Flexglove (2011-2013)

From the abstract of the paper referenced below:

Assistive Technologies can be of enormous help for people with disabilities. Still, such supportive devices are often considered to be poor in aesthetics, leaving the person feeling stigmatised by the technology and resulting in a reduced usage and compliance. In this paper we report on a case study of a young person suffering from cerebral palsy and describe a wearable device, RemoteLogCam, that was designed to help him self-manage his hand spasms and at the same time provide his first opportunity to take his own photos. We call this an example of assistive lifestyle technologies (ALT), designed not only to assist people with special needs in a functional sense, but that also enhance the experience of such a device in a pleasing way. In this case, over the course of 6 months use to date, RemoteLogCam augmented our participant’s own self-management of spasms and his creative and practical documentation needs.

 

Flexglove / Handcam / RemoteLogCam

During the project course, I came up with different names which all denote the same prototype system. Please excuse my inconsitency here. 

Video Demonstration of late Prototype

Please note: The prototype was published for differend audiences. In some publications FlexGlove and/or its related modules are also called HandCam or RemoteLogCam.

Acknowledgements

  • Concept, development of  Flexglove 1st iteration, development of camera application inlcuding remote trigger: Florian Güldenpfennig
  • Development of Flexglove 2nd iteration: Markus Martin and Harald Stix (joint master thesis)
  • Development of Flexglove 3rd iteration: Gabriel Größbacher (bachelor thesis)
  • Design and creation of camera pocket and remote trigger pouch: Dorothee Köstlin
  • Funded by UNIQA as the project won their design competition

Related Links and Images

  • Güldenpfennig, F., & Fitzpatrick, G. (2013a). A monitoring device as assistive lifestyle technology: combining functional needs with pleasure. Short Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 4th Augmented Human International Conference, Stuttgart, Germany (pp.190-193). ACM. PDF.
  • UNIQA Press Release
  • News coverage (Der Kurier)