#aiexoskeleton — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

MY NEXT PERIPHERAL
HAS LEGS 💎

I’ve been looking at one of the new AI-powered exoskeletons, and I realised something. For me, the interesting part isn’t really the exoskeleton.

IT'S THE AI.

I have left-side hemiplegic weakness after a major stroke. When I walk, one side of my body is doing something quite different from the other. I use a lightweight carbon fibre stick. Conscious balance matters and can be exhausting. So fatigue matters. The terrain also matters: flat concrete, slightly downhill, is perfect.

So why should an intelligent system simply sit in my computer talking to me? Why shouldn’t it come walking with me in a more practical way?

The AI would already know how I normally move. It would notice when my left leg is tiring or dragging and compensate by adjusting powered assistance, while keeping an eye on my balance, helping with navigation, and calling for help if something went seriously wrong.

MY EXOSKELETON WOULD JUST BE ANOTHER PERIPHERAL.

Like my headphones. Like a monitor or a camera. The intelligence should be the same intelligence I already talk to every day. That is what I mean when I talk about the "Star Trek Computer." #STC

I do not want another separate gadget that has “AI” just printed on the box as a sales gimmick.

One intelligence that knows me, my differences, and how I live could move with me through the day, every day, in the physical world. For a person with a disability, that could be the difference between AI being interesting and AI actually giving them new independence.

@3goodthings @DigitalCoup @meditation @economics_that_works @disability @pwd @joinin

#STC #Accessibility #DisabilityTech #AssistiveTechnology #AI #StarTrek #Exoskeleton #PWD #AIExoskeleton