Technology aids boost human abilities

Assisted technologies that support cognition, mobility and self-care are now so integral to human life that most people do not consider them as supportive aids

A simple pair of spectacles restores vision for the partially-sighted, hearing aids open up the world of sound for the hearing-impaired, and phone alerts remind people it’s time to have prescription medicine, or simply get up to walk around to get sufficient activity. Assisted technologies that support communication, cognition, mobility and self-care are now so integrated across the human lifespan that most people don’t even consider them as supportive aids. 

Apart from wheelchairs, spectacles, hearing aids, prostheses, wheelchairs, and so on, assisted technologies include digital services, such as reminder phone alerts, tools to monitor health indicators such as glucose levels, smart