Understanding the Potential of Home-Based Digital Voice Assistants for People with Disabilities.

As the numbers of people with disabilities actively using technology to support their day-to-day activities increases the benefits afforded by these technologies are ever more evident. Much of the technology used by people with disabilities is often characterised as Assistive Technology (AT) which is designed and developed to address the specific needs of people with disabilities. In contrast to AT which is focused on serving the needs of people with disabilities, consumer digital technology refers to those technologies that are developed for use by the general public.

Responsibility-Enhancing Assistive Technologies and People with Autism.

This paper aims to explore the role assistive technologies (ATs) might play in helping people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a concomitant responsibility deficit become more morally responsible. Toward this goal, the authors discuss the philosophical concept of responsibility, with a reliance on Nicole Vincent's taxonomy of responsibility concepts. They then outline the ways in which ASD complicates ascriptions of responsibility, particularly responsibility understood as a capacity.

Autonomy Benefits and Risks of Assistive Technologies for Persons With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

This paper explores the ways in which assistive technologies (ATs) can both promote and undermine the autonomy of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (PIDD). Following an initial discussion of ATs for PIDD, I examine the specific issues of autonomy for PIDD. I outline the ways in which ATs can boost autonomy, of PIDD, focusing on knowledge, authenticity, and liberty.

The Ethics of Smart Stadia: A Stakeholder Analysis of the Croke Park Project.

The development of "smart stadia", i.e. the use of "smart technologies" in the way sports stadia are designed and managed, promises to enhance the experience of attending a live match through innovative and improved services for the audience, as well as for the players, vendors and other stadium stakeholders.

Robots and people with dementia: Unintended consequences and moral hazard.

The use of social robots in elder care is entering the mainstream as robots become more sophisticated and populations age. While there are many potential benefits to the use of social robots in care for the older people, there are ethical challenges as well. This article focuses on the societal consequences of the adoption of social robots in care for people with dementia.

Inclusion of Assistive Technologies in a Basic Package of Essential Healthcare Service.

This paper outlines the potential and necessity of the development of assistive technologies (AT) for people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). We analyse a policy recommendation designed to determine the contents of a basic health package supplied by the state, known as the Dunning Funnel. We contend that the Dunning Funnel is a useful methodology, but is weakened by a potentially relativistic understanding of "necessity" in relation to the requirements of people with IDs (i.

Risks of Stigmatisation Resulting from Assistive Technologies for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This short paper presents a philosophical analysis of the ways in which assistive technologies (ATs) can result in the stigmatisation of users with ASD. It frames the discussion in the context of the medical and social models of disability and outlines a number of ethical risks that might arise from the project of developing ATs.

The Convergence of Virtual Reality and Social Networks: Threats to Privacy and Autonomy.

The rapid evolution of information, communication and entertainment technologies will transform the lives of citizens and ultimately transform society. This paper focuses on ethical issues associated with the likely convergence of virtual realities (VR) and social networks (SNs), hereafter VRSNs. We examine a scenario in which a significant segment of the world's population has a presence in a VRSN.

A review of contemporary work on the ethics of ambient assisted living technologies for people with dementia.

Ambient assisted living (AAL) technologies can provide assistance and support to persons with dementia. They might allow them the possibility of living at home for longer whilst maintaining their comfort and security as well as offering a way towards reducing the huge economic and personal costs forecast as the incidence of dementia increases worldwide over coming decades. However, the development, introduction and use of AAL technologies also trigger serious ethical issues.

Challenges and opportunities of lifelog technologies: a literature review and critical analysis.

In a lifelog, data from various sources are combined to form a record from which one can retrieve information about oneself and the environment in which one is situated. It could be considered similar to an automated biography. Lifelog technology is still at an early stage of development.