Care-receivers with physical disabilities' perceptions on having humanoid assistive robots as assistants: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: People with physical disabilities due to disease or injury face barriers to their daily activities and participation in society. Many depend on formal or informal caregivers for assistance to live independently. However, future healthcare challenges due to demographic changes threaten access to home care and assistants. Assistive technologies, such as robots for physical assistance, can support the independence and autonomy of people with physical disabilities. This study explore Norwegian care-receivers' perceptions of using robot assistance in their homes, including preferences for tasks acceptable or unacceptable for robot assistance and the underlying reasons. METHOD: Purposive sampling was employed to recruit 18 participants, aged between 18 and 77 years, with differences in physical function including diagnoses such as stroke, spinal cord injury, amputations, and muscular dystrophy. Qualitative data were gathered through four focus group interviews wherein participants watched videos featuring a humanoid assistive robot, EVEr3. The collected data underwent analysis using reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three themes with associated sub-themes were constructed: (a) How a robot could assist in daily life, (b) The robot's appearance and functionality, and (c) Concerns about having a robot as an assistant. The participants welcomed the idea of a future robotic assistant in areas that may contribute to an increased feeling of independence and autonomy. CONCLUSION: A robot assisting in activities of daily living would need to be individually customized to meet the needs of each user in terms of which tasks to assist with, how to assist in these defined tasks, and how it is controlled.

Muscle fatigue during assisted violin performance.

Muscle fatigue is a primary risk factor in developing musculoskeletal disorders, which affect up to 93% musicians, especially violinists. Devices providing dynamic assistive support (DAS) to the violin-holding arm can lessen fatigue. The objective was to assess DAS effects on electromyography median frequency and joint kinematics during a fatiguing violin-playing task. Fifteen university-level and professional violinists were equipped with electromyography sensors and reflective markers to record upper-body muscle activity and kinematics. They played G scales with and without DAS until exhaustion. Paired t-tests assessed DAS effects on delta (final-initial) electromyography median frequencies and joint kinematics. DAS prevented the median frequency decrease of left supraspinatus, superior trapezius, and right medial deltoid, and increases in trunk rotation, left-wrist abduction, and right arm-elevation plane. DAS effects on kinematics were marginal due to retention of musical performance despite fatigue. However, DAS reduced fatigue of several muscles, which is promising for injury prevention.Practitioner summary: Violinists are greatly affected by musculoskeletal disorders. Effects of a mobility assistive device on muscle fatigue during violin playing was investigated. The assistive technology slowed down the development of fatigue for three neck/shoulder muscles, making assisted musical performance a promising avenue to prevent violinists' injuries.

Immersive participatory design of assistive robots to support older adults.

Assistive robots have the potential to support independence, enhance safety, and lower healthcare costs for older adults, as well as alleviate the demands of their care partners. However, ensuring that these robots will effectively and reliably address end-user needs in the long term requires user-specific design factors to be considered during the robot development process. To identify these design factors, we embedded Stretch, a mobile manipulator created by Hello Robot Inc., in the home of an older adult with motor impairments and his care partner for four weeks to support them with everyday activities. An occupational therapist and a robotics engineer lived with them during this period, employing an immersive participatory design approach to co-design and customise the robot with them. We highlight the benefits of this immersive participatory design experience and provide insights into robot design that can be applied broadly to other assistive technologies.

