175 research outputs found
State of the art of prosthesis simulators for the upper limb: A narrative review
No full textBackground: Research into prosthesis training and design puts a burden on the small population of people with upper-limb absence who can participate in these studies. One solution is to use a prosthetic hand simulator, which allows for attaching a hand prosthesis to an intact limb. However, whether the results of prosthesis simulator studies can be translated to people with upper-limb absence using a hand prosthesis is unclear. Objective: To review the literature on prosthetic hand simulators, provide an overview of current designs, and highlight the differences and similarities between prosthesis simulators and traditional prostheses. Methods: A Boolean combination of keywords was used to search 3 electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. Relevant articles in English were selected. Results: In total, 52 papers were included in the review, and an overview of the state of the art was presented. We identified the key differences between prosthesis simulators and traditional prostheses as the position of the terminal device and the available degrees of freedom of the arm and (prosthetic) wrist. Conclusions: This paper provides an overview of prosthesis simulator designs over the past 27 years and an overview of the similarities and differences between prosthesis simulators and prostheses. The literature does not provide enough evidence to establish whether the results obtained from simulator studies could be translated to prostheses. A recommendation for future simulator design is to constrain pro- and supination of the forearm of anatomically intact participants and add a prosthetic wrist that can pro- and supinate. Additional research is required to find the ideal terminal device position for a prosthesis simulator with respect to the person's hand.Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technolog
Retirement decisions in times of COVID-19 : the role of telework, ICT-related strain and social support on older workers’ intentions to continue working
No full textPurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic forced many employees to work from home, resulting in new demands that might cause older workers to reevaluate their retirement decisions. Building on the extended Job Demands-Resources model, which explains work-related outcomes in times of crisis, this study investigated the change in older workers' intention to continue working during COVID-19 and the role of ICT-related strain and social support during teleworking.Design/methodology/approachA two-wave longitudinal study was conducted among 1,406 older workers (i.e. 50 years or older). Data were collected before the COVID-19 pandemic (2019: T1) and during the pandemic (2021: T2). In total, 967 older workers completed the survey at both waves.FindingsOlder workers' nearing retirement experienced a decline in intentions to continue working during the pandemic, while intentions of older workers further away from their retirement increased. At T2, the negative relationship between telework intensity and the intention to continue working was mediated by ICT-related strain. Perceived social support at work seems to buffer the negative impact of telework intensity on ICT-related strain.Originality/valueThis study provides valuable insights into factors that may stimulate older workers' workforce participation by investigating effects of ICT-related strain and social support during telework. Organizations can implement interventions that enhance job resources and reduce job demands during telework to help mitigate ICT-related strain and postpone retirement
The ideal solution
No full textA smart use of high-pressure carbon dioxide may make a special class of eco-friendly solvents known as ionic liquids much more attractive to the fine chemical industry. Researcher Dr. Maaike Kroon has demonstrated that, on paper at least, the savings can be astronomical.Applied Science
Educate for technological innovation
No full textAt Polytechnics design & engineering students are taught about state-of-the-art technical knowledge. Students become qualified engineers and learn to innovate artifacts related to their domain. Not taught is how to develop new engineering knowledge within a multidisciplinary context of stakeholders, companies and regulations. In short, students don't learn to innovate technology. What is taught today is the result of a technological innovation of yesterday. This is not sufficient for industry to innovatively deal with society's grand challenges. The paper describes a project that aims to educate all TU Delft graduate students in the verb of innovating technology, that is, the development of new technologies from inventions in the labs to full- fledged application in business. Such along three dimensions: technical, human and business. The educational portfolio consists of three modules in line with growth along Bloom's taxonomy and online materials on theoretical backbones. All modules apply the notion of technological innovation journeys (Tijo's). Tijo's are rich descriptions of the developmental journey of new technology and are based on inventions from the university's own labs.Methodologie en Organisatie van DesignESA extension schoolEducation ManagementCognitive RoboticsApplied Mechanic
