IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/teinso/v60y2020ics0160791x1930288x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Common problems with the conventional design of crutches: Proposing a safer design and discussing the potential impact

Author

Listed:
  • Brown, Suzana
  • Vairis, Achilles
  • Masoumifar, Ali M.
  • Petousis, Markos

Abstract

This study aims to address the need for improving low-tech and low-cost assistive technology for the population in low and middle-income countries and bridge an assistive technology access divide. In general, the assistive technology industry is extremely specialized and typically designed for high-income settings. This can be inferred from the variety of options for high-end wheelchairs and devices and the limited number of design solutions for a basic walking aid, such as the crutch. Moreover, available designs of assistive devices are often not suitable for the physical, social, and cultural environment of users resulting in a high abandonment rate (as high as 75%, although figures vary depending on the type of assistive devices). In pursuit of addressing this problem, a survey was conducted to explore what users find most challenging with current designs of a tradition walking aid, the crutch. Drawing on 2 primary datasets gathered through surveying 50 participants in various rehabilitation centers in Korea and interviewing 5 users in a refugee camp in Malawi who use crutches, the current study offers a description of the underlying factors of satisfaction on the individual level and suggests a solution of one issue identified. It proposes an alternative design for an enhanced crutch shoe, designed to increase the versatility of the crutch while keeping it affordable and compatible with existing crutch frames. The proposed design's stability on uneven terrain was evaluated through simulation and compared to the conventional crutch for levels of ground displacement. Furthermore, the study examines the potential impact of the proposed design while estimating the cost of production and the size of its potential market. From a theoretical perspective, the differences between the existing and the proposed crutch design are considered in terms of the Technology Domestication theory by considering the role of the environment in the everyday context.

Suggested Citation

  • Brown, Suzana & Vairis, Achilles & Masoumifar, Ali M. & Petousis, Markos, 2020. "Common problems with the conventional design of crutches: Proposing a safer design and discussing the potential impact," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:60:y:2020:i:c:s0160791x1930288x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2019.101215
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X1930288X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techsoc.2019.101215?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:ilo:ilowps:447563 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Nicholas Theodorakopoulos & David Bennett & Deycy Janeth Sánchez Preciado, 2014. "Intermediation for technology diffusion and user innovation in a developing rural economy: a social learning perspective," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(7-8), pages 645-662, October.
    3. Brian Reinbold & Paulina Restrepo-Echavarria, 2018. "Measuring Labor Share in Developing Countries," The Regional Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, vol. 26(1).
    4. Metts, Robert L., 2000. "Disability issues, trends and recommendations for the World Bank," Social Protection Discussion Papers and Notes 23068, The World Bank.
    5. Buckup, Sebastian., 2009. "The price of exclusion : the economic consequences of excluding people with disabilities from the world of work," ILO Working Papers 994475633402676, International Labour Organization.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Huang, Chun-Yao & Wu, Chang-Kang & Liu, Ping-Yu, 2022. "Assistive technology in smart cities: A case of street crossing for the visually-impaired," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Kim, Justine Jihyun & Lee, Jongsu & Shin, Jungwoo & He, Meihan, 2022. "How are high-tech assistive devices valued in an aging society? Exploring the use and non-use values of equipment that aid limb disability," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Stephanie Dunn & Krystle Wittevrongel & Jennifer Zwicker, 2018. "How do we Boost Employment Outcomes for Neurodiverse Albertans?," SPP Communique, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, vol. 10(5), June.
    2. Powers, Tony., 2008. "Recognizing ability : the skills and productivity of persons with disabilities: literature review," ILO Working Papers 994131063402676, International Labour Organization.
    3. Dominic Fritz & Ursula Miller & Andreas Gude & Andreas Pruisken & Dorothea Rischewski, 2009. "Making poverty reduction inclusive: Experiences from Cambodia, Tanzania and Vietnam," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(5), pages 673-684.
    4. Mary Wickenden & Philip Mader & Stephen Thompson & Jackie Shaw, 2022. "Mainstreaming disability inclusive employment in international development," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(5), pages 933-941, July.
    5. Cámara Angeles & Santero-Sánchez Rosa & Martínez Mª Isabel, 2020. "Macroeconomic cost of excluding persons with disabilities from the workforce in Spain," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 10(1), pages 1-21, March.
    6. Becker, Charles M. & Merkuryeva, Irina S., 2012. "Disability incidence and official health status transitions in Russia," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 74-88.
    7. Hoon Jang, 2018. "Association of SME and Government Policy Factors with the Creation of New Employment: Manufacturing Industry in Korea," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-16, June.
    8. Gregor Wolbring & Rachel Mackay & Theresa Rybchinski & Jacqueline Noga, 2013. "Disabled People and the Post-2015 Development Goal Agenda through a Disability Studies Lens," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(10), pages 1-31, September.
    9. Ute Rink & Theresa Rollwage, 2022. "Household disability and time preferences: Evidence from incentivized experiments in Vietnam," TVSEP Working Papers wp-027, Leibniz Universitaet Hannover, Institute of Development and Agricultural Economics, Project TVSEP.
    10. Federico Riccio & Lorenzo Cresti & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2022. "The labour share along global value chains. Perspectives and evidence from sectoral interdependence," LEM Papers Series 2022/11, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    11. Crăciun Ionuț-Marius, 2020. "Study On The Evolution Of The Number Of People With Disabilities In Romania," Annals of University of Craiova - Economic Sciences Series, University of Craiova, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 1(48), pages 71-86, August.
    12. Paula Bustos & Juanma Castro-Vincenzi & Joan Monràs & Jacopo Ponticelli, 2024. "Industrialization without Innovation," Working Papers 1444, Barcelona School of Economics.
    13. repec:ilo:ilowps:487920 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Abdul-Fatahi Abdulai & Lyndon Murphy & Brychan Thomas, 2019. "University Knowledge Transfer And Innovation Performance In Firms: The Ghanaian Experience," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 24(03), pages 1-33, April.
    15. Cem Keskin & M. Pınar Mengüç, 2018. "On Occupant Behavior and Innovation Studies Towards High Performance Buildings: A Transdisciplinary Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-33, October.
    16. Prashant Loyalka & Lan Liu & Gong Chen & Xiaoying Zheng, 2014. "The Cost of Disability in China," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(1), pages 97-118, February.
    17. Hang'andu, Privilege & Mensah, Emmanuel Kodwo & Nikolova, Elena & Hayward, Elizabeth, 2023. "Educating children with disabilities: Comparative evidence from Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Niger," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1289, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    18. Andrew Griffiths & Stevens Bechange & Hannah Loryman & Chris Iga & Elena Schmidt, 2020. "How Do Legal and Policy Frameworks Support Employment of People With Disabilities in Uganda? Findings From a Qualitative Policy Analysis Study," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(8), pages 1360-1378, November.
    19. Andrews Amenyo, 2022. "Leveraging the Socio-Economic Status of Persons With Disabilities Through Employment," International Journal of Science and Business, IJSAB International, vol. 9(1), pages 94-122.
    20. Matthew C. Saleh & Susanne M. Bruyère, 2018. "Leveraging Employer Practices in Global Regulatory Frameworks to Improve Employment Outcomes for People with Disabilities," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(1), pages 18-28.
    21. Andrés Martínez-Medina & Sonia Morales-Calvo & Vicenta Rodríguez-Martín & Víctor Meseguer-Sánchez & Valentín Molina-Moreno, 2022. "Sixteen Years since the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: What Have We Learned since Then?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-21, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:60:y:2020:i:c:s0160791x1930288x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/technology-in-society .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.