Comprehensive Senior Technology Acceptance Model of Daily Living Assistive Technology for Older Adults With Frailty: Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: There are considerable gaps between the need for assistive technologies and the actual adoption of these technologies among older adults, although older adults are among the groups that most need assistive technologies. Consequently, research is needed in this area because older adults' technology acceptance and influencing factors may differ depending on their level of frailty. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare frail, prefrail, and robust groups of South Korean adults regarding their behavioral intention to use daily living assistive technologies and the affecting factors-namely, technological context factors, health contexts and abilities, and attitudinal factors-based on a comprehensive senior technology acceptance model. METHODS: A nationwide sample of 500 older South Korean adults (aged 55-92 years) was analyzed, and multivariate linear regression analyses of the robust, prefrail, and frail groups were performed. The independent and dependent variables consisted of 3 factors based on previous studies. First, technological context factors consisted of gerontechnology self-efficacy, gerontechnology anxiety, and facilitating conditions. Second, health contexts and abilities consisted of self-reported health conditions, cognitive ability, social relationships, psychological function, and physical function. Third and last, attitudinal factors consisted of behavioral intention to use assistive technologies, attitude toward use, perceived usefulness (PU), and perceived ease of use (PEOU). RESULTS: The results of the analyses showed that technological context factors such as gerontechnology self-efficacy, health contexts and abilities such as self-reported health conditions and psychological function, and attitudinal factors such as attitude toward use, PU, and PEOU had significant effects on behavioral intention to use daily living assistive technologies. In particular, gerontechnology self-efficacy had a significant relationship with behavioral intention to use these technologies in the robust (r=0.120; P=.03) and prefrail (r=0.331; P<.001) groups. Psychological function (life satisfaction) had a significant relationship with behavioral intention to use these technologies in the robust group (r=-0.040; P=.02). Self-reported health conditions had a significant relationship with behavioral intention to use these technologies in the prefrail group (r=-0.169; P=.01). Although each group had a different significant relationship with the variables, attitudinal factors such as attitude toward use affected all groups (robust group: r=0.190; P=.03; prefrail group: r=0.235; P=.006; and frail group: r=0.526; P=.002). In addition, PU and PEOU in the attitudinal factors had a significant relationship with behavioral intention to use assistive technologies in the robust (PU: r=0.160; P=.01; and PEOU: r=0.350; P<.001) and prefrail (PU: r=0.265; P<.001; and PEOU: r=0.120; P=.04) groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the comprehensive senior technology acceptance model of daily living assistive technologies had different associations according to the frailty group. These findings provided insights into the consideration of interventions with daily living assistive technologies for older adults with varying levels of frailty.

Eye-tracking control of an adjustable electric bed: construction and validation by immobile patients with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: In severe conditions of limited motor abilities, frequent position changes for work or passive and active rest are essential bedside activities to prevent further health complications. We aimed to develop a system using eye movements for bed positioning and to verify its functionality in a control group and a group of patients with significant motor limitation caused by multiple sclerosis. METHODS: The eye-tracking system utilized an innovative digital-to-analog converter module to control the positioning bed via a novel graphical user interface. We verified the ergonomics and usability of the system by performing a fixed sequence of positioning tasks, in which the leg and head support was repeatedly raised and then lowered. Fifteen women and eleven men aged 42.7 ± 15.9 years in the control group and nine women and eight men aged 60.3 ± 9.14 years in the patient group participated in the experiment. The degree of disability, according to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), ranged from 7 to 9.5 points in the patients. We assessed the speed and efficiency of the bed control and the improvement during testing. In a questionnaire, we evaluated satisfaction with the system. RESULTS: The control group mastered the task in 40.2 s (median) with an interquartile interval from 34.5 to 45.5 s, and patients mastered the task in in 56.5 (median) with an interquartile interval from 46.5 to 64.9 s. The efficiency of solving the task (100% corresponds to an optimal performance) was 86.3 (81.6; 91.0) % for the control group and 72.1 (63.0; 75.2) % for the patient group. Throughout testing, the patients learned to communicate with the system, and their efficiency and task time improved. A correlation analysis showed a negative relationship (rho = - 0.587) between efficiency improvement and the degree of impairment (EDSS). In the control group, the learning was not significant. On the questionnaire survey, sixteen patients reported gaining confidence in bed control. Seven patients preferred the offered form of bed control, and in six cases, they would choose another form of interface. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed system and communication through eye movements are reliable for positioning the bed in people affected by advanced multiple sclerosis. Seven of 17 patients indicated that they would choose this system for bed control and wished to extend it for another application.

"They Can't Believe They're a Tiger": Insights from pediatric speech-language pathologist mobile app users and app designers.

