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Assistive technology and sports is an area of technology design that is growing. Assistive technology is the array of new devices created to enable sports enthusiasts who have disabilities to play. Assistive technology may be used in disabled sports, where an existing sport is modified to enable players with a disability to participate; or, assistive technology may be used to invent completely new sports with athletes with disabilities exclusively in mind. An increasing number of people with disabilities are participating in sports, leading to the development of new assistive technology. Assistive technology devices can be simple, "low-tech", or they may use highly advanced technology, with some even using computers. Assistive technology for sports may also be simple or advanced.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.understandingdisability.org/AssistiveTechnologies )〕 Accordingly, assistive technology can be found in sports ranging from local community recreation to elite Paralympic games. More complex assistive technology devices have been developed over time, and as a result, sports for people with disabilities "have changed from being a clinical therapeutic tool to an increasingly competition-oriented activity". ==Assistive devices== Assistive devices can enable exercise and training, on top of enabling participation in a sport. Below are some of the assistive devices currently available for different impairments: * Mobility impairments:〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.girlshealth.gov/disability/disbody/assist.cfm )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.understandingdisability.org/AssistiveTechnologies )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.fctd.info/factsheet/at101 )〕 * * Light-weight wheelchairs for basketball, tennis, and racing * * All-terrain wheelchairs with rugged frames and wheels for rolling over unpaved surfaces, like hiking trails, snow, or beach sand * * Handcycles, or recumbent bicycles, which are like bicycles with pedals and steering using only the rider's arms * * Cross-country sit skis that allow skiers to sit down and push along the trail with tips that dig into the snow * * Weights that users strap onto their wrists rather than having to hold them with the hands * * Gym equipment that lets users stay in a wheelchair while using arm exercise machines * * Mitts with Velcro straps that help users to hold onto an exercise machine if their grip isn’t strong enough * * Elastic band or tubes that exercise muscles through resistance instead of weight * * Paramobile devices such as specialized golf carts with support for standing assist players with mobility disabilities * * Bowling balls with hand grips assist bowlers with limited use of their hands * * One-handed fishing rods assist fishers who have limited mobility * Visual impairments:〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.girlshealth.gov/disability/disbody/assist.cfm )〕 * * Softballs that beep, so that people with visual problems can locate the ball to hit and catch it * * Basketballs with jingle bells inside for people who have limited or no eyesight File:First Swing program assistive tech golf.jpg|A golfer with a leg amputation uses an adaptive golf cart that has a chest strap to help him maintain his balance while standing on one leg. File:Wheelchair Curling Medal Round, Vancouver 2010 Paralympics.jpg|Wheelchair curling uses a specially adapted long stick to launch the "rock" down the ice. These players are delivering rocks in the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics. File:Scott McPhee and Kieran Modra riding 02.jpg|Australian Paralympic athletes using a two-seated tandem racing bicycle; the visually impaired cyclist pedals in rear, while a sighted "pilot" sits in the front. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Assistive technology and sports」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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