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The accuracy of satellite-based positioning systems is poor in indoor environments and around built environments. Reading and following visual cues still remain the most common mechanism for providing and receiving wayfinding information in such spaces. This reliance on visual function for wayfinding puts individuals who are blind or visually impaired (BVI) at a great disadvantage, and there remains a great need to provide a low-cost, easy-to-use, and reliable wayfinding system within indoor and outdoor spaces that complements existing satellite-based systems. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an initial prototype wayfinding system and smartphone application called CityGuide that can be used by BVI individuals to navigate their surroundings beyond what is possible with just a GPS-based system. CityGuide enables an individual to query and get turn-by-turn shortest route directions from an indoor location to an outdoor location. CityGuide leverages recently developed Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) indoor wayfinding solutions in conjunction with satellite signals to provide a seamless indoor–outdoor navigation and wayfinding system that guides a BVI individual to their desired destination through the shortest route. Evaluations of CityGuide with BVI human subjects within an unfamiliar university campus scenario demonstrated its potential to be effective compared to other popularly used apps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Customizing the accessibility and ease-of-use settings of a computer can improve the overall user experience for people with and without disabilities. However, the adoption of such settings remains poor. This study investigates why various factors may influence people as they personalize and when they choose to integrate those changes into everyday use. Methods: To better understand how these factors may impact people's personalization process, we conducted a series of interviews involving 15 people with and without disabilities across several months in 2020 when computer usage became required due to the COVID-19 lockdown. We used grounded theory to analyze 49 semi-structured interviews with participants. During these interviews, people reflected upon: past attempts at personalization using built-in accessibility or ease-of-use features of their Operating System (OS) or other assistive technologies (AT), current customization activities using the personalization software, Morphic, and future opportunities for personalization systems and features. Results: We identified several barriers, facilitators, and perpetuating factors that can influence why and when people choose to adopt and integrate their personalization changes. We also outline the overall personalization lifecycle, which illustrates when various factors may impact computer personalization. Conclusion: Personalization activities are complex and easily affected by an ecosystem of influential factors that surround them. When paired with the three design considerations and ten lessons learned from this qualitative study, the overall personalization lifecycle may be useful during the design and development of future personalization systems or features for people with and without disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Accommodations are vital for protecting equal access and increasing the employment of people with disabilities. However, the evidence on whether employers are willing or resistant to provide accommodations is mixed. We explore reactions to accommodations specifically associated with Assistive Technologies (AT). While the presence of such a device should reassure hiring managers about the abilities of the candidate to do the job, they also risk raising new questions and uncertainties. Methods: Hypothetical job candidates with and without disabilities were presented to participants with hiring experience to examine perceptions of employability, risk, and trust. Several conditions included the candidate describing the use of AT (i.e., an exosuit) and requesting accommodations, with and without extra technical or enthusiastic language to explain the specific device. Results: Quantitative and qualitative results show that the request for accommodations, in general, is problematic. And while using the exosuit seems to benefit perceptions of trust, it still seems risky and does not categorically improve employability perceptions. Extra language provided by the candidate to explain the device did not improve outcomes but did (in the case of enthusiastic language) make people more open to seeing the positive aspects of the device. Conclusion: While using an AT is a positive advance for a job candidate with a disability, the perceptual risk and the salience of the disability are both increased. Future work is needed to explore the options for better reassuring hiring managers about such devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socially assistive robots (SARs) have shown promise in the care of people with dementia and in mitigating behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. Although SARs are continually tested for efficacy, no current literature outlines a comprehensive strategy that industrial designers may employ to progress the technology of SARs. It was, therefore, essential to expand on existing literature by providing a straightforward approach to SAR design with the recommended design attributes. A systematic review was conducted to formulate recommendations for designing SARs to improve the quality of life of people with dementia. Six databases, including CINAHL, Embase, IEEE, Medline, ProQuest, and Scopus, were searched for relevant articles published between 2011 and 2022. Covidence software was used for screening, data extraction and quality testing. Of the 160 references extracted, 16 studies met the study inclusion criteria. The studies were predominately small sample sizes using various robotic platforms and technologies. Incorporating personal preferences linked to a user's life experience and choice is a crucial ability of SARs. Natural speech communication is also an important design attribute. However, the overwhelming conclusion is that more research is needed on aesthetics, materials, and interaction capabilities. All stakeholders should be part of a holistic user-centred design process to ensure a fit-for-purpose product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tongue-drive system (TDS) is an advanced assistive technology (AT) that enables people with severe disabilities to independently control the electronic devices and machines using their tongue. Through the use of a small magnetic tracer, it can be translated into user-defined commands. Real time system accuracy is the major parameter of effectiveness of such AT's. So, a projected model needs a hardware based real time implementations or optimum model development with reconfigurable architectures