Innovating with Care: A Comparative Ethnography of Lived Experiences with Assistive Technologies and Evolving Practices of Care

Neurodegenerative disorders (ND) are progressive conditions impairing motor function and affecting life quality. As global populations age, their prevalence is rising, intensifying pressures on healthcare systems and caregivers. Assistive technologies (AT) are promoted as tools to help tackle these needs by enhancing care practices, yet limited user involvement and engagement in innovation processes often result in technologies that are neither inclusive nor useful. This research aims to understand the impact of AT on health and care provision by examining how notions of care are, or might be, embedded in technology development. It does so by drawing on multi-sited comparative ethnographic case studies in Japan, South Korea, Italy and the UK—four ageing countries where AT development is a strategic priority. Through an engaged research approach, it will involve technology developers and people with lived experiences of ND, ageing and care. It investigates how cultural values, care practices, and sociotechnical infrastructures shape AT design and use. It aims to: 1) advance theory and concepts in Science and Technology Studies on how care is embedded within technological innovation; 2) inform country-specific frameworks of responsible innovation by developing conceptual toolkits and methodologies to offer guidance for user engagement relevant to developers and policymakers.