10 June 2005
The global assistive technology market is booming like never before, according to leading industrial figures in the US.
And as the quantity of products increases, the costs are falling meaning a greater number of people with impairments can purchase such technologies.
Cathy Bodine, project director in the Assistive Technology Partners program at the University of Colorado health sciences centre, has suggested that demand is increasing partly because elderly people as well as disabled people are taking advantage of various devices.
Voice recognition technology that turns on lights and opens doors, reading glasses that double the size of a television screen and talking microwave ovens are just three such innovations that were originally designed for disabled people but have found favour with the elderly.
"The market for seniors is huge and growing, which means the costs can come down, and that's good for everyone," said Ms Bodine.
Figures suggest that the number of assistive technology products has proliferated during the past 30 years from just a few hundred in the UK and US to over 35,000 today.© DeHavilland Information Services plc
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