before design of application specific ICs. This paper reviews various tongue drive systems and their features and approaches to the brain, tongue, and computer interface. In this paper, the data rate of serial peripheral interfaces compared and discussed the attenuation techniques and their signal-to-noise ratio for processing the data. The projected machine learning classifiers mainly decision tree, k-Nearest Neighbor, logistic regression, Naïve Bayes, random forest, and support vector machine are compared in terms of accuracy, F1 score, and power consumption. The performance comparison of TDS and implementation methods on field programmable logic arrays are discussed. The design and simulation work done so far on MATLAB and Xilinx environment are mainly analyzed to identify future scope of work. Also, the fortes and drawbacks of these systems and approaches are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the contemporary educational scenario, heterogeneous classrooms have students with different communication needs. Whether we consider the inclusive education area, one of the most relevant drawbacks is that deaf children have needs that are normally ignored for not fitting with the pattern of other students. Furthermore, a few works have performed scientific researches that deeply investigate the application of models and technologies to tackle differences between deaf and hearing children. Therefore, this work proposes a bilingual literacy model based on Peirce's semiotics for inclusive education that utilizes software technology to improve the communication process between deaf and hearing children in classrooms. An experiment was conducted to observe the level of communication during games played in class and to investigate the quality of interaction by considering the presence of the Portuguese and the Brazilian Signs Language. We also identified three communication categories between deaf and hearing children: (i) Sign Communication; (ii) Common Vocabulary; and (iii) Formal Signaled Communication. We developed and implemented a semiotic model that supports the learning of Portuguese and Libras alphabets, as well as the process of communication between deaf and hearing children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of ProCare is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents the "Actional Model of Older people´s Coping with Health-Related Declines" to explain the use of a broad range of action alternatives of older persons for dealing with current or anticipated diseases, functional declines, activity limitations and participation restrictions. The general background is the action-theoretical model of intentional self-regulation of human development (e.g., Brandtstädter, 2006; Rothermund & Brandtstädter, 2019). Yet, our model provides an increased specification of major model components toward the situation of older people coping with current or anticipated health-related declines. The model development follows an adapted theory construction methodology (TCM) by Borsboom et al. (Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(4), 756-766, 2021) and adapted principles for constructing practically useful theories by Berkman & Wilson (Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(4), 864-874, 2021). Regarding content, we further draw on models of the use of assistive technologies (ATs) and medical services, qualitative studies on reasons for using ATs, and quantitative studies on health-related goals. The resulting model includes these components: (1) Discrepancies between perceived or anticipated and desired health-related development, (2) health-related discrepancy reduction and prevention goals, (3) action possibilities for reducing or preventing health-related discrepancies, (4) further motivating and demotivating goals, (5) beliefs about effective means for reaching the goals (2) and (4), (6) generation of the particular coping actions by goals (2) and (4) in combination with beliefs about effective means, (7) external context factors, and (8) modes of joint decision-making and decision-making on behalf of older people. The explanatory and practical value of the model are discussed as well as its implications for future research and geropsychology teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loss of or impairment in vision makes it challenging for blind and visually impaired people (BVIP) to navigate easily in their surroundings. Several solutions were proposed to address this challenge and assist BVIP in navigation by exploiting existing technologies. However, their reliance on pre-installed infrastructure and costly dedicated hardware made them less practical. As an alternative, pedestrian dead reckoning techniques were proposed. However, the slow walking pace of BVIP, the required contact with un-intended obstacles, and the false recognition of activities increase error accumulation, making these techniques less applicable. Therefore, solutions are needed to accurately recognize the walking patterns of BVIP so that efficient navigation solutions can be developed. This article fills this research gap by extending traditional white cane with smartphone sensors. Specifically, a smartphone is used with a conventional white cane to collect data through its sensors on a time-based data window. For smooth recording, a revolving tire is attached at the bottom of the white cane. The collected data is processed by employing the computational resources of the smartphone using our designed app, which identifies the user's walking patterns such as walking, stairs up/down, sit/stand, and collision. As a case study, these activities were classified using Naïve Bayes, Random Forests, J48, Decision Table, and LibSVM. Among these, Random Forests gave a higher accuracy. These results suggest that the proposed solution is more practical in designing navigation applications for BVIP and may yield better accuracy if tested with more advanced classifiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article replicates a prior study of student perceptions of captions in a specialized learning context to understand the extent to which captions are useful for students learning specialized vocabulary. It describes the results of a conceptual replication (Christensen et al., Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 2021) of a nationwide study by Linder (2016) that surveyed undergraduate students regarding their use and perceptions of closed captions and transcripts. In Linder (2016). Student Uses and Perceptions of Closed Captions and Transcripts: Results from a national study. Oregon State University Ecampus Research Unit.) study, a broad range of undergraduate student populations reported that they used closed captions and transcripts as a learning aid to help with accuracy, comprehension, retention, and engagement. This study surveys a smaller group of graduate students in legal education whose academic challenges include mastering a highly specific