A CHAT approach to understand framing in digital service innovation
No full textWithin the third wave of digital service innovation, framing is becoming increasingly complex. Accordingly, design practice finds itself in a transition from designing single service solutions that are shared, to designing systemic solutions that are shareable. We report a case study in which we use Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to analyze the framing process that a designer went through when designing a digital service for a Connected Care startup. Results show the importance of the designer’s activity awareness and the challenge of dealing with relational complexity when framing the digital service innovation. With this work, we hope to inspire researchers and practitioners with the potential that CHAT has to offer for the reflective practice in digital service innovations.Methodologie en Organisatie van DesignResponsible Marketing and Consumer Behavio
De ideale oplossing: Schakelen met kooldioxide zet ionische vloeistof op de kaart
No full textDoor handig gebruik te maken van kooldioxide onder hoge druk kan het voor de fijnchemische industrie veel interessanter worden om gebruik te maken van een bijzondere klasse milieuvriendelijke oplosmiddelen: ‘ionische vloeistoffen’. Onderzoekster dr.ir. Maaike Kroon liet zien dat de besparingen, in elk geval op papier, astronomisch zijn.Innovation SystemsTechnology, Policy and Managemen
Designing for Packaging Sustainability: The Effects of Appearance and a Better Eco-Label on Consumers Evaluations and Choice
No full textThe environmental burden of packaging is huge. However, redesigning packaging to make it more sustainable without damaging its other functions is not always easy and can have a negative impact on consumers’ choice. In this paper, we adopt a user-perspective and test the effects of packaging appearance and a better eco-label on consumers’ responses. Based on the literature, we designed an eco- label using a traffic light system with an objective sustainability score enabling to compare the sustainability of different packages. The results of our experimental study (N=120) show that while a sustainable (vs. typical) appearance in packaging has a positive effect on perceived sustainability, it has a negative effect on perceived usability. However, we demonstrate that the presence of a high score on the eco-label positively impacts the perceived sustainability of both the sustainable and the typical packages and the choice intentions. This eco-label also enabled to mitigate the negative effects of the sustainable appearance on perceived usability. Designers and policy-makers can use the results of this paper to positively influence evaluations of and choice for sustainable packaging.Servicedesk Library / SIDResponsible Marketing and Consumer Behavio
Sprinting Out of Stuckness: Overcoming Moments of Stuckness to Support the Creativity Flow in Agile Team Settings
No full textMultidisciplinary agile teams working in fast paced, delivery-oriented sprint cycles of two weeks can experience moments of stuckness. Typically, these moments can be characterised by the inability to continue, which can be quite detrimental in agile settings, where time is pressured. This paper aims to explore these moments of stuckness, to understand when and why they occur and to understand the different strategies Scrum teams use to overcome them, both on a personal as well as team level. A combination of interviews and observations were conducted with six Scrum team members and two experts to understand their process and experiences while working in an agile set up. We have identified five strategies, which strongly rely on agile values of collaboration, communication, and creativity. These are: looking for expert guidance, open communication, creating spike stories, visual communication and incubation. The findings from this study provide both practice and academia with a deeper understanding into how can creativity be supported in agile settings.Methodologie en Organisatie van Desig
Reframing the Design Process: Integrating Goals, Methods and Manifestation into the Co-Evolution Model
No full textIn their early years of education, design students may experience difficulties in reframing design problems. Since reframing is linked to creativity, this may be problematic. While there are some models available to describe the reframing process, it is yet unclear how they are supporting design students. This study concerned the development and test of a framing model based on co-evolution transitions, through a two-part study: interviews with expert designers and workshops followed by group interviews with novices. The resulting model offers a way of thinking and a way of working, based on the fluidity of the design process. This study yielded two major insights. Firstly, students tend to perceive the problem space to be fixed once they defined it, even if they discovered disparate information along the way. Secondly, the developed model provides students with guidance and confidence in dealing with complex problems. Our results have a considerable impact on design education, as it is important to reinforce to design students that both the problem and solution understanding are fluid, and this model provides initial steps to help designers structuring their process.Methodologie en Organisatie van Desig
- …
