Robot-assisted gait self-training: assessing the level achieved

This paper presents the technological status of robot-assisted gait self-training under real clinical environment conditions. A successful rehabilitation after surgery in hip endoprosthetics comprises self-training of the lessons taught by physiotherapists. While doing this, immediate feedback to the patient about deviations from the expected physiological gait pattern during training is important. Hence, the Socially Assistive Robot (SAR) developed for this type of training employs task-specific, user-centered navigation and autonomous, real-time gait feature classification techniques to enrich the self-training through companionship and timely corrective feedback. The evaluation of the system took place during user tests in a hospital from the point of view of technical benchmarking, considering the therapists’ and patients’ point of view with regard to training motivation and from the point of view of initial findings on medical efficacy as a prerequisite from an economic perspective. In this paper, the following research questions were primarily considered: Does the level of technology achieved enable autonomous use in everyday clinical practice? Has the gait pattern of patients who used additional robot-assisted gait self-training for several days been changed or improved compared to patients without this training? How does the use of a SAR-based self-training robot affect the motivation of the patients

Acceptance and Applicability of Educational Robots. Evaluating Factors Contributing to a Successful Introduction of Social Robots into Education

Reich-Stiebert N. Acceptance and Applicability of Educational Robots. Evaluating Factors Contributing to a Successful Introduction of Social Robots into Education. Bielefeld: Universität Bielefeld; 2019.The use of robots in the area of education is rapidly gaining momentum. Education faces restructuring and modernization in the forthcoming age of robots, thus necessitating research meeting the requirements of this development. In this, focusing on robots’ acceptance and applicability in educational contexts, right from the very beginning, is crucial. Therefore, this dissertation thesis has addressed this issue. It has striven to evaluate factors which contribute to a successful introduction of robots into education in a systematic manner. The strengths of the current work lie in its interdisciplinary nature, theoretical fundament, and the application of empirical and experimental methods. In practical terms, a set of studies have offered insights on how the implementation and application of robots in education could be facilitated. To do so, they operated on three different levels: First, the focus was on end users’ attitudes toward educational robots. It was shown that their attitudes and willingness to use educational robots were moderate. However, the results also indicated that the acceptance of educational robots could be fostered by the promotion of people’s general technical interest and a targeted use of robots in individual or small-group learning activities, in domains related to science and technology. In addition, it was found that user involvement in an educational robot’s design process can increase people’s general acceptance of educational robots. Second, the work focused on how to effectively design a human-robot interaction (HRI) for learning purposes by building upon the cooperative learning paradigm found in educational literature. Actual HRI experiments confirmed that a robot’s physical presence was beneficial for the learning experience, and implied that positive interdependence with a robot, social support from it, and mutual feedback about the learning process were positively related to the learning experience and the learners’ perception of the robot. Third, when tackling the issue of the ideal educational robot design, it has become clear that people’s perception of robots is influenced by context- and person-specific factors. To trigger a higher acceptance of educational robots, robotics research should match potential end users’ educational robot design concepts, for example, machinelike appearance and functionality as well as privacy and safety requirements. Taken together, this dissertation presents a sound basis for identifying issues related to the implementation and application of educational robots. However, research is still far from having completed the development of strategies for implementing and using social robots in education meaningfully. Consequently, potential future research directions will be discussed in light of the obtained results

Sustainable Value Co-Creation in Welfare Service Ecosystems : Transforming temporary collaboration projects into permanent resource integration

The aim of this paper is to discuss the unexploited forces of user-orientation and shared responsibility to promote sustainable value co-creation during service innovation projects in welfare service ecosystems. The framework is based on the theoretical field of public service logic (PSL) and our thesis is that service innovation seriously requires a user-oriented approach, and that such an approach enables resource integration based on the service-user’s needs and lifeworld. In our findings, we identify prerequisites and opportunities of collaborative service innovation projects in order to transform these projects into sustainable resource integration once they have ended

Understanding the Ageing Consumer: Exploring Strategies for Overcoming Innovation Resistance