terminology. Experimental studies have provided evidence that closed captions can help students learn challenging new vocabulary in areas such as foreign language Winke et al. Language Learning & Technology, 14(1), 65–86 (2010) and science (Marino et al., Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching 29:31–49, 2010). This article reports on student perceptions of the helpfulness of captions and transcripts, why they found them helpful or not, and how they used them to support their learning. Results indicate that provided captions and transcripts were accurate, students found them helpful with understanding instructors, concentrating, comprehending lectures, learning new vocabulary, and note-taking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing interest in developing Computer-Based Assistive Technology (CAT) systems able to help the Visually Impaired (VI) in their daily needs and integrate well within society. One aspect that has not been well addressed is helping the visually impaired is the identification of colors for daily activities. Color recognition and perception is very important in interacting with the society and the surrounding environment. This paper presents a proof-of-concept design of a real-time embedded system that can help the visually impaired recognize colors, interact, and take decisions based on their perception of colors. Our approach is based on conveying color information, from the full color space, using a unique set of synthesized sound signals. The hardware part of the system is a pen-like device, which can detect color and generate a language-independent auditory signal representing the HSV values of the identified color. Numerous experiments have been performed using the new system with both the visually impaired and some blindfolded (BLD) participants. The system was proven to be very efficient in relation to training time and leads to high accuracy in color detection, classification, and matching tests. These experiments confirmed that the developed sonification scheme is effective yet simple in achieving color perception for the visually impaired. The proof-of-concept achieves about 93 % recognition accuracy using off-the-shelf components, it is cheap to implement, robust, and requires a much shorter time for training when compared to existing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important lifestyle risk factors for many chronic conditions in the older age, low physical activity has shown to have significant impact on the sustainability of national welfare in many developed countries. Technology-based assisted living solutions can effectively be used to enable older adults to optimise their health-related quality of life, as well as to promote an active and healthy longevity. This paper describes vINCI—an interdisciplinary research project to actively support assisted living for older adults via state-of-the-art assistive technologies—which seamlessly deploys an ambient intelligence environment to integrate wearable devices, networking, software, and personalised services. It entails clinical validation and feedback at home and residential care facilities via a cloud microservices platform. Underpinned by blockchain technologies, multiple wearable devices, apps, and cameras securely capture the anonymised facets of different life events, whilst machine learning models create individualised user profiles to analyse any decrease in the perceived health-related quality of life typically associated with old age. Two controlled pilots are being conducted with 80 participants at older adult facilities in Romania and Cyprus. By incorporating clinical validation and feedback from specialised practitioners, the vINCI technologies enable older adults not only to self-evaluate their physical activity level, but also to change their behaviours and lifestyle in the long-term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Based on recent researches on the use of natural language processing techniques for very early detection of cognitive decline and the benefits of cognitive stimulation for people with cognitive impairments, the Dementia Monitoring application (DMapp) is developed inside the Memento project. Aims: The aims of this work are: (1) to present DMapp; (2) to report the results of two preliminary studies on DMapp; (3) to describe the clinical and experimental potentiality of DMapp. Methods: Italian people with the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease or dementia due to Alzheimer's Disease with a Mini-Mental-State-Examination between 24 and 28 (inclusive) were involved in the DMapp development prototype during the Lab Trial (4 subjects) and Filed Trial (5 subjects) of the Memento project. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected to evaluate participants' opinions, the DMapp ability to perform the automatic analysis of the speech and participants' visible emotional state effective. Ad hoc interviews, the Observed Emotion Rating Scale and performance metrics to solve different tasks were used. The relation between cognitive measures (global cognitive measures) and linguistic indexes values was considered using Euclidean distances between the participants. Results: Linguistic indexes were calculated and seemed to classify the participants' performance as expected from cognitive measures. The DMapp was appreciated by people with cognitive impairment. Positive emotions were present. Conclusion: DMapp seems an interesting approach to monitor dementia symptoms progression and stimulate memory. Possible developments and open questions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years there has been a growing concern about the inclusion of people with disabilities in society. Many research in assistive technologies have been carried out, but with a significant disparity between support for the visually impaired and the hearing-impaired, with research referring to visual impairment accounting for more than 90% of them. Furthermore, an analysis of surveys related to the topic shows the low scientific production of assistive technologies for the hearing-impaired, and to our best knowledge, there is no survey specifically dedicated to alert systems for them. Considering this imbalance in scientific production and bearing in mind the positive impact that alert systems can have on the life of a hearing-impaired person, we present a survey in the scientific literature on alert systems specifically designed for people with hearing impairment. The survey aims to contribute to the scientific community in presenting the current scenario of these systems and directing future research, and contributing to people who can directly benefit from technological advances. A search in the Science Direct, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library databases for alert systems to hearing-impaired people in which mobile devices are involved returned 795 papers, 20 of which met the criteria defined at research protocol of the systematic