Body

Abstract

AbstractOur bodies are obviously physical. In the case of assistive technology, this may be to ameliorate gaps in our abilities, in other cases it may be to work alongside or extend our bodily functions. Our physical size influences the technology we are able to use and may be used as a positive part of design, including for child safety. We also have temporal limits: nerve impulses taking as long to propagate through our body as the fastest Internet signals take to pass around the world. This chapter explores how the design of digital devices and environments need to take into account the physical constraints of the human body. It also discusses how the technology we carry with us, wear on our bodies, or have embedded within us means that we are all, to some extent, cyborgs.