Trustworthy Assistive Technologies

Project Dates: From September 2009 to February 2010

Project Leader: Dr. John Fitzgerald

Sponsors: University Strategic Development Funds

 

Assistive technologies must be trusted by their users and other stakeholders. However, as applications rise in complexity, depending increasingly on software and networks, that trust becomes harder to win and retain. In this project we consider two major challenges in developing trustworthy systems. First, characterising the attributes that the silicon package must have in order to earn trust. This is a special challenge for assistive applications whose users have particular needs and sensitivities. Second, verifying that system designs possess those trust-related attributes. Again, this is a particular challenge for assistive systems which often use wireless and mobile technologies whose behaviour can be difficult to predict confidently at design time. To address we are performing initial studies aimed at understanding the factors that contribute to justifiable reliance and trust in assistive technologies. A feature of these studies will be the central role of users: we will gather information on their perceptions of relevant factors, using a variety of modes and media for gathering this data.