BACKGROUND: Children with communication disorders experience difficulty in one or more areas of articulation and speech, language, fluency, voice and social communication, and they work with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to improve their communication. With the rise of adoption and use for mobile applications among special education and healthcare service providers, SLPs also have implemented, and for some, contributed to the design of, mobile applications (apps) during clinical practice. However, how these mobile apps are designed and implemented for clinicians to facilitate their clients' communication and learning experiences during therapy remains underinvestigated. AIMS: This qualitative research study investigated how mobile apps were designed for clinicians to target assessment and intervention goals. Additionally, it focused on how clinicians adopted these apps while integrating therapy techniques to facilitate their clients' learning. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Informed by the Research, Practice, and Design for iPad Apps (iRPD) framework and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 licensed pediatric SLPs, including 23 SLPs who have used apps and 14 SLPs who have contributed to the design of their own mobile apps. Two rounds of qualitative coding via template analysis and thematic analysis were then used to analyse client and clinician characteristics, clinical practice, therapy tools, app characteristics, influential factors and app design and use recommendations. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Results showed SLPs utilise different genres of assistive, educational and recreational game apps to support children's communication development when working with children who have diverse disorders and therapy needs across different age groups. SLPs who have designed their own apps emphasised the importance of following evidence-based practice, well-researched teaching methods and learning theories. Additionally, multiple financial, sociocultural, political and ethical factors contributed to the design, adoption and implementation of mobile apps during services. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: By understanding the clinician's app use practices situated in various therapy activities and techniques, we specified a list of design recommendations for app designers who are interested in creating mobile apps for supporting children's speech and language development. By bringing insights from both clinical practitioners as well as those with additional technical design backgrounds, this study contributes to the understanding of clinical practice needs and strategies and will lead to the most optimal app design and adoption practice to support the well-being of children with communication disorders. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject Speech language pathologist (SLPs) implement mobile apps for clients with diverse therapy needs, and their app adoption and use are influenced by multifaceted factors. Although prior studies have reported SLPs' mobile app use, additional information is still needed. For example, the research literature does not include how specific technology is used during therapy practice, or specific details about challenges and needs in implementing and utilising the technology. Additional research also needs to include influential factors (e.g., financial, sociocultural, political, ethical) that are considered when selecting, implementing, assessing and designing an app. The lack of research in these areas directly affects the understanding of clinical mobile technology practices and further hinders clinicians' abilities to advocate for better clinical and design decisions towards identifying and implementing effective mobile apps that facilitate children's communication. What this study adds to existing knowledge This qualitative study is the first known empirical research that interviewed pediatric speech-language pathologists who have used and designed mobile apps for children who receive speech-language therapy across different clinical settings. By investigating experiences from clinician stakeholders to illustrate a holistic overview of app design and development to deployment, this study reported finding on (1) how clinicians use mobile apps to help children to participate in different therapy activities, and (2) a list of recommended design and development guidelines that informs the design and use of mobile apps that best support and motivate children to engage in therapy. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? This study disseminates clinician-reported practices of app design and use with pediatric clients across different speech-language disorders, and identifies gaps and needs for clinicians and researchers who are interested in understanding the role of mobile technology in relationship to human communication and interaction. Additionally, the paper demonstrates that SLPs have instrumental roles rather than passive users in influencing the design and implementation of different genres of mobile apps through evidence-based clinical practice, and call for partnerships across clinicians, special educators and technologists to support children's communication development.

Neat Gizmo!/That Looks Scary: Employer Reactions to Assistive Technology.

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.

Towards a Modular Pathological Tremor Simulation System Based on the Stewart Platform.

