Extended Reality for Special Educational Needs: From the Design Process to Real Products Through 3D Printing

Extended Reality (ER) stands out as one of the major technology trends currently, with expectations of even further growth in the near future. The primary objective of this paper is to develop an ER application for the Sharebot One and Sharebot Next Generation 3D Printers, specifically designed to assist students with special needs. The application follows an inclusive design perspective based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) by the World Health Organization (WHO), enabling students to work and interact with the machine safely. To achieve this goal, three configurations have been developed and tested: a desktop version running on a PC, an Android tablet-based version, and a solution optimized for the Microsoft HoloLens device.