Exploring mobility and transportation technology futures for people with ambulatory disabilities: A science fiction prototype

Abstract

Although a number of studies have explored science fiction prototyping as a method for new product development, no study has ever used the method to examine the mobility and transportation technology needs of people with disabilities. The current research created a science fiction prototype, based on expert opinion expressed during an imagination workshop, which the authors then presented to a sample of people with ambulatory disabilities. Through a conjoint analysis, the sample members delineated the elements of the prototype they regarded as most important. The participants considered personal mobility assistive technology (either an automated wheelchair or an exoskeleton) the most important, followed by personal automation (autonomous [driverless] vehicle or personal robot) and thirdly by personal assistance technologies (real-time response versus augmented metaverse planning systems). Outputs to the conjoint analysis were clustered and three categories of individual emerged (i) more innovatively minded people who occupied the first cluster and preferred an exoskeleton, a personal robot and a subscription to the metaverse, (ii) people who appeared to be less technologically inclined and preferred an automated wheelchair, an autonomous vehicle and a subscription to a real-time assistive system, and (iii) a group with members favouring an AV but with few other predilections.