Wearable technologies have aided in reducing pathological tremor symptoms through non-intrusive solutions that aim to identify patterns in involuntary movements and suppress them using actuators positioned at specific joints. However, during the development of these devices, tests were primarily conducted on patients due to the difficulty of faithfully simulating tremors using simulation equipment. Based on studies characterizing tremors in Parkinson's disease, the development of a robotic manipulator based on the Stewart platform was initiated, with the goal of satisfactorily simulating resting tremor movements in the hands. In this work, a simulator was implemented in a computational environment using the multibody dynamics method. The platform structure was designed in a virtual environment using SOLIDWORKS® v2017 software and later exported to Matlab® R17a software using the Simulink environment and Simscape multibody library. The workspace was evaluated, and the Kalman filter was used to merge acceleration and angular velocity data and convert them into data related to the inclination and rotation of real patients' wrists, which were subsequently executed in the simulator. The results show a high correlation and low dispersion between real and simulated signals, demonstrating that the simulated mechanism has the capacity to represent Parkinson's disease resting tremors in all wrist movements. The system could contribute to conducting tremor tests in suppression devices without the need for the presence of the patient and aid in comparing suppression techniques, benefiting the development of new wearable devices.

Multi-Sensor Data Fusion Solutions for Blind and Visually Impaired: Research and Commercial Navigation Applications for Indoor and Outdoor Spaces.

Several assistive technology solutions, targeting the group of Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI), have been proposed in the literature utilizing multi-sensor data fusion techniques. Furthermore, several commercial systems are currently being used in real-life scenarios by BVI individuals. However, given the rate by which new publications are made, the available review studies become quickly outdated. Moreover, there is no comparative study regarding the multi-sensor data fusion techniques between those found in the research literature and those being used in the commercial applications that many BVI individuals trust to complete their everyday activities. The objective of this study is to classify the available multi-sensor data fusion solutions found in the research literature and the commercial applications, conduct a comparative study between the most popular commercial applications (Blindsquare, Lazarillo, Ariadne GPS, Nav by ViaOpta, Seeing Assistant Move) regarding the supported features as well as compare the two most popular ones (Blindsquare and Lazarillo) with the BlindRouteVision application, developed by the authors, from the standpoint of Usability and User Experience (UX) through field testing. The literature review of sensor-fusion solutions highlights the trends of utilizing computer vision and deep learning techniques, the comparison of the commercial applications reveals their features, strengths, and weaknesses while Usability and UX demonstrate that BVI individuals are willing to sacrifice a wealth of features for more reliable navigation.

IoT Smart Flooring Supporting Active and Healthy Lifestyles.

The lack of physical exercise is among the most relevant factors in developing health issues, and strategies to incentivize active lifestyles are key to preventing these issues. The PLEINAIR project developed a framework for creating outdoor park equipment, exploiting the IoT paradigm to build "Outdoor Smart Objects" (OSO) for making physical activity more appealing and rewarding to a broad range of users, regardless of their age and fitness. This paper presents the design and implementation of a prominent demonstrator of the OSO concept, consisting of a smart, sensitive flooring, based on anti-trauma floors commonly found in kids playgrounds. The floor is equipped with pressure sensors (piezoresistors) and visual feedback (LED-strips), to offer an enhanced, interactive and personalized user experience. OSOs exploit distributed intelligence and are connected to the Cloud infrastructure by using a MQTT protocol; apps have then been developed for interacting with the PLEINAIR system. Although simple in its general concept, several challenges must be faced, related to the application range (which called for high pressure sensitivity) and the scalability of the approach (requiring to implement a hierarchical system architecture). Some prototypes were fabricated and tested in a public environment, providing positive feedback to both the technical design and the concept validation.

How Do Violinists Adapt to Dynamic Assistive Support? A Study Focusing on Kinematics, Muscle Activity, and Musical Performance.

