IntelliTable: Inclusively-Designed Furniture with Robotic Capabilities

IntelliTable is a new proof-of-principle assistive technology system with robotic capabilities in the form of an elegant universal cantilever table able to move around by itself, or under user control. We describe the design and current capabilities of the table and the human-centered design methodology used in its development and initial evaluation. The IntelliTable study has delivered robotic platform programmed by a smartphone that can navigate around a typical home or care environment, avoiding obstacles, and positioning itself at the user's command. It can also be configured to navigate itself to pre-ordained places positions within an environment using ceiling tracking, responsive optical guidance and object-based sonar navigation

Possibilities of Applying ICT to Improve Safe Movement of Blind and Visually Impaired Persons

Today’s level of the development of information and communication technologies enables the implementation of assistive technologies that can contribute to improved mobility of the persons with impaired vision (users that move along the traffic network). The user in this research has the role of a pedestrian moving along the traffic network, using information and communication technology (ICT) solutions and services for the purpose of information about the surrounding and navigation. In order to achieve greater information and safe movement of the user in the environment, one has to identify and define the relevant parameters necessary to define the user’s requirements, as the basic precondition for the design of new information and communication services. The analysis of the most used application solutions for mobile terminal devices showed the failure in providing precise information to the user, designing of functionality, structure of information and education of the users about the new solutions and services. The downsides of the current applications have served as the basis in defining the recommendations for the development of future applications, with the aim of increasing the user safety. Proper structure of information allows the user a faster and easier search of relevant information and information methods while moving along the traffic network elements. Therefore, the recommendations in designing future solutions and services based on possible technologies of short coverage area (RFID, NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi, RTLS) have been defined. These technologies allow communication connectivity of the users, other traffic entities and the entire traffic surrounding into a unique whole by using the principle of Internet of Things (IoT)

The Instructional Thematic Game for Children with Mild Mental Retardation: For Enhancement of Left-Right Recognition Skill

Children with mild mental retardation had several difficulties with interaction, remembering information, problem-solving, physic-motoric, learning problem, etc. Therefore, we proposed a novel framework to increase their learning skill using instructional thematic game rehabilitation framework based on Kinect sensor as the solution. Basically, the framework had three components. First, intellectual functions, which implied to the competencies reached through the game by the student. Second, instructional thematic game model, which was the concept to learn everything from the real single topic of the subject by associating to the abstract objects. Three, computer sensor device, which was the equipment as the bridge between the children and the program application. This research covered enhancement of right and left-hand recognition. We adopted Single Subject Research to evaluate the effectiveness of the system and to explore each of the individual’s progress. This process was divided into 2 steps. Namely, baseline stage and treatment stage. Apparently, from our finding, such framework gave the student an enhanced learning skill covering left-right recognition skill, decreasing the level of disturbance, and improving the level of learning independence

The Impact of Parent Education with Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Communication is an essential part of who we are, as we participate in our occupational roles, even for those who utilize augmentative and alternative communication. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the impact of a parental training program, as parents utilized a communication device, in order to increase the number of opportunities for their child to engage with and participate with at home and in the community. This project utilized the Human Activity Assistive Technology and the Person, Environment, Occupation, and Performance model. A descriptive mixed methods case study with a sequential exploratory design was used in this project. The qualitative aspect utilized a semi-structured interview with the participant. The quantitative aspect utilized a pretest and posttest with the Family Impact of Assistive Technology Scale- Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Participant was a single parent of an 8 year-old female who has been diagnosed with Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Qualitative results indicated parent’s initial reluctance, her discovery, and enthusiastic response when she implemented strategies that increased communicative opportunities while engaged in meaningful family activities. Quantitative results indicate that the parent overcame several barriers as she implemented the communication device, and the child factors of communicating face-to-face and social engagement were increased. The use of a family-centered parental training created several positive outcomes such as increased family connectedness, enhanced occupational performance and a sense of belonging within the family

Tools for Brain-Computer Interaction: A General Concept for a Hybrid BCI

The aim of this work is to present the development of a hybrid Brain-Computer Interface (hBCI) which combines existing input devices with a BCI. Thereby, the BCI should be available if the user wishes to extend the types of inputs available to an assistive technology system, but the user can also choose not to use the BCI at all; the BCI is active in the background. The hBCI might decide on the one hand which input channel(s) offer the most reliable signal(s) and switch between input channels to improve information transfer rate, usability, or other factors, or on the other hand fuse various input channels. One major goal therefore is to bring the BCI technology to a level where it can be used in a maximum number of scenarios in a simple way. To achieve this, it is of great importance that the hBCI is able to operate reliably for long periods, recognizing and adapting to changes as it does so. This goal is only possible if many different subsystems in the hBCI can work together. Since one research institute alone cannot provide such different functionality, collaboration between institutes is necessary. To allow for such a collaboration, a new concept and common software framework is introduced. It consists of four interfaces connecting the classical BCI modules: signal acquisition, preprocessing, feature extraction, classification, and the application. But it provides also the concept of fusion and shared control. In a proof of concept, the functionality of the proposed system was demonstrated

