title: App Factory: A flexible approach to rehabilitation engineering in an era of rapid technology advancement.
abstract: This article describes a flexible and effective approach to research and development in an era of rapid technological advancement. The approach relies on secondary dispersal of grant funds to commercial developers through a competitive selection process. This "App Factory" model balances the practical reliance on multi-year funding needed to sustain a rehabilitation engineering research center (RERC), with the need for agility and adaptability of development efforts undertaken in a rapidly changing technology environment. This approach also allows us to take advantage of technical expertise needed to accomplish a particular development task, and provides incentives to deliver successful products in a cost-effective manner. In this article, we describe the App Factory structure, process, and results achieved to date; and we discuss the lessons learned and the potential relevance of this approach for other grant-funded research and development efforts. Data presented on the direct costs and number of downloads of the 16 app development projects funded in the App Factory's first 3 years show that it can be an effective means for supporting focused, short-term assistive technology development projects.
authors.affiliation: a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC), Shepherd Center , Atlanta , Georgia , USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC), Shepherd Center , Atlanta , Georgia , USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC), Shepherd Center , Atlanta , Georgia , USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morris
mesh_terms: D040421:Cell Phone; D006801:Humans; D008491:Medical Informatics Applications; D063731:Mobile Applications; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D012656:Self-Help Devices; D059015:Wireless Technology
keywords: emerging trends; information technology and telecommunications; knowledge translation; universal design; usability