Exploring the Design Space of Assistive Augmentation

2019

Aging and sedentarism are two main challenges for social and health systems in modern societies. To face these challenges a new generation of ICT based solutions is being developed to promote active aging, prevent sedentarism and find new tools to support the large populations of patients that suffer chronic conditions as result of aging. Such solutions have the potential to transform healthcare by optimizing resource allocation, reducing costs, improving diagnoses and enabling novel therapies, thus increasing quality of life. The primary goal of the “AHA: Augmented Human Assistance” project is to develop novel assistive technologies to promote exercise among the elderly and patients of motor disabilities. For exercise programs to be effective, it is essential that users and patients comply with the prescribed schedule and perform the exercises following established protocols. Until now this has been achieved by human monitoring in rehabilitation and therapy session, where the clini...

SN Applied Sciences, 2021

The current research examined whether or not the interface of an extender attached to an assistive device should be identical to the interface of the assistive device. Given the profile of assistive devices such as wheelchairs and the need to extend them in special cases such when maneuvering over rough terrain or obstacles such as stairs and steep inclines, the interface design of these extenders (attached to existing assistive devices) should be evaluated. We have simulated a carrying platform for a wheelchair that is larger than the user’s regular wheelchair. We have examined whether participants used to handling their wheelchair, when asked to operate the carrying platform, handle the latter’s interface better or worse than their wheelchair’s interface. Participants (61) were assigned to one of two between-participants groups. Both groups were trained to navigate a wheelchair using the wheelchair’s interface and then operated the carrying platform. The Familiar Interface group n...

2019

The complexity of the interaction between user and computer can limit usability in products. When products are aimed at individuals with disability, the complexity increases the cognitive load and can reduce performances. The identification of interaction models and usability issues plays a role in product development as it enables designers to reduce this complexity. Methodology to identify lacking areas in products are required and permits to correct issues leading to an improvement of performances. A custom Augmentative and Alternative Communication system was developed for a student of the University of Naples Federico II. The user has complex communication needs and motor impairments and requires a personalized device to communicate. To promote an efficient interaction, hardware and software interfaces were personalized. Several studies were conducted: a usability evaluation, determination of the learning rate and Hardware/Software layout optimization were used to reduce the cognitive demands required by the system in its functioning. In this paper the HW layout optimization is investigated and strategies to reduce the cognitive load modifying order and position of the sensors of the input peripherals are provided.

2010

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IEEE Access, 2020

Gaze behaviors contain rich information regarding a person's emotions and engagements. Reciprocal eye contact can invoke feelings of liking between two strangers. But blind people cannot perceive and establish the eye contact with sighted counterparts, causing their feelings of social isolation and low confidence in conversations. Thus, our research purpose is to let blind people perceive and react gaze behaviors in social interactions. A Social Glasses system has been implemented iteratively to deliver the multisensory feedback channels of the ''eye contact'', integrating both visual and tactile feedback. Specifically, the system consists of a Social Glasses device and a tactile wristband, which are worn by a blind person. The Social Glasses simulates the natural gaze for the blind person, aiming at establishing the ''eye contact'' between blind and sighted people. The tactile wristband enables the blind person to perceive the corresponding tactile feedback when an ''eye contact'' happens. To test the system, we conducted a user experiment with 40 participants, including 10 blind-sighted pairs (N = 20) and 10 blindfolded-sighted pairs (N = 20), to see how it could help increase the communication quality between blind and sighted people, as well as to suggest implications for its design. Our main findings demonstrated that both the simulated gaze and the tactile feedback were significantly effective to enhance the communication quality in blind-sighted conversations. Overall, we contribute (1) empirical research findings on how a Social Glasses system enhances the communication quality in blind-sighted conversations; and (2) design principles to inform future assistive wearable device for augmenting social interactions.