Sns_Xsens : la integración del sensor inercial MTi dentro de la arquitectura software YARP

El grupo Robotics Lab de la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, desarrolló en 2004 un primer prototipo del robot asistencial ASIBOT, cuyo nombre en el contexto del proyecto europeo fue MATS (flexible Mechatronic Assistive Technology System to support persons with special needs in all their living and working environments), cuya finalidad es la ayuda y asistencia a personas discapacitadas y de la tercera edad. Este proyecto fin de carrera surge al darse la necesidad de ampliar la gama de dispositivos de control y/o mando del robot asistencial ASIBOT. Para esto se ha desarrollado dicho proyecto, cuyo objetivo específico es la integración del sensor acelerómetro e inclinómetro MTi de la marca Xsens. Su implementación específica consiste en la creación de un software envoltorio de los drivers de bajo nivel del sensor. El envoltorio ha sido programado en lenguaje C++, donde la comunicación entre el sensor y el robot asistencial ASIBOT o componentes software del mismo se realiza por medio de la arquitectura software YARP. Como trabajo adicional, se ha desarrollado un sistema de transformación de datos de texto a una representación gráfica más amigable para desarrolladores de otros componentes. Este componente sirve además para cualquier módulo que cumpla con sus especificaciones. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In 2004, the Robotics Lab of Carlos III University developed the first prototype of the care robot ASIBOT, whose name in the European project was MATS (flexible Mechatronic Assistive Technology System to support persons with special needs in all their living and working environments). Its main purpose was to give aid and health care to handicapped and senior people. This final project comes to expand the range of control devices of the care robot ASIBOT. It has been developed in order to integrate the MTi accelerometer and inclinometer from Xsens. It implements a wrapper for the low level drivers. The wrapper has been developed in C++ language, and the communication between the sensor and the robot software components is performed under YARP software architecture. Additionally, we have developed a graphic interface to transform textual data into a more developer-friendly graphic representation. This component is reusable by any other module which meets its specs.Ingeniería Técnica en Electrónic

Boardtalker: Initial experiences and open problems in prototyping a talking digital whiteboard to assist visually impaired students

Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Auditory Display (ICAD), Boston, MA, July 7-9, 2003.BoardTalker is an assistive technology system that is designed to help visually impaired students by allowing them to hear material that is written extemporaneously on a whiteboard during class. The system uses a touch-sensitive electronic whiteboard that the teacher can write on with his or her finger. Material written by the teacher is converted to ASCII text and displayed on the surface of the board where it can be read by the fully-sighted students in the class. The visually impaired student can press a button that causes the current contents of the board to be spoken into an earpiece or small speaker. Several prototypical systems were developed by students in the author's Human Computer Interaction class; common themes, lessons learned and open problems are presented based on these prototypes

Assistive Technology: Fixing Humans

The need for assistive technology--technology that assists persons with disabilities--is great. At no time has there been a greater need to provide assistive technologies than to assist the thousands of military veterans returning home from the Middle East with a range of physical and mental disabilities. Mobility impairment is a significant concern for many returning veterans. Assistive technologies are playing a major role in assisting war veterans returning with physical limitations through the loss of a limb or, in many cases, several limbs. This article presents the history and background of assistive technology and how mobile- and computer-assistive technologies can help people with disabilities or with war-related injuries. Examples are given on several ways that technology and engineering and career and technical education teachers can use assistive technologies

Multi-Level Reconfiguration in the DANAH Assistive System

International audienceNowadays, interaction with our surrounding environment has increased due to the presence of numerous devices that provide us with services. This is especially true in Smart Homes and can be of great help for the disabled people and the elderly that can no longer perform daily tasks they used to. However, in case of failure, corrective actions can be heavy to take, thus the need for the system to recover by itself and ensure service availability. Service availability is provided through service reconfiguration. This papers deals with service reconfiguration in smart homes. It presents a multi-level approach in which both off-line and on-line reconfiguration schemes are used to gradually recover from failed services. Static, effect-based, path and resource reconfiguration levels are described. They have been successfully implemented in the DANAH assistive system, which combines both navigation and service provision for smart homes