TY - GEN
T1 - Peripheral Device for Marginalized Bodies
T2 - 20th International Multidisciplinary Congress on Science and Technology, CIT 2025
AU - Gonzalez-Maldonado, Caridad
AU - Maldonado-Garcés, Verónica
AU - Orozco, Emilio
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.
PY - 2026
Y1 - 2026
N2 - The design and prototyping process of a foot-controlled human-computer interaction peripheral for people with upper limb motor disabilities is presented. The project, developed in an Ecuadorian university institution, is configured using the user-centered Design Thinking model. The assistive technology device, manufactured using FDM 3D printing and PLA, aims for economic accessibility and promotes sustainability through topological optimization. It integrates electronic components, such as Arduino and microcontrollers, configured with Fritzing software, for an intuitive interface that is particularly beneficial for students. With the collaboration of a physically disabled participant, the structural performance, functional efficiency, and usability of the prototype are validated through iterative feedback during the design process. Through the qualitative method and with a descriptive-analytical approach, this study identifies successes and challenges, demonstrating that, from the academy, it is possible to establish actions oriented towards generating accessible technological solutions for environments with limited resources. Among its contributions, it validates the relevance of the interdisciplinary approach between the areas of design, engineering, and health for the development of an assistive technology device. It fosters the innovation ecosystem and promotes, from an academic perspective, the inclusion and access to social participation opportunities for people with disabilities in current contexts of accelerated technological transformation.
AB - The design and prototyping process of a foot-controlled human-computer interaction peripheral for people with upper limb motor disabilities is presented. The project, developed in an Ecuadorian university institution, is configured using the user-centered Design Thinking model. The assistive technology device, manufactured using FDM 3D printing and PLA, aims for economic accessibility and promotes sustainability through topological optimization. It integrates electronic components, such as Arduino and microcontrollers, configured with Fritzing software, for an intuitive interface that is particularly beneficial for students. With the collaboration of a physically disabled participant, the structural performance, functional efficiency, and usability of the prototype are validated through iterative feedback during the design process. Through the qualitative method and with a descriptive-analytical approach, this study identifies successes and challenges, demonstrating that, from the academy, it is possible to establish actions oriented towards generating accessible technological solutions for environments with limited resources. Among its contributions, it validates the relevance of the interdisciplinary approach between the areas of design, engineering, and health for the development of an assistive technology device. It fosters the innovation ecosystem and promotes, from an academic perspective, the inclusion and access to social participation opportunities for people with disabilities in current contexts of accelerated technological transformation.
KW - Additive manufacturing
KW - Assistive technology devices
KW - Design thinking
KW - Disabilities
KW - Feet mouse
KW - Interdisciplinarity in higher education
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038426429
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-032-20729-6_20
DO - 10.1007/978-3-032-20729-6_20
M3 - Contribución a la conferencia
AN - SCOPUS:105038426429
SN - 9783032207289
T3 - Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems
SP - 259
EP - 270
BT - Emerging Research in Intelligent Systems - Proceedings of the ESPE CIT 2025
A2 - Olmedo Cifuentes, Gonzalo Fernando
A2 - Lara Padilla, Hernán Vinicio
A2 - Arcos Avilés, Diego Gustavo
PB - Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Y2 - 11 August 2025 through 15 August 2025
ER -