The Assistive Technology Research Series (ATR) aims to disseminate and archive assistive technology research summaries widely through publishing proceedings, monographs, and edited collective works. The series aspires to become the primary world-wide source of information in assistive technology research, through publishing state-of-the-science material across all continents. ATR defines assistive technology (AT) as any tool, equipment, system, or service designed to help develop, maintain or improve a person with a disability to function in all aspects of his or her life. Assistive technology helps people of all ages who may have a broad range of disabilities or limitations. The ATR series will accept manuscripts and proposals for a wide range of relevant topics.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2023

Despite long-standing practices in human augmentation, the field of Augmented Cognition still lacks a generalized 'theory of augmentation' which guides the selection of such augmentations. We do not yet have a taxonomy that could help understand which augmentation to use to address which type of cognitive problem. By reviewing past applications of cognitive augmentation, this paper provides a framework that helps navigating the growing knowledge and guides the selection of cognitive-enhancing augmentations. Like a compass, the proposed taxonomy can be used to map previous steps in the field, to navigate the current state of the art, and to orient future research directions.

2014

While context-aware assistive systems (CAAS) have become ubiquitous in cars or smartphones, most workers in production environments still rely on their skills and expertise to make the right choices and movements. The quality gates currently estab lished by the industry successfully remove "waste" i.e. failed work results from the workflow, but they usually operate in a spatial and temporal distance from the work place and the worker. Thus workers lack the opportunity to learn from problems on the fly and to improve their work habits. iii Acknowledgements ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the past three years I had the opportunity to work with a number of exceptional people. The following list is not exhaustive but mentions people I worked closely with. At first I want to thank my supervisor Albrecht Schmidt. He has been a constant supporter and enabler. Albrecht's idea of leading by giving freely has been an inspi ration to me that goes well beyond academic honors. My second supervisor Fillia Makedon from the University of Texas Arlington is one of the founders of the field of assistive technologies. Her support for my work began when we first met at a PETRA conference in Crete and continues ever since. If I still cannot perform a proper Sirtaki it is entirely due to my own shortcomings. The foundations for the use of motion recognition in assistive contexts were estab lished during the BMBF-funded project motivotion60+ at the Korion GmbH (2009 2012, framework Ambient Assisted Living). I want to thank my friend and colleague Robert Konrad for hacking the first Kinect and being the most reliable programming genius I know. His basic findings on motion recognition are still used in this work. This also applies to Bodo Runde whom I want to thank for helping to develop the first motion-based exergames for elderly people. The gamification component used in the assistive system would not look and work the way it does without the help of Valentin Schwind, an excellent graphic designer and developer.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2013

The field of Augmented Cognition (AugCog) has evolved over the past decade from its origins in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)-funded research program, emphasizing modulation of closed-loop human-computer interactions within operational environments, to address a broader scope of domains, contexts, and science and technology (S&T) challenges. Among these are challenges related to the underlying theoretical and empirical research questions, as well as the application of advances in the field within contexts such as training and education. This paper summarizes a series of ongoing research and development (R&D) efforts aimed at applying an AugCog-inspired framework to enhance both human-technology and humanhuman interactions within a variety of training and operational domains.

The submission is concerned with, and addresses, problems of designing for people with disabilities, with specific reference to people who are illiterate and cannot speak. People with such disabilities often depend on electronic AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices for interpersonal communication. A central theme of the thesis, however, is that such products, and products intended for people with disabilities more generally, have characteristics that inadequately attend to users' needs. Through a combination of practical product development and literature reviews, the thesis demonstrates how improvements to AAC devices 'can be made through user-participatory, user-centred and more sensitive and perceptive design. Literature reviews in the following subjects are reported: AAC; the operational knowledge base for design and disability; user participatory design; and wearable computing. At the core of the thesis is the presentation and discussion of an empirical case study, carried out by the researcher, to design and develop the Portland Communication Aid (PCA). The PCA was conceived as an AAC product that would attempt to redress the inadequacies of predecessor devices. The design activity for the PCA is traced in the thesis, from initial concepts and development models through to a working prototype. Key ideas and essential principles of the design are illustrated. Throughout the work on the PCA, many problems associated with designing for people with severe communication disabilities were encountered. These problems, as with their resolutions, comprised matters of both designing (as an activity) and design (as product specification). The thesis contains comprehensive exposure and analysis of these problems and resolutions. In particular, the value of shaping meaning, metaphor, and other product semantics into devices intended for use by people with disabilities is explored. The study provides two substantive conclusions. First, that both the activity and the outcomes of Industrial Design have a valuable role in the empowerment and rehabilitation of AAC users. And second, that key principles have been identified that will enable designers to better identify, articulate and respond to the needs of people with communication disabilities (and the needs of people with disabilities more generally).