The limits of participatory technology development: The case of service robots in care facilities for older people

Abstract

The paper examines how participatory technology development (pTD) in the field of ambient assisted living (AAL) is marked by several weaknesses. We will discuss these from a theoretical point of view as well as based on empirical findings of a three-year project dedicated to the achievement of pTD within a representative AAL domain, adopting the scenario-based design (SBD) method. The case study – dealing with the introduction of care robots in a care facility for the elderly – will be examined by an ethnographical qualitative analysis as well as by three theoretical approaches often used in the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS). We combine these three approaches with an ethnographical analysis to achieve a deeper understanding of several difficulties with pTD that are typical in the realization within the AAL field, especially when a mediating method, such as SBD, is adopted. In this respect the theoretical contribution consists of outlining the importance of a strictly bottom-up view on pTD. Finally, we conclude with two general recommendations on how the inclusion of care workers and older people as target groups of pTD within the AAL field can be accomplished more successfully.