literature review. These papers are described here, with notes and reflections on their usefulness, potentials, involved technologies, and possible improvements. We describe our findings of assistive systems for the hearing impaired, pointing out a gap in research in this field, as well as the possibilities for future work based on the data analyzed in this systematic literature review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have shown that using a computer-aided detection (CAD) system does not significantly improve diagnostic accuracy in radiology, possibly because radiologists fail to interpret the CAD results properly. We tested this possibility using screening mammography as an illustrative example. We carried out two experiments, one using 28 practicing radiologists, and a second one using 25 non-professional subjects. During each trial, subjects were shown the following four pieces of information necessary for evaluating the actual probability of cancer in a given unseen mammogram: the binary decision of the CAD system as to whether the mammogram was positive for cancer, the true-positive and false-positive rates of the system, and the prevalence of breast cancer in the relevant patient population. Based only on this information, the subjects had to estimate the probability that the unseen mammogram in question was positive for cancer. Additionally, the non-professional subjects also had to decide, based on the same information, whether to recall the patients for additional testing. Both groups of subjects similarly (and significantly) overestimated the cancer probability regardless of the categorical CAD decision, suggesting that this effect is not peculiar to either group. The misestimations were not fully attributable to causes well-known in other contexts, such as base rate neglect or inverse fallacy. Non-professional subjects tended to recall the patients at high rates, even when the actual probably of cancer was at or near zero. Moreover, the recall rates closely reflected the subjects' estimations of cancer probability. Together, our results show that subjects interpret CAD system output poorly when only the probabilistic information about the underlying decision parameters is available to them. Our results also highlight the need for making the output of CAD systems more readily interpretable, and for providing training and assistance to radiologists in evaluating the output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The children's experience of reading is enhanced by visual displays, and through picture book experiences, young children expose themselves to develop socially, personally, intellectually, and culturally. While a sighted person's mental imagining is constructed mostly through visual experiences, a visually impaired person's mental images are a product of haptic, taste, smell, and sounds. In this paper, we are introducing a picture book with multi-sensory interactions for the visually impaired children. The key novelty in our concept is the integration of multi-sensory interactions (touch, sound, and smell) to create a new reading experience for visually impaired. Also, this concept is highlighting the lack of appropriately designed sensory reading experiences for visually impaired children. We have conducted a user study with 10 educators, and 25 children from a special school for visually impaired in Malaysia, and our evaluation revealed that this book is engaging and a novel experience of multi-sensory interactions to both children and educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work described in this paper builds upon our previous research on adoption modelling and aims to identify the best subset of features that could offer a better understanding of technology adoption. The current work is based on the analysis and fusion of two datasets that provide detailed information on background, psychosocial, and medical history of the subjects. In the process of modelling adoption, feature selection is carried out followed by empirical analysis to identify the best classification models. With a more detailed set of features including psychosocial and medical history information, the developed adoption model, using kNN algorithm, achieved a prediction accuracy of 99.41% when tested on 173 participants. The second-best algorithm built, using NN, achieved 94.08% accuracy. Both these results have improved accuracy in comparison to the best accuracy achieved (92.48%) in our previous work, based on psychosocial and self-reported health data for the same cohort. It has been found that psychosocial data is better than medical data for predicting technology adoption. However, for the best results, we should use a combination of psychosocial and medical data where it is preferable that the latter is provided from reliable medical sources, rather than self-reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Assistive technologies have the potential to facilitate everyday life of people with dementia and their families. Close collaboration with affected people and interdisciplinary research are essential to understand and address the needs of prospective users. In this study, we present the results of the evaluation of such an assistive system prototype. Aims: Challenges from the patient and caregiver side, technical and design problems and acceptance and usability with regard to our special target group were evaluated. Methods: MEMENTO, a system of two e-ink tablets and a smartwatch, was tested in the domestic environment of dementia patients. Thirty participants from Italy, Spain and Austria took part in a 3-month field trial and compared the MEMENTO system to traditional strategies in everyday life. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and frequency of use of the system was monitored. Results: There were no significant changes in quantitative measurements, such as activities of daily living and caregiver burden over the duration of the 3-month field trial. More frequent usage was significantly correlated with positive attitude towards technology (r = 0.723, p < 0.05), but not with age. The design of the system was positively emphasized, reducing fear of the technology on the one hand and stigmatization on the other. Conclusion: We show that a positive attitude towards technology is the essential variable for successful implementation of such systems, regardless of age. Participants showed great interest in digital solutions and agreed that technological systems will help in maintaining independency of persons with cognitive dysfunction in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Most opponents of assistive technologies in orthopedic surgery consider them as a marketing ruse or fashion. Our hypothesis was that many innovations in modern knee arthroplasty are not following the Scott Parabola. This parabola represents the visual curve of a procedure or therapy showing great promise at the beginning, becoming the standard treatment after