research-article

Sharing is Caring: Assistive Technology Designs on Thingiverse

Authors:

Jeremy J. Chang,

Megan Kelly Hofmann,

Shaun K. KaneAuthors Info & Claims

CHI '15: Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Pages 525 - 534

https://doi.org/10.1145/2702123.2702525

Published: 18 April 2015 Publication History

Abstract

An increasing number of online communities support the open-source sharing of designs that can be built using rapid prototyping to construct physical objects. In this paper, we examine the designs and motivations for assistive technology found on Thingiverse.com, the largest of these communities at the time of this writing. We present results from a survey of all assistive technology that has been posted to Thingiverse since 2008 and a questionnaire distributed to the designers exploring their relationship with assistive technology and the motivation for creating these designs. The majority of these designs are intended to be manufactured on a 3D printer and include assistive devices and modifications for individuals with disabilities, older adults, and medication management. Many of these designs are created by the end-users themselves or on behalf of friends and loved ones. These designers frequently have no formal training or expertise in the creation of assistive technology. This paper discusses trends within this community as well as future opportunities and challenges.

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Cited By

Khan SBilal NBukhari SKhalid S(2024)Navigating the Digital Landscape: Challenges, Best Practices and Innovative Solutions in Online Math Braille LearningJournal of Business and Social Review in Emerging Economies10.26710/jbsee.v10i1.290010:1Online publication date: 31-Mar-2024
https://doi.org/10.26710/jbsee.v10i1.2900
Yang KWu JXin HGong J(2024)"I see it as a wellspring for my positive and upward journey in life.": Understanding Current Practices of Assistive Technology's Customized Modification in ChinaProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36870128:CSCW2(1-42)Online publication date: 7-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3687012
Cheng KZhou SOlechowski A(2024)"A Lot of Moving Parts": A Case Study of Open-Source Hardware Design Collaboration in the Thingiverse CommunityProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36870088:CSCW2(1-29)Online publication date: 7-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3687008
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Index Terms

Sharing is Caring: Assistive Technology Designs on Thingiverse
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing profession
      1. Assistive technologies
  2. User characteristics
    1. People with disabilities

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI '15: Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

April 2015

4290 pages

ISBN:9781450331456

DOI:10.1145/2702123

General Chairs:
Bo Begole
Huawei, USA
,
Jinwoo Kim
Yonsei University, Korea
,
Program Chairs:
Kori Inkpen
Microsoft Research, USA
,
Woontack Woo
KAIST, Korea

Copyright © 2015 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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SIGCHI: ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction

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Published: 18 April 2015

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CHI '15

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CHI '15: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

April 18 - 23, 2015

Seoul, Republic of Korea

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CHI '15 Paper Acceptance Rate 486 of 2,120 submissions, 23%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 6,199 of 26,314 submissions, 24%

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CHI '25

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CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

April 26 - May 1, 2025

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Citations

Cited By

Khan SBilal NBukhari SKhalid S(2024)Navigating the Digital Landscape: Challenges, Best Practices and Innovative Solutions in Online Math Braille LearningJournal of Business and Social Review in Emerging Economies10.26710/jbsee.v10i1.290010:1Online publication date: 31-Mar-2024
https://doi.org/10.26710/jbsee.v10i1.2900
Yang KWu JXin HGong J(2024)"I see it as a wellspring for my positive and upward journey in life.": Understanding Current Practices of Assistive Technology's Customized Modification in ChinaProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36870128:CSCW2(1-42)Online publication date: 7-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3687012
Cheng KZhou SOlechowski A(2024)"A Lot of Moving Parts": A Case Study of Open-Source Hardware Design Collaboration in the Thingiverse CommunityProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36870088:CSCW2(1-29)Online publication date: 7-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3687008
Alves SCosta RMontague KGuerreiro T(2024)Citizen-Led Personalization of User Interfaces: Investigating How People Customize Interfaces for Themselves and OthersProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36869858:CSCW2(1-23)Online publication date: 7-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3686985
Turmo Vidal LDuval J(2024)Ambiguity as a Resource to Design for a Plurality of BodiesProceedings of the Halfway to the Future Symposium10.1145/3686169.3686176(1-9)Online publication date: 21-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3686169.3686176
Loewen G(2024)Exploring Gaming Wearables for Players with Upper Limb Motor Disabilities through Design Fiction and DIYCompanion Proceedings of the 2024 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play10.1145/3665463.3678854(427-430)Online publication date: 14-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3665463.3678854
Higgins ESakowicz MHamidi F(2024)An Ecosystem of Support: A U.S. State Government-Supported DIY-AT Program for Residents with DisabilitiesProceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility10.1145/3663548.3675667(1-16)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3663548.3675667
Herskovitz JXu AAlharbi RGuo A(2024)ProgramAlly: Creating Custom Visual Access Programs via Multi-Modal End-User ProgrammingProceedings of the 37th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology10.1145/3654777.3676391(1-15)Online publication date: 13-Oct-2024
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Allen K(2024)Human-Robot Haptic Communication and Accessible Assistive TechnologyACM SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing10.1145/3654768.3654769(1-1)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2024
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Motahar TWiese J(2024)Investigating Technology Adoption Soon After Sustaining a Spinal Cord InjuryProceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies10.1145/36435078:1(1-24)Online publication date: 6-Mar-2024
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