4 ms·

Parallel thought. Would there be some resistance from some subset of disabled people to be forced to use exoskeletons in place of wheelchairs if we decided to

• SoftTalker 4y ago
  There will always be resistance when people are told what they have to do. Look at recent experience with the pandemic.
  • TeMPOraL 4y ago
    That one is easy to solve, though. Assuming the market doesn't jump at the opportunity on its own, all it'll take is some tax break or subsidy that'll make it profitable be an exoskeleton reseller (or to rent them out). It'll have to be indirect enough to not get flagged immediately on national news and turned into a political issue, if you manage that, the private sector will do all the hard work for you. You'll have gazillion of small companies, many of them fly-by-night scams, borrowing money from banks and investors and spending a chunk of it on marketing exoskeletons as mobility products. This will gradually start shifting real demand, leading to manufacturers and large health providers getting increasingly involved. Doctors might start being offered kickbacks; private healthcare clinics surely will. Exoskeletons will start showing up as an available option, and will benefit from persistent marketing and generic funding - all while regular wheelchairs become less popular and, thanks to reduced demand, more expensive. Eventually, most people will opt for getting an exoskeleton instead of a wheelchair, without, at any point, being "told what they have to do". This is the truth about modern markets in general: consumers, at scale, don't have much agency. They'll just buy whatever they feel is best for them.