reports of encouraging results, only to fall into disuse due to adverse outcome reports. This study aimed to assess the interest in these assistive technologies by (1) their number of publications/year and (2) their actual surgical use reported in the National Joint Registries. Methods: The search was performed through PubMed, EMBASE, and MEDLINE databases from 1997 to 2021 inclusive to identify all available literature that described the use and results of assistive technologies or new surgical techniques in knee arthroplasty. In the Australian and Norwegian registries, the number of cases performed with these techniques in knee arthroplasty has been quantified year by year. Results: Following the initial online search, a total of 4085 articles was found. After the assessment mentioned above, 2106 articles were included in the study. The orthopedic techniques assessed in this study are not following the "Scott's parabola" in the literature. Computer-assisted knee arthroplasty and patient-specific instrumentation have increased quickly to have reached a plateau, with a stable number of publications over the last 6 years. The number of publications concerning robotic surgery, accelerometers and sensors continue to rise. In the Australian registry, the proportion of primary TKA performed by computer-assisted systems increased from 2.4% in 2003 to 32% in 2019. In the Norwegian registry, the proportion of computer-assisted TKA remained between 8 and 12% of primary TKA since 2007. Conclusion: Most of the innovations in modern knee arthroplasty are not following the Scott Parabola. After a fast rise, these techniques do not disappear but continue to evolve. Their evolution is synergistic, and techniques appeared to be linked to each other's. Despite persisting concerns about the cost-efficiency of assisting technologies in knee arthroplasties, the interest and use do not decrease and seems to be directly linked to an exponential increase in interest for a better understanding of alignment targets and improved functional recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blind people are confronting a number of challenges in performing activities of daily life such as reading labels on a product, identification of currency notes, exploring unknown spaces, identifying the appearance of an object of interest, interacting with digital artifacts, operating a smartphone's user interface and selecting non-visual items on a screen. The emergence of smartphone-based assistive technologies promotes independence, ease of use and usability resulting in improved quality of life yet poses several challenging opportunities. We have reviewed research avenues in smartphone-based assistive technologies for blind people, highlighted the need for technological advancements, accessibility-inclusive interface paradigm, and collaboration between medical specialists, computer professionals, usability experts and domain users to realize the potential of ICT-based interventions for blind people. This paper analyzes a comprehensive review of the issues and challenges for visually impaired and blind people with the aim to highlight the benefits and limitations of the existing techniques and technologies. Future research ventures are also highlighted as a contribution to the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface electromyography (EMG) has long since entered the routine of both clinicians and researchers, providing simple and objective quantitative assessment of the function of the muscles and peripheral nervous system. The vast majority of modern high-tech rehabilitation and assistive technologies use surface EMG as a feedback source or exoskeleton drive controller. For all years of its use, surface EMG has not become a versatile method, having encountered a number of obstacles, both in science and in clinical practice. However, the development of technologies, combined use together with other methods, and large number of studies aimed at improving the method has allowed surface EMG to become an indispensable tool in biomechanical analysis of movements and practical rehabilitation. This review describes the main advantages and disadvantages, research results, and clinical use of surface EMG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, general information about augmented reality (AR) technology is given to be a resource for special education researchers and teachers who are interested in using AR as a learning/teaching material. Additionally, the researches that use AR as a learning material in the education of individuals with special needs are examined and the findings obtained are revealed. In the education of individuals with special needs, 19 articles published between 2013 and 2019, addressing the use of AR as learning material, and meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed using descriptive content analysis in terms of general characteristics. Also, the properties of AR contents and development environments were examined in detail. The findings of the researches indicate that the use of AR as a learning material gives positive results in the education of individuals with special needs. AR contents are mostly used to support effective teaching strategies. In most research, portable devices such as smartphones and tablets are used to show AR content to students. AR content, which is used as a learning material, has often been developed specifically for research purposes. Also, AR content development environments used in the researches are introduced and suggestions were made about different applications, software development environments, and hardware that can be used in the education of individuals with special needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ethik in der Medizin is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Jitter is an inevitable by-product of gaze detection. Because of this, gaze typing tends to be a slow and frustrating process. In this paper, we propose SliceType, a soft keyboard that is optimized for gaze input. Our main design objective is to use the screen area more efficiently by allocating a larger area to the target keys. We achieve this by determining the keys that will not be used for the next input, and allocating their space to the adjacent keys with a merging animation. Larger keys are faster to navigate towards, and easy to dwell on in the presence of eye tracking jitter. As a result, the user types faster and more comfortably. In addition, we employ a word completion scheme that complements gaze typing mechanics. A character and a related prediction is displayed at each key. Dwelling at a key enters the character, and double-dwelling enters the prediction. While dwelling on a key to enter a character, the user reads the related prediction effortlessly. The improvements provided by these features are quantified using the Fitts' law. The performance of the proposed keyboard is compared with two other soft keyboards designed for gaze typing, Dasher and