This thesis deals with the trend of an ageing population in Germany and the opportunities and challenges that it presents for the consumer goods industry. The goal of the research is to provide a more nuanced understanding of ageing consumers and to suggest strategies to overcome innovation resistance. It departs from the traditional product-oriented research perspective and explores domestic practices of everyday life. Using this approach, it investigates the role of household appliances in facilitating the wish of older adults to age-in-place. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the research, a synthetic framework was created that melds and extends distinct conceptual elements from separate theories. While previous studies have largely failed to provide a detailed description of user segments, this research applies a novel market segmentation approach that assists in developing more effective innovation strategies. It has extended the Use Diffusion model (Shih & Venkatesh, 2004) by creating a number of novel sub-determinants which direct household technology use in different directions. It posits that different user segments exhibit different levels of interest in future technology acquisition. Based on an advanced understanding of use patterns, the research intends to clarify a possible application of disruptive innovations, which suggest simpler, more familiar and affordable products and services. The research followed a sequential approach to data generation. It begins with interviews conducted during home visits using the task of ‘doing the laundry’ as a focal practice, interviews with care workers, and medical practitioners. It is supplemented with focus groups comprised of the intended product users in order to generate innovation ideas. A final focus group of industry experts followed and centred on the operationalization of those ideas within an established company. Finally, the thesis developed a synthetic model to support innovation management that is not present in current conceptions

Enhancing the Quality of Care in Long-Term Care Settings

Quality of care in long-term care is a worldwide issue given the growing numbers of dependent older people. This book presents international research, 22 varied papers, exploring quality of care from several different angles. Important themes include: (1) workforce issues, such as staff training and support; job competencies, satisfaction, and intention to stay in work; staff burnout; effects of personal- and work-related factors on quality of care; (2) intervention studies: for depressive symptoms in nursing home residents; adjustment for new residents; social and psychological support; and loneliness and isolation; (3) methodology, including: developing and testing quality indicators; measuring residents' experience of quality; and assessing partnership between staff and families; and (4) older people's experiences, such as dry eyes and using ocular lubricants; associations between length of stay and end of life care; palliative care service use and comfort at end of of life; and causes of infection-related hospitalization. The book concludes with a systematic review of the current evidence base of care home research in Brazil

WEHST: Wearable Engine for Human-Mediated Telepresence

This dissertation reports on the industrial design of a wearable computational device created to enable better emergency medical intervention for situations where electronic remote assistance is necessary. The design created for this doctoral project, which assists practices by paramedics with mandates for search-and-rescue (SAR) in hazardous environments, contributes to the field of human-mediated teleparamedicine (HMTPM). Ethnographic and industrial design aspects of this research considered the intricate relationships at play in search-and-rescue operations, which lead to the design of the system created for this project known as WEHST: Wearable Engine for Human-Mediated Telepresence. Three case studies of different teams were carried out, each focusing on making improvements to the practices of teams of paramedics and search-and-rescue technicians who use combinations of ambulance, airplane, and helicopter transport in specific chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) scenarios. The three paramedicine groups included are the Canadian Air Force 442 Rescue Squadron, Nelson Search and Rescue, and the British Columbia Ambulance Service Infant Transport Team. Data was gathered over a seven-year period through a variety of methods including observation, interviews, examination of documents, and industrial design. The data collected included physiological, social, technical, and ecological information about the rescuers. Actor-network theory guided the research design, data analysis, and design synthesis. All of this leads to the creation of the WEHST system. As identified, the WEHST design created in this dissertation project addresses the difficulty case-study participants found in using their radios in hazardous settings. As the research identified, a means of controlling these radios without depending on hands, voice, or speech would greatly improve communication, as would wearing sensors and other computing resources better linking operators, radios, and environments. WEHST responds to this need. WEHST is an instance of industrial design for a wearable “engine” for human-situated telepresence that includes eight interoperable families of wearable electronic modules and accompanying textiles. These make up a platform technology for modular, scalable and adaptable toolsets for field practice, pedagogy, or research. This document details the considerations that went into the creation of the WEHST design