OBJECTIVE: Assessing violinists' motor and musical performance adaptations to dynamic assistive support (DAS) provided by a passive device, using a force-field adaptation paradigm. BACKGROUND: Up to 93% of instrumentalists are affected by musculoskeletal injuries and particularly violinists. The repetitive nature of their work may lead to muscle fatigue, an injury risk factor. DAS has been used in occupational settings to minimize muscle activations and limit fatigue accumulation. DAS may however affect motor and musical performance. METHOD: Fifteen expert violinists were equipped with reflective markers and surface and intramuscular electromyography (EMG) sensors. Movements, muscle activations, and sound were recorded while participants completed three experimental conditions for which they continuously played a 13-s musical excerpt: Control (no DAS), Adaptation (DAS), and Washout (no DAS). DAS was applied at the left elbow (violin-holding side). Conditions were repeated 1 week later. Participants later listened to their own audio recordings playing with and without DAS and blindly assessed their performances. Linear mixed models were used to compare DAS and no-DAS conditions' kinematic, EMG, and musical performance data. RESULTS: DAS perturbed user kinematics but reduced mean activations of left medial deltoid and superior trapezius. Joint kinematic and muscle activation patterns between DAS and no DAS conditions however remained similar. Musical performance was unchanged with DAS. CONCLUSION: Though DAS modified violinists' upper-limb configurations, resulting kinematics were not detrimental to musical performance. Reduced muscle activations with DAS could contribute to lessening muscle fatigue. APPLICATION: Although its effect on muscle fatigue should be further investigated, DAS might be useful in preventing violinists' injuries.

Comparison of Display Modality and Human-in-the-Loop Presence for On-Orbit Inspection of Spacecraft.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of interface display modalities and human-in-the-loop presence on the awareness, workload, performance, and user strategies of humans interacting with teleoperated robotic systems while conducting inspection tasks onboard spacecraft. BACKGROUND: Due to recent advancements in robotic technology, free-flying teleoperated robot inspectors are a viable alternative to extravehicular activity inspection operations. Teleoperation depends on the user's situation awareness; consequently, a key to successful operations is practical bi-directional communication between human and robot agents. METHOD: Participants (n = 19) performed telerobotic inspection of a virtual spacecraft during two degrees of temporal communication, a Synchronous Inspection task and an Asynchronous Inspection task. Participants executed the two tasks while using three distinct visual displays (2D, 3D, AR) and accompanying control systems. RESULTS: Anomaly detection performance was better during Synchronous Inspection than the Asynchronous Inspection of previously captured imagery. Users' detection accuracy reduced when given interactive exocentric 3D viewpoints to accompany the egocentric robot view. The results provide evidence that 3D projections, either demonstrated on a 2D interface or augmented reality hologram, do not affect the mean clearance violation time (local guidance performance), even though the subjects perceived a benefit. CONCLUSION: In the current implementation, the addition of augmented reality to a classical egocentric robot view for exterior inspection of spacecraft is unnecessary, as its margin of performance enhancement is limited in comparison. APPLICATION: Results are presented to inform future human-robot interfaces to support crew autonomy for deep space missions.

Advanced non-medical roles within surgery and their engagement with assistive health technologies.

The role of the surgical care practitioner (SCP) is common in UK surgical centres. The SCP curriculum is robust and well developed in multiple specialties since it was first developed in 1989. The SCP role can often concentrate on technical skills, developing a skillset that is highly effective during traditional open surgical procedures. This skillset requires further investigation because technology-assisted surgeries are becoming more common, including the use of novel approaches to developing non-technical skills. To effectively develop this skillset, analysis of robust advanced practice frameworks is necessary, alongside clear alignment to the advanced practitioners' professional regulations. This article examines the interpretation of the advanced practice concept within technology-assisted surgeries, which is potentially guiding the evolution of advanced practice within operating theatres and improving patient care.

"Creatures of habit": influential factors to the adoption of computer personalization and accessibility settings.

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.

The impact of assistive devices on community-dwelling older adults and their informal caregivers: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the impact of assistive devices on the life satisfaction of (Research Question 1), and informal caregiving hours received by (Research Question 2), community-dwelling older adults (≥ 65 years). METHODS: We searched CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Scopus from database inception to March 2022. For each question, two reviewers independently screened citations, extracted and narratively synthesized the data, and assessed article quality and strength of evidence. RESULTS: Of the 1391 citations screened, we found two articles pertaining to each question, for a total of four articles. In general, assistive device use was not associated with life satisfaction, while it was positively associated with informal caregiving hours. However, the risk of bias was serious across the two studies for Research Question 1, and the overall quality of evidence was "very low". The risk of bias was not serious across the two studies included in Research Question 2 and the overall quality of evidence was "low". CONCLUSION: Due to the scarcity of studies, the limitations of existing studies (i.e., risk of bias), and the evidence being low or very low quality, we could not draw firm conclusions about the associations of interest. Additional research will produce a better understanding of the two relationships and provide further evidence to inform policy decisions regarding the provision and funding of assistive devices for community-dwelling older adults. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database of systematic reviews (identification number: CRD42021248929 ).