GazeTalk. Thirty seven novice users gaze-typed a piece of text using all three keyboards. The results of the experiment show that the proposed keyboard allows faster typing, and is more preferred by the users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the literature, a respectful number of studies related to the use of assistive technologies for special education, resulting in an enormous agenda that encompasses various types of assistive technology applied across disabilities in different types of curricula. These disabilities include, but are not limited to: learning disabilities, mild, moderate and severe mental retardation, speech and communication disorders, hearing and speaking disabilities, and autism Hence, under the intertwined and overlapping umbrellas of assistive technologies and special education, mobile technology finds its promising, new spot on the surface of emerging assistive technologies in the field of special education. This paper addresses the potentials of using mobile technology in teaching individuals with developmental disorders based on current literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A handrim-activated power-assisted wheelchair (HAPAW) is a special wheelchair that combines the advantages of a manual wheelchair with those of an electric-powered wheelchair. In this study, we develop a polarizing-effect-based noncontact torque sensor for a HAPAW. Two main considerations were taken when developing the HAPAW: first, effectively sensing the user-propelled torque applied to the handrim is important, and second, developing a small lightweight driving mechanism consisting of a motor and gears is essential. Therefore, this study presents a new noncontact torque recognition method based on the polarizing effect of light. Two polarizers are placed in parallel on the wheel hub and the handrim to determine the driving intention of the user by sensing the changing intensity of the light passing through the polarizers that is proportional to the handrim movement. A mock-up was fabricated and the changes in light intensity were measured with optical detectors to verify the proposed sensor mechanism. The experimental results are in good agreement with the simulation results. The measured sensor output had enough resolution and accuracy to evaluate the driving intention of the HAPAW user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a common experience among care professionals that persons with dementia often say 'no' to conventional caring measures such as taking medication, eating or having a shower. This tendency to say 'no' may also concern the use of assistive technologies such as fall detectors, mobile safety alarms, Internet for social contact and robots. This paper provides practical recommendations for care professionals in home health care and social care about how to respond to such resistiveness towards assistive technologies. Apart from the option of accepting the 'no', it discusses a number of methods for influencing persons with dementia in order to overcome the 'no'. These methods range from various non-coercive measures-including nudging-to coercion. It is argued that while conventional caring measures like those mentioned are essential for survival, health or hygiene, assistive technologies are commonly merely potentially beneficial supplements. With this in mind, it is concluded that care professionals should be more restrictive in using methods of influence involving some degree of pressure regarding assistive technologies than regarding conventional caring measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the potential and necessity of the development of assistive technologies (AT) for people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). We analyse a policy recommendation designed to determine the contents of a basic health package supplied by the state, known as the Dunning Funnel. We contend that the Dunning Funnel is a useful methodology, but is weakened by a potentially relativistic understanding of "necessity" in relation to the requirements of people with IDs (i.e., community standards will determine whether AT are necessary). We remedy this defect by using the capabilities approach as outlined by Martha Nussbaum. We argue that this approach provides a strong normative case for ensuring that communities provide help to people with IDs, if those communities are to achieve a minimal standard of justice. However, the capabilities approach does not offer much specific guidance on how AT ought to be distributed, nor does it offer guidance on risks, like the bottomless pit problem. We propose that the Dunning Funnel used in combination with the capabilities approach will provide a suitable heuristic for determining the distribution of AT in a basic health package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tongue is an aesthetically useful organ located in the oral cavity. It can move in complex ways with very little fatigue. Many studies on assistive technologies operated by tongue are called tongue-human computer interface or tongue-machine interface (TMI) for paralyzed individuals. However, many of them are obtrusive systems consisting of hardware such as sensors and magnetic tracer placed in the mouth and on the tongue. Hence these approaches could be annoying, aesthetically unappealing and unhygienic. In this study, we aimed to develop a natural and reliable tongue-machine interface using solely glossokinetic potentials via investigation of the success of machine learning algorithms for 1-D tongue-based control or communication on assistive technologies. Glossokinetic potential responses are generated by touching the buccal walls with the tip of the tongue. In this study, eight male and two female naive healthy subjects, aged 22-34 years, participated. Linear discriminant analysis, support vector machine, and the k-nearest neighbor were used as machine learning algorithms. Then the greatest success rate was achieved an accuracy of 99% for the best participant in support vector machine. This study may serve disabled people to control assistive devices in natural, unobtrusive, speedy and reliable manner. Moreover, it is expected that GKP-based TMI could be alternative control and communication channel for traditional electroencephalography (EEG)-based brain-computer interfaces which have significant inadequacies arisen from the EEG signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assistive Technologies are used to increase the autonomy of people with motor disabilities by enhancing their functional capabilities. Surface Electromyography sensors have been explored in the scope of Assistive Technologies as an input modality, to provide greater control and flexibility. In this case, triggering signals are dependent on the detection of the moment when the user performs a voluntary muscular contraction. In the literature, various methods to determine this onset have been studied, but mainly for the non-disabled population