Description
The ASPREX project investigated the feasibility of a machine-reasoning system which can help identify the assistive products that can best meet the individual needs by considering each person’s goals, circumstances, type of difficulties, level of ability, and life environment. The assumption was that such a system - if well designed and driven by reliable data - could greatly favor informed and responsible choices of assistive products, by increasing task-shifting of AT provision to the non-specialist workforce at community level; and by increasing awareness about the complexity of the AT assessment and selection process, the risks associated to wrong choices and the competences needed case by case. The project led to the development of an AI-based prototype called "Assistive Product Explorer" (ASPREX). The ASPREX has been kept live on the Web for three Years (2022-2024) for testing purposes; now it is no longer online and will be probably resumed within future projects.
Within the ASPREX project, an innovative model was developed to represent knowledge about assistive products. Based on this model, a knowledge base was generated for the ASPREX system, including over 2400 knowledge rules related to 65 product categories belonging to the APL (Assistive Product Priority List) of the World Health Organization. The knowledge base can be also read as a set of fact-sheets that can useful in clinical practice and for educational purposes. Each product fact-sheet is composed of 15 chapters (each related to a knowledge-rule cluster as established by the model): 1) product identification data and overall description; 2) possible configuration variants; 3) optional components; 4) product goals; 5) indicated impairments and 6) contraindicated impairments; 7) indicated and 8) contraindicated environments; 9) other indicated and 10) contraindicated factors; points to consider in 11) selection, 12) fitting, 13) use and 14) maintenance/follow-up; and 15) sources/references. The model has shown able to represent knowledge about any categories of assistive products. All the fact sheets are available for download from the SIVA and the EASTIN Web Portals.
Subject (according to the ISO classification of assistive products)
- Assistive products for measuring, dispensing or modifying medication to ensure its proper use (ISO 04.19.04)
- Seat cushions and underlays for tissue integrity (ISO 04.33.03)
- Standing frames and supports for standing (ISO 04.48.39)
- Spinal and cranial orthoses (ISO 06.03)
- Lower limb orthoses (ISO 06.12)
- Ankle-foot orthoses (ISO 06.12.06)
- Lower limb prostheses (ISO 06.24)
- Shoes and boots (ISO 09.03.42)
- Commode chairs (ISO 09.12.03)
- Raised toilet seats mounted on frame (ISO 09.12.12)
- Assistive products for absorbing urine and faeces (ISO 09.30)
- Shower chairs with and without wheels (ISO 09.33.07)
- Walking sticks and canes (ISO 12.03.03)
- Elbow crutches (ISO 12.03.06)
- Forearm support crutches (ISO 12.03.09)
- Auxiliary crutches (ISO 12.03.12)
- Walking frames (ISO 12.06.03)
- Rollators (ISO 12.06.06)
- Guide canes (ISO 12.08.03)
- Bimanual wheel-propelled wheelchairs (ISO 12.22.03)
- Electrically powered wheelchairs with manual steering (ISO 12.23.03)
- Electrically powered wheelchairs with powered steering (ISO 12.23.06)
- Propulsion units for manual wheelchairs (ISO 12.24.09)
- Accessories for wheelchair seating (ISO 12.25)
- Transportation chairs (ISO 12.27.04)
- Handrails and support rails (ISO 18.18.03)
- Fixed grab bars and handgrips (ISO 18.18.06)
- Removable grab rails and handgrips (ISO 18.18.10)
- Portable ramps (ISO 18.30.15)
- Spectacles and contact lenses (ISO 22.03.06)
- Glasses, lenses and lens systems for magnification (ISO 22.03.09)
- Image-enlarging video systems (ISO 22.03.18)
- In-the-ear hearing aids (ISO 22.06.12)
- Behind-the-ear hearing aids (ISO 22.06.15)
- Sound transmission systems for hearing aids (ISO 22.06.25)
- Manual Braille writing equipment (ISO 22.13.27)
- Typewriters (ISO 22.13.30)
- Portable note-taking devices for Braille (ISO 22.13.36)
- Sound recording and playing devices (ISO 22.18.03)
- Decoders for videotext and text television (ISO 22.18.21)
- Letter and symbol sets and boards (ISO 22.21.03)
- Dialogue units (ISO 22.21.09)
- Face-to-face communication software (ISO 22.21.12)
- Devices mainly for speech communication (ISO 22.24.07)
- Clocks and timepieces (ISO 22.28.03)
- Calendars and timetables (ISO 22.28.06)
- Memory support products (ISO 22.28.12)
- Signalling devices (ISO 22.29.03)
- Personal emergency alarm systems (ISO 22.29.06)
- Localization and tracking systems (ISO 22.29.12)
- Portable computers and personal digital assistants (PDA) (ISO 22.33.06)
- Special output software (ISO 22.39.12)
- Assistive products for electronic orientation (ISO 22.45.03)
- Software for operating electrical devices (ISO 24.13.24)