DMapp: a developing promising approach to monitor symptoms progression and stimulate memory in Italian people with cognitive impairments.

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.

User experience and acceptance of a device assisting persons with dementia in daily life: a multicenter field study.

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.

Haptic Feedback to Assist Blind People in Indoor Environment Using Vibration Patterns.

Feedback is one of the significant factors for the mental mapping of an environment. It is the communication of spatial information to blind people to perceive the surroundings. The assistive smartphone technologies deliver feedback for different activities using several feedback mediums, including voice, sonification and vibration. Researchers 0have proposed various solutions for conveying feedback messages to blind people using these mediums. Voice and sonification feedback are effective solutions to convey information. However, these solutions are not applicable in a noisy environment and may occupy the most important auditory sense. The privacy of a blind user can also be compromised with speech feedback. The vibration feedback could effectively be used as an alternative approach to these mediums. This paper proposes a real-time feedback system specifically designed for blind people to convey information to them based on vibration patterns. The proposed solution has been evaluated through an empirical study by collecting data from 24 blind people through a mixed-mode survey using a questionnaire. Results show the average recognition accuracy for 10 different vibration patterns are 90%, 82%, 75%, 87%, 65%, and 70%.

Cycling through 360° Virtual Reality Tourism for Senior Citizens: Empirical Analysis of an Assistive Technology.

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in using virtual reality (VR) to (re)create different scenarios and environments with interactive and immersive experiences. Although VR has been popular in the tourism sector to reconfigure tourists' relationships with places and overcome mobility restrictions, its usage in senior cyclotourism has been understudied. VR is suggested to positively impact tourism promotion, cycling simulation, and active and healthy ageing due to physical and mental rehabilitation. The purpose of this study is to assess the senior citizens' perceived experience and attitudes toward a designed 360° VR cyclotouristic experiment, using a head-mounted display (HMD) setting within a laboratory context. A total of 76 participants aged between 50 and 97 years old were involved in convergent parallel mixed-method research, and data were collected using a questionnaire based on the technology acceptance model, as well as the researchers' field notes. Findings suggest that 360° VR with HMD can be an effective assistive technology to foster senior cyclotourism by promoting tourism sites, simulating the cycling pedaling effect, and improving senior citizens' general wellbeing and independence with physical and mental rehabilitation.

Design of a "Cobot Tactile Display" for Accessing Virtual Diagrams by Blind and Visually Impaired Users.

Access to graphical information plays a very significant role in today's world. Access to this information can be particularly limiting for individuals who are blind or visually impaired (BVIs). In this work, we present the design of a low-cost, mobile tactile display that also provides robotic assistance/guidance using haptic virtual fixtures in a shared control paradigm to aid in tactile diagram exploration. This work is part of a larger project intended to improve the ability of BVI users to explore tactile graphics on refreshable displays (particularly exploration time and cognitive load) through the use of robotic assistance/guidance. The particular focus of this paper is to share information related to the design and development of an affordable and compact device that may serve as a solution towards this overall goal. The proposed system uses a small omni-wheeled robot base to allow for smooth and unlimited movements in the 2D plane. Sufficient position and orientation accuracy is obtained by using a low-cost dead reckoning approach that combines data from an optical mouse sensor and inertial measurement unit. A low-cost force-sensing system and an admittance control model are used to allow shared control between the Cobot and the user, with the addition of guidance/virtual fixtures to aid in diagram exploration. Preliminary semi-structured interviews, with four blind or visually impaired participants who were allowed to use the Cobot, found that the system was easy to use and potentially useful for exploring virtual diagrams tactually.