Cyberpunk on wheels: technology in the lives of people with disabilities

Bionic limbs, real-time speech synthesizers, sensors in glasses, mind-controlled computers. Sounds like science fiction? In reality, these are everyday tools and often a necessity for many people with disabilities.

The use of technology is now natural and commonplace. We don’t think about the fact that we carry supercomputers in our pockets that 50 years ago were thousands of times less powerful and took up entire rooms or even buildings. Smartphones, laptops of all kinds, displays and electric cars have become commonplace.

What is everyday life for most of us is what makes it possible for others. We are talking about people with disabilities and diverse needs. How has technology changed, and continues to change, the lives of blind, deaf, wheelchair-bound or amputee people? How can the same solutions that support paralysed people also benefit seniors and children?

First, a few words about history. There is no need to go back to ancient times or the Napoleonic Wars, when prosthetics began to gain importance, or to pop culture images of pirates with wooden legs – although these also had their real-life counterparts. Humans have always overcome their limitations through technology – from torches that lit up the darkness of caves to modern cars that park themselves in crowded car parks in front of shopping centres. We live in an age where technological progress is accelerating at a dizzying pace – and this is of great importance to our topic. People with disabilities who, at the time of their birth, diagnosis or accident, did not yet have access to appropriate solutions, today use them as naturally as if they had always been with them.

Here are a few examples that show how technology affects the everyday lives of people with disabilities.

What you won’t see, you’ll hear

We often complain that people today are almost glued to their phones. But what if some of them are blind or visually impaired, and smartphones help them describe reality? In the past, phones had to be specially adapted for such tasks. Companies offering appropriately configured devices usually sold the latest models at a higher price, explaining this with the complexity and limited availability of specialised software.

Today, the situation is completely different. Every Android or iOS smartphone offers a range of standard accessibility features: text enlargement, text-to-speech conversion, magnifying glass and camera zoom are just a few examples. These can be further expanded with special applications, such as those that describe photos, read text or measure distance using augmented reality. Importantly, this no longer requires deep interference with the device’s system.

And what about computers? Windows offers software packages that fully vocalise the interface, inform you of the cursor’s position and extend the capabilities of the system magnifier, such as ZoomText Magnifier.

In addition, there are a number of multimedia devices available, such as digital magnifiers and readers. It is worth mentioning OrCam MyEye 2.0, a small device the size of a USB stick that can be magnetically attached to glasses. When pointed at text, it reads it aloud. The manufacturer states that the device can, for example, read a restaurant menu or recognise a barcode in a shop.

What does the future hold? According to the BBC, the US National Institutes of Health has been testing a bionic eye prosthesis since 2022, which uses artificial intelligence and deep learning technology to simulate the functioning of the retina. The prospects are therefore very promising.

 Run faster, jump higher

Limb prosthetics are nothing new. Companies such as Ottobook (one of the leading manufacturers of orthopaedic equipment) continue to offer products for the ‘mass’ market, but individual orders, personalised for specific users, are leading the way. These can be further divided into categories depending on the purpose of the prosthesis. For example, the most advanced bionic hand and arm prostheses are designed to imitate the appearance and behaviour of natural limbs as closely as possible. They are covered with skin that is realistic to the touch and appearance, and are controlled by nerve impulses transmitted through the stump directly from the patient’s brain. There is still a need to charge the battery in the prosthesis, and adaptation is similar to the process of organ acceptance after transplantation. Users praise the functionality and versatility of this solution. The situation is slightly different in the case of sports prostheses. These are purely mechanical constructions (mainly legs) that have only one purpose: the best possible performance.

Prosthetic limbs for runners increasingly resemble solutions straight out of science fiction films rather than something we see every day. Their development is reminiscent of a technological arms race. Many athletes with disabilities dream of competing on equal terms with able-bodied athletes. However, they fear that they would not stand a chance against perfectly calibrated carbon fibre prostheses.

There are also voices of concern: what if prostheses become so perfect that we start considering replacing healthy limbs with them?

Here we go!

Wheelchairs are much more than just four wheels. User safety is key in their design and manufacture, which forces designers to use increasingly modern technologies. The materials used in their construction are no longer limited to aluminium, which in practice proves to be quite heavy, but also include titanium and the increasingly popular carbon fibre, from which entire frames are made.

The idea behind a wheelchair is to ensure maximum mobility with minimum effort on the part of the user. That is why leading manufacturers such as Ottobock, Küschall, Panthera and the Polish company GTM use technologies employed in aviation and automotive engineering. It is no longer just about getting from point A to point B. It is about enabling people with disabilities to participate fully in life, i.e. to fulfil their daily needs, work, passions and sports. For example, sports wheelchairs are designed with a specific discipline in mind. A different model will be used by a basketball player, a different one by a rugby player, tennis player, fencer or boxer.

Electric wheelchairs, scooters and specialised vehicles constitute a separate category. They can be equipped with GPS, terrain sensors, satellite communication and other advanced systems. If necessary, they can have a medicine dispenser, a respirator, as well as control systems using applications, head movements, eye movements and even… thoughts.

The tracked trolley will enable movement in difficult mountain terrain, and pneumatic systems will help reach a jar from the top shelf or stand up, e.g. during a face-to-face conversation.

Importantly, inspiration between technologies is mutual – increasingly often, manufacturers of children’s equipment draw heavily on solutions developed for people with disabilities.

A smart home for everyone

It is safe to say that most, if not all, smart home solutions can help people with special needs, including seniors, people on the autism spectrum or with ADHD. Autonomous vacuum cleaners, lighting and temperature control are no longer a novelty. A voice assistant will order products that are running low in the fridge, you can make coffee using your phone, cook dinner with the touch of a button, and the smart home system will call for help if someone falls or starts a fire. For many, this is the only way to be independent. Companies such as Ikea even have a special line of products for people with disabilities, including additional handles, shelves, desks and armchairs. These include, for example, remote-controlled kitchen cabinet systems that can be lowered from above to the user’s level on special rails. People with limited mobility install lifts or wheelchair stair climbers.

It is difficult to imagine the life of a person with a disability today without the use of technology. In fact, the same statement applies to all of us. However, it is good to be aware that technological development should serve us all, regardless of our health, age, or occupation. Today, wheelchairs, strollers, and Porsche have more in common than we think.

Can you print a pancreas? Małgorzata Lamperska talks with Agata Kuliberda, a biomedical engineering specialist from Łukasiewicz – Poznań Institute of Technology, about implants and special prostheses for a computer gamer and a ballerina in our podcast.