and may not be designed to deal with the low signal-to-noise ratio, motion artifacts and spasms, frequently observed in people with motor disabilities, which may trigger false positives. The main purpose of this article is to perform a comparative analysis of different methods in multiple configurations of their parameters, with the goal of selecting one that can be implemented in an embedded system, targeting real time and wireless operation of a tool for Human-Computer Interaction. Furthermore, in this work we seek to improve the performance of existing onset detection methods, through a proposed sensor fusion approach, combining an Accelerometer with the Surface Electromyography sensor, to integrate motion analysis in the process of validating or rejecting muscle events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few investigations have examined mental workload during motor practice or learning in a context of team dynamics. This study examines the underlying cognitive-motor processes of motor practice by assessing the changes in motor performance and mental workload during practice of reaching movements. Individuals moved a robotic arm to reach targets as fast and as straight as possible while satisfying the task requirement of avoiding a collision between the end-effector and the workspace limits. Individuals practiced the task either alone (HA group) or with a synthetic teammate (HRT group), which regulated the effector velocity to help satisfy the task requirements. The findings revealed that the performance of both groups improved similarly throughout practice. However, when compared to the individuals of the HA group, those in the HRT group (1) had a lower risk of collisions, (2) exhibited higher performance consistency, and (3) revealed a higher level of mental workload while generally perceiving the robotic teammate as interfering with their performance. As the synthetic teammate changed the effector velocity in specific regions near the workspace boundaries, individuals may have been constrained to learn a piecewise visuomotor map. This piecewise map made the task more challenging, which increased mental workload and perception of the synthetic teammate as a burden. The examination of both motor performance and mental workload revealed a combination of both adaptive and maladaptive team dynamics. This work is a first step to examine the human cognitive-motor processes underlying motor practice in a context of team dynamics and contributes to inform human-robot applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A gaze-controlled system was developed to address the specific needs of a person in an advanced stage of Multiple Sclerosis. This patient scored 9 on the EDSS and is representative of a group of patients who can reason normally, but have no functional use of their upper-limbs. The developer and the patient were connected through remote desktop control and could brainstorm a concept to perfection through iterative trial and error. The most important lesson learnt is the importance of user control towards maximum independence. Eventually, the patient was enabled to control his computer efficiently using a novel approach to mouse control together with an on-screen keyboard. He could browse the internet, read e-books, type documents, send and receive e-mails and text messages, draw in a paint application and control his TV through a specially adapted remote control-all by using his eyes to activate commands. The findings suggest that a well-designed eye tracking system can fulfil in the mental and communication needs of patients in this specific category of disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many new assistive input systems developed to meet the needs of users with functional impairments fail to make it out of the research laboratory and into regular use by the intended end users. This paper examines some of the reasons for this failure and focuses particularly on whether the developers of such systems are using the correct metrics and approaches for evaluating the functional and social attributes of the input systems they are designing. This paper further focuses on the importance of benchmarking new assistive input systems against baseline measures of useful interaction rates that take allowance of factors such as input success/recognition rate, error rate, correction effort and input time. By addressing each of these measures, a more complete understanding of whether an input system is practically and functionally acceptable can be obtained, and design guidance for developers is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient assisted living (AAL) is focused on providing assistance to people primarily in their natural environment. Over the past decade, the AAL domain has evolved at a fast pace in various directions. The stakeholders of AAL are not only limited to patients, but also include their relatives, social services, health workers, and care agencies. In fact, AAL aims at increasing the life quality of patients, their relatives and the health care providers with a holistic approach. This paper aims at providing a comprehensive overview of the AAL domain, presenting a systematic analysis of over 10 years of relevant literature focusing on the stakeholders' needs, bridging the gap of existing reviews which focused on technologies. The findings of this review clearly show that until now the AAL domain neglects the view of the entire AAL ecosystem. Furthermore, the proposed solutions seem to be tailored more on the basis of the available existing technologies, rather than supporting the various stakeholders' needs. Another major lack that this review is pointing out is a missing adequate evaluation of the various solutions. Finally, it seems that, as the domain of AAL is pretty new, it is still in its incubation phase. Thus, this review calls for moving the AAL domain to a more mature phase with respect to the research approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A doctor cannot perform a good diagnosis without the patient collaboration. One of the major problem for ophthalmologists with children is to capture and maintain their attention while performing their tests. Sometimes children give wrong answers, or not accurate, since they are no longer interested in the task. In this paper we use the serious game paradigm to help children eyes testing. We ask the children to perform a vision acuity and a daltonism test using our game PlayWithEyes. Children have to recognize symbols projected on a wall and point them in a touch interface which displays all the possible answers. Tests performed in a kindergarten with 65 children have shown that the use of our game helps to obtain children cooperation because they have fun, so their attention may last longer, thus improving the possibility to perform a correct diagnosis especially for very young children. This is particular important for some sight defects like amblyopia (lazy eye). Moreover, the system allows us to identify visual acuity reduction in two children. Tests also highlight some limitations of the tool which have been promptly fixed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes recent developments in audio and tactile feedback based assistive technologies targeting the blind community. Current technology allows applications to be efficiently distributed and run on mobile and handheld devices, even in cases where computational requirements are significant. As a result, electronic travel aids, navigational assistance modules, text-to-speech applications, as well as virtual audio displays which combine audio with haptic channels are becoming integrated into standard mobile devices. This trend, combined with the appearance of increasingly user-friendly interfaces and modes of interaction has opened a variety of new perspectives for the rehabilitation and training of users with visual impairments. