2,126 research outputs found
A multimodal smartphone interface for active perception by visually impaired
The diffuse availability of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, has the potential to bring substantial benefits to the people with sensory impairments. The solution proposed in this paper is part of an ongoing effort to create an accurate obstacle and hazard detector for the visually impaired, which is embedded in a hand-held device. In particular, it presents a proof of concept for a multimodal interface to control the orientation of a smartphone's camera, while being held by a person, using a combination of vocal messages, 3D sounds and vibrations. The solution, which is to be evaluated experimentally by users, will enable further research in the area of active vision with human-in-the-loop, with potential application to mobile assistive devices for indoor navigation of visually impaired people
In-home and remote use of robotic body surrogates by people with profound motor deficits
By controlling robots comparable to the human body, people with profound
motor deficits could potentially perform a variety of physical tasks for
themselves, improving their quality of life. The extent to which this is
achievable has been unclear due to the lack of suitable interfaces by which to
control robotic body surrogates and a dearth of studies involving substantial
numbers of people with profound motor deficits. We developed a novel, web-based
augmented reality interface that enables people with profound motor deficits to
remotely control a PR2 mobile manipulator from Willow Garage, which is a
human-scale, wheeled robot with two arms. We then conducted two studies to
investigate the use of robotic body surrogates. In the first study, 15 novice
users with profound motor deficits from across the United States controlled a
PR2 in Atlanta, GA to perform a modified Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) and a
simulated self-care task. Participants achieved clinically meaningful
improvements on the ARAT and 12 of 15 participants (80%) successfully completed
the simulated self-care task. Participants agreed that the robotic system was
easy to use, was useful, and would provide a meaningful improvement in their
lives. In the second study, one expert user with profound motor deficits had
free use of a PR2 in his home for seven days. He performed a variety of
self-care and household tasks, and also used the robot in novel ways. Taking
both studies together, our results suggest that people with profound motor
deficits can improve their quality of life using robotic body surrogates, and
that they can gain benefit with only low-level robot autonomy and without
invasive interfaces. However, methods to reduce the rate of errors and increase
operational speed merit further investigation.Comment: 43 Pages, 13 Figure
Open World Assistive Grasping Using Laser Selection
Many people with motor disabilities are unable to complete activities of
daily living (ADLs) without assistance. This paper describes a complete robotic
system developed to provide mobile grasping assistance for ADLs. The system is
comprised of a robot arm from a Rethink Robotics Baxter robot mounted to an
assistive mobility device, a control system for that arm, and a user interface
with a variety of access methods for selecting desired objects. The system uses
grasp detection to allow previously unseen objects to be picked up by the
system. The grasp detection algorithms also allow for objects to be grasped in
cluttered environments. We evaluate our system in a number of experiments on a
large variety of objects. Overall, we achieve an object selection success rate
of 88% and a grasp detection success rate of 90% in a non-mobile scenario, and
success rates of 89% and 72% in a mobile scenario
Overcoming barriers and increasing independence: service robots for elderly and disabled people
This paper discusses the potential for service robots to overcome barriers and increase independence of
elderly and disabled people. It includes a brief overview of the existing uses of service robots by disabled and elderly
people and advances in technology which will make new uses possible and provides suggestions for some of these new
applications. The paper also considers the design and other conditions to be met for user acceptance. It also discusses
the complementarity of assistive service robots and personal assistance and considers the types of applications and
users for which service robots are and are not suitable
Wheelchair-based game design for older adults
Few leisure activities are accessible to institutionalized older adults using wheelchairs; in consequence, they experience lower levels of perceived health than able-bodied peers. Video games have been shown to be an engaging leisure activity for older adults. In our work, we address the design of wheelchair-accessible motion-based games. We present KINECTWheels, a toolkit designed to integrate wheelchair movements into motion-based games, and Cupcake Heaven, a wheelchair-based video game designed for older adults using wheelchairs. Results of two studies show that KINECTWheels can be applied to make motion-based games wheelchair-accessible, and that wheelchair-based games engage older adults. Through the application of the wheelchair as an enabling technology in play, our work has the potential of encouraging older adults to develop a positive relationship with their wheelchair. Copyright 2013 ACM
Auxilio: A Sensor-Based Wireless Head-Mounted Mouse for People with Upper Limb Disability
Upper limb disability may be caused either due to accidents, neurological
disorders, or even birth defects, imposing limitations and restrictions on the
interaction with a computer for the concerned individuals using a generic
optical mouse. Our work proposes the design and development of a working
prototype of a sensor-based wireless head-mounted Assistive Mouse Controller
(AMC), Auxilio, facilitating interaction with a computer for people with upper
limb disability. Combining commercially available, low-cost motion and infrared
sensors, Auxilio solely utilizes head and cheek movements for mouse control.
Its performance has been juxtaposed with that of a generic optical mouse in
different pointing tasks as well as in typing tasks, using a virtual keyboard.
Furthermore, our work also analyzes the usability of Auxilio, featuring the
System Usability Scale. The results of different experiments reveal the
practicality and effectiveness of Auxilio as a head-mounted AMC for empowering
the upper limb disabled community.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures, 5 table
- …