How the Fields of Rehabilitation Science and Human-centered Computing Utilize Emerging Technologies to Create Assistive Technology: An In-Progress Scoping Review

Abstract

The fields of Rehabilitation Science and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) both contribute to the development of assistive technologies (AT). However, they often operate in disciplinary silos with distinct methodologies, vocabularies, and deployment strategies. This paper presents the protocol and in-progress execution of a comprehensive scoping review mapping how both fields have utilized emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, digital fabrication, robotics, etc.) over time to create or augment AT. We compiled a multi-database search strategy spanning medical, engineering, and computing repositories. Crucially, we describe an open access, comprehensive protocol developed to mitigate geographical and language biases during comprehensive literature searching. Having concluded title and abstract screening, we outline our active data extraction framework designed to analyze interdisciplinary collaboration, methodological choices, and deployment settings.