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of these developments based on recent advances in basic research and application development. Using this overview as a foundation, an agenda is outlined for future research in mobile interaction design with respect to users with special needs, as well as ultimately in relation to sensor-bridging applications in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we describe a human-robot interaction study, focusing on tactile aspects of interaction, in which children with autism interacted with the child-like humanoid robot KASPAR. KASPAR was equipped with touch sensors in order to be able to distinguish gentle from harsh touch, and to respond accordingly. The study investigated a novel scenario for robot-assisted play, with the goal to increase body awareness of children with autism spectrum condition (hereafter ASC) by teaching them how to identify human body parts, and to promote a triadic relationship between the child, the robot and the experimenter. Data obtained from the video analysis of the experimental sessions showed that children treated KASPAR as an object of shared attention with the experimenter, and performed more gentle touches on the robot along the sessions. The children also learned to identify body parts. The study showed the potential that teaching children with autism about body parts and appropriate physical interaction using a humanoid robot has, and highlighted the issues of scenario development, data collection and data analysis that will inform future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though several electronic assistive devices have been developed for the visually impaired in the past few decades, however, relatively few solutions have been devised to aid them in recognizing generic objects in their environment, particularly indoors. Nevertheless, research in this area is gaining momentum. Among the various technologies being utilized for this purpose, computer vision based solutions are emerging as one of the most promising options mainly due to their affordability and accessibility. This paper provides an overview of the various technologies that have been developed in recent years to assist the visually impaired in recognizing generic objects in an indoors environment with a focus on approaches based on computer vision. It aims to introduce researchers to the latest trends in this area as well as to serve as a resource for developers who wish to incorporate such solutions into their own work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review aimed to identify the areas of need that older people have, and the available solutions. In particular, the robotic solutions are explored and critiqued and areas for future development identified. The literature was reviewed for factors that influence admission to nursing home care, and for technological solutions to these factors. The main issues facing older people are physical decline, cognitive decline, health management, and psychosocial issues. Robots exist that may meet some of the identified issues but gaps where robots could be developed include delivering interventions to prevent physical decline occurring and robots with multiple functions, including a range of cognitive stimuli and health education. To reduce barriers to acceptance, robots designed to provide physical and healthcare assistance should have a serious appearance. On the other hand animal-like robots can address psychosocial issues and function like pets. While smart phones and computers can offer some solutions, robots may promote adherence due to a social presence. Robots are being developed to address areas of need in older people, including physical, cognitive, medical and psychosocial issues. However more focus could be placed on developing preventative interventions, multifunctional robots, greater educational content and motivational aspects of appearance and interaction style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the analysis and design of an assistive device for elderly people under development at the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) named E-JUST assistive device (EJAD). Several experiments were carried out using a motion capture system (VICON) and inertial sensors to identify the human posture during the sit-to-stand motion. The EJAD uses only two inertial measurement units (IMUs) fused through an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) algorithm to imitate the real motion of the caregiver. The EJAD consists of two main parts, a robot arm and an active walker. The robot arm is a 2-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) planar manipulator. In addition, a back support with a passive joint is used to support the patient's back. The IMUs on the leg and trunk of the patient are used to compensate for and adapt to the EJAD system motion depending on the obtained patient posture. The ANFIS algorithm is used to train the fuzzy system that converts the IMUs signals to the right posture of the patient. A control scheme is proposed to control the system motion based on practical measurements taken from the experiments. A computer simulation showed a relatively good performance of the EJAD in assisting the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining mobility despite the bodily, mental, or monetary challenges which often come along with advanced age is a relevant aspect of the quality of live. The collaborative research project EMN-Moves provides assistive technology for initiating and coordinating mobility support in residential districts. Mobility support is seen as a social task involving the interplay of housing societies, social organisations and residents of different age groups-with and without special needs. The project focuses on two aspects: (1) a Geo-Wiki for documenting temporary mobility barriers and for generating proposals for alternative routes, (2) a matchmaking service for bringing together (elderly) people who need support with volunteers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]