Online Archive of University of Virginia Scholarship
G.L.A.S.S.; Designing for Independence: A Mediation-Based Framework for Smart Technology Deployment3 views
Author
Downey, Robert, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia
Advisors
Davis, William, Department of Engineering and Society, University of Virginia
Crocket, Caroline, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Virginia
Abstract
Modern smart home technology promises to simplify everyday life by giving users greater freedom and independence, allowing them to spend more time on activities that really matter to them. However, in practice, these technologies can often create unintended layers of complexity, reducing user independence and restricting that promised freedom. Consider an individual in the not-so-distant future who has disabilities requiring extensive use of smart home technology as they get ready to go to bed. Before going to sleep, this user tries to turn off the lights, pause the TV, adjust the thermostat, lock the doors, arm the security system, and set an alarm for the next morning. Instead of a seamless experience, the user must cycle through multiple apps, each tied to different device ecosystems with its own interface and login. The current state of smart home technology which promises to simplify daily life, instead provides users with an unintuitive web of incompatible interfaces, increasing both cognitive and physical effort, especially for the disabled who make up a substantial portion of smart home users. The contrast between the independence promised by smart home technology and the unintended complexities that restrict that independence motivated my thesis, which consists of both my technical project and my STS research paper. The technical portion is the development of G.L.A.S.S., smart glasses which enable universal gesture-based control of smart-devices through a single interface, while my STS research examines how smart technologies designed to promote independence can also introduce new forms of dependence that constrain user freedom. Together, these two components highlight the importance of STS to engineering practice by ensuring that technological innovation is guided by not only functionality but also a consideration of the effects of that functionality on user freedom and flourishing.
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
Technical Advisor: Caroline Crocket
STS Advisor: William Davis
Technical Team Members: Jane Byun, Ben Kessler, Nitya Khamar, Sarina Condon
Downey, Robert. G.L.A.S.S.; Designing for Independence: A Mediation-Based Framework for Smart Technology Deployment. University of Virginia, School of Engineering and Applied Science, BS (Bachelor of Science), 2026-05-08, https://doi.org/10.18130/xpzj-t212.
