable to improve the quality of life for elderly people and establish a sustainable aging society by analyzing the features of R&D investment from 2004 to 2010. The results show that most R&D projects conducted by departments focus on the development of assistive devices for the elderly to support everyday lives. The Korean government's R&D policy to prepare for an aging society is based on the narrow interpretation of Quality of Life (QoL) in an aging society that tries to resolve the socioeconomic problems of the elderly; however, the policies have ignored the independence of active elderly individuals and the social integration of the young and elderly generations. The research shows that a paradigm shift is required from a 'Senior' to 'Aging Society' because almost 1/3 of the Korean population is over 65 years old and the expansion of the research embraces from assistive technologies for the elderly to the design of social infrastructure such as transportation, education and work.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.437-441
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• 2011

Objective: The objective this paper is to introduce the agricultural ergonomics and to show the importance of it in improving the agricultural works. Background: Despite of rapid advancement of technologies and adoption of modern mechanical equipments at farms in Korea, most of agricultural works have still remained manual and thus have regarded as one of the hardest works. With aging and feminization in rural areas, the need to improve agricultural works has grown quite much. Agricultural ergonomics have been known as a good tool in improving agricultural works around the world. Recently Korean government initiated a national program of providing assistive equipments to help farmers and a few ergonomists started to apply agricultural ergonomics in our rural villages as a part of this program. Method: This study reviewed how Ergonomics was used for the agricultural work. Results: Methods of Ergonomics which are used for the agricultural ergonomics and the simple procedure of the agricultural ergonomics were presented. Conclusion: It was found that agricultural works can be improved quite much using the agricultural ergonomics principle and the musculoskeletal stress of farmers can be reduced significantly.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.111-116
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• 2019

With the recent acceleration of industrial technologies and active research, wearable robot technologies have been applied to various fields. To study the utility of wearable robots, basic research on kinetic mechanisms of the human body, bio-signal analysis, and system control are essential. In this study, we investigated the basic structure of a wearable system and the operating principles of a driving mechanism. The control system and supporting structure, which comprise the driving mechanism, were designed and manufactured. Motion and load analyses were performed simultaneously for the design of the kinematic drive, and the driving mechanism was constructed by analyzing walking motion. The operating conditions of the cylinder were verified by stride via driving experiments. Further, the accuracy and responsiveness of the system were confirmed by comparison with actual motion, and the system safety was validated by applying loads.

• Journal of Computing Science and Engineering
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.237-245
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• 2011

The use of technology within the home has gained wide spread acceptance as one possible approach to be used in addressing the challenges of an ageing society. A number of rudimentary assistive solutions are now being deployed in real settings but with the introduction of these technology-orientated services come a number of challenges, which to date are still largely unsolved. At a fundamental level, the management and processing of the large quantities of data generated from multiple sensors is recognised as one of the most significant challenges. This paper aims to present an overview of the types of sensor technologies used within Ambient Assisted Living. Subsequently, through presentation of a series of case studies, the paper will demonstrate how the practical integration of multiple sources of sensor data can be used to improve the overall concept and applications of Ambient Assisted Living.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.299-306
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• 2017

The Korean medical device industry has increased dramatically due to various investments in the domestic medical device industry and the introduction of new technologies, but the domestic medical device usage rate in great hospital is still low. In this paper, improvement point for domestic medical device was suggested by domestic medical device usage rate and user and manager's perception survey in great hospitals in Korea. To do this, a survey on the types of medical devices and domestic medical device usage rates were conducted at four national university hospitals in Korea. From this results, the priority survey medical devices were selected. Improvements of Korean medical devices were suggested by failure mode analysis and user awareness surveys for the priority survey medical devices.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.31-41
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• 2012

The combination of developed medical devices and the convergence of IT fusion technologies, health variables became to can be measured without discomfort in everyday life regardless of wherever and whenever. because various types of u-Health medical devices have been developed. Also, by considering the users, biological signals can be measured without difference with wearing general clothing, that conductive fabric is being used as smart clothing. However, considering that there is a growing prevalence of the devices and a great interest in the development of u-Health devices, it is urgent to establish performance evaluation. Accordingly, writing guidelines by force to raise checking before marketed or collecting checks after at the market for standard test methods for evaluating the performance. In this paper, it was studied that the possibility of using conductive fabric as electrodes for Wearable u-Health Devices through the material test of the ffabric.