Human augmentation and its new design perspectives

Abstract

ABSTRACT Along with the growing impact of rapidly advancing technology on human life, interest in improving human abilities has increased. ‘Human augmentation’ refers to human-computer integration technology, aiming to restore, supplement, or even exceed human potential. As such, human augmentation may be used by anyone, ranging from people who face an impairment or a dangerous situation to healthy people who want to improve their current capabilities or even acquire abilities that are beyond normal human capabilities. This article introduces the field of human augmentation by discussing definitions of human augmentation and related terms. Subsequently, a categorical and dimensional classification of the field is given to structure the domain. Based on our findings from the literature, we propose a framework to support product designers in understanding, navigating, and characterizing the human augmentation product they are designing. This framework was applied in academic practice over three consecutive years, challenging prospective product designers to explore human augmentation. Ultimately, 123 student projects were collected and analyzed with the aim of elaborating on our framework based on concrete design strategies. Future research is set to implement the design strategies in a tool that facilitates idea generation and sparks creativity in the field of human augmentation.