Encouraging Children to Actively Recycle: A mobile application to promote recycling in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic generates 14,000 tons of solid waste daily, 49% of this is recyclable, but only 5% is. This waste is causing health problems, affecting the tourism industry, and the quality of life of its residents. Problems of confusion, lack of motivation, and lack of prioritization of the activity, affect the decision-making process when recycling. What if there was a way to motivate the Dominican population to recycle, and change the behavior towards this activity? Children learn new behaviors faster than adults. Why not use this opportunity to incorporate the engaging factor of design and technology to help improve the motivation level of the Dominican society, with the help of children as the promoters of good recycling habits? To educate, motivate, and engage children and adults to actively recycle, a mobile application can be used throughout the country to raise recycling awareness memorably. This thesis explores behavioral design methods and the use of gamification and Augmented Reality to engage children with the application. The solution rewards real-world recycling actions and allows children to transform recycled materials into energy for virtual robots. The application provides tips on how to separate and dispose of scanned materials. Users can share their knowledge with other children and adults, which can result in hopes of building a virtual recycling community. When using the application, children will be able to make recycling a habit, by implementing their learnings from interacting with the platform and integrate recycling into their life and its value to become a lifelong habit. The final solution highlights the primary interactions of the mobile application in a demo format, built based off of feedback from primary user groups and design peers. This prototype demonstrates how design can be used to best leverage the full capabilities of mobile technology to affect real-world change

The Future of Service Post-COVID-19 Pandemic, Volume 1

This open access book is geared towards providing insights and stimulating new thinking about the changing nature of services, service work and workers, and service experiences during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, particularly focusing on digital service technology. This book serves as a useful resource for business practitioners and academics in the areas of service and human resource management. Each chapter deals with specific current issues within these industries due to COVID-19 and issues that will come up post-pandemic. As COVID-19 is expected introduce novel methods to the service sector, such as untact service, telecommuting, alternative work arrangements, job crafting, and new work skills, digital technology is becoming more important than ever before. This books provides a range of examples and cases to elaborate on the effective application of digital service technology in order for businesses to stay relevant in the current climate

Understanding User Behavioral Intention to Adopt a Search Engine that Promotes Sustainable Water Management

An increase in users’ online searches, the social concern for an efficient management of resources such as water, and the appearance of more and more digital platforms for sustainable purposes to conduct online searches lead us to reflect more on the users’ behavioral intention with respect to search engines that support sustainable projects like water management projects. Another issue to consider is the factors that determine the adoption of such search engines. In the present study, we aim to identify the factors that determine the intention to adopt a search engine, such as Lilo, that favors sustainable water management. To this end, a model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is proposed. The methodology used is the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis with the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS). The results demonstrate that individuals who intend to use a search engine are influenced by hedonic motivations, which drive their feeling of contentment with the search. Similarly, the success of search engines is found to be closely related to the ability a search engine grants to its users to generate a social or environmental impact, rather than users’ trust in what they do or in their results. However, according to our results, habit is also an important factor that has both a direct and an indirect impact on users’ behavioral intention to adopt different search engines

Social Robots to enhance therapy and interaction for children: From the design to the implementation "in the wild"

En les últimes dues dècades els robots socials s'han convertit en un camp emergent en el qual encara hi ha molt per fer. Aquest camp requereix coneixements en mecànica, control, intel·ligència artificial, sistemes, etc., però també en psicologia, disseny, ètica, etc. El nostre grup de recerca de perfil interdisciplinari ha estat treballant en el disseny de robots socials en diferents aplicacions per a nens amb necessitats especials. L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és investigar diferents escenaris en teràpia o educació on els robots socials podrien ser una eina útil per als nens. Es van realitzar 4 estudis amb diferents propòsits: (1) dissenyar activitats amb robòtica de LEGO per avaluar el comportament social dels nens amb trastorn de l'espectre autista (TEA) (entre companys i amb adults) i analitzar la seva efectivitat, (2) dissenyar un robot social per recuperar les funcionalitats més afectades a causa de traumatismes cranioencefàlics (TCE) en nens i veure l'eficàcia del tractament, (3) proporcionar un robot mascota per alleujar els sentiments d'ansietat, solitud i estrès en nens hospitalitzats, i (4) comprovar com un robot amb comportament social i amb una personalització versus robots sense aquestes característiques mostra diferències en termes d'interacció amb nens i, per tant, pot ajudar en l'efectivitat de diferents tractaments com hem esmentat anteriorment. Els resultats van revelar diferents resultats depenent de l'aplicació: (1) efectivitat amb la plataforma robòtica social que vam dissenyar en el tractament neuropsicològic per a aquells nens afectats per TCE, (2) eficàcia amb les activitats de robòtica de LEGO dissenyades per un grup de terapeutes en termes de millora d'habilitats socials (3) un efecte positiu entre els mediadors i facilitadors de la interacció i les relacions entre els diferents agents involucrats en el procés de la cura: pacients hospitalitzats, familiars, voluntaris i personal clínic, i (4) una interacció diferent, en termes de temps, entre els dos grups durant període de dues setmanes.En las últimas dos décadas los robots sociales se han convertido en un campo emergente en el que todavía hay mucho por hacer. Este campo requiere conocimientos en mecánica, control, inteligencia artificial, sistemas, etc., pero también en psicología, diseño, ética, etc. Nuestro grupo de investigación de perfil interdisciplinar ha estado trabajando en el diseño de robots sociales en diferentes aplicaciones para niños con necesidades especiales. El objetivo de esta tesis es investigar diferentes escenarios en terapia o educación donde los robots sociales podrían ser una herramienta útil para los niños. Se realizaron 4 estudios con diferentes propósitos: (1) diseñar actividades con robótica de LEGO para evaluar el comportamiento social de los niños con trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) (entre compañeros y con adultos) y analizar su efectividad, (2) diseñar un robot social para recuperar las funcionalidades más afectadas a causa de traumatismos craneoencefálicos (TCE) en niños y ver la eficacia del tratamiento, (3) proporcionar un robot mascota para aliviar los sentimientos de ansiedad, soledad y estrés en niños hospitalizados, y (4) comprobar como un robot con comportamiento social y con una personalización versus robots sin esas características muestra diferencias en términos de interacción con niños y, por tanto, puede ayudar en la efectividad de diferentes tratamientos como mencionamos anteriormente. Los resultados revelaron diferentes resultados dependiendo de la aplicación: (1) efectividad con la plataforma robótica social que diseñamos en el tratamiento neuropsicológico para aquellos niños afectadas por TCE, (2) eficacia con las actividades de robótica de LEGO diseñadas por un grupo de terapeutas en términos de mejora de habilidades sociales (3) un efecto positivo entre los mediadores y facilitadores de la interacción y las relaciones entre los diferentes agentes involucrados en el proceso del cuidado: pacientes hospitalizados, familiares, voluntarios y personal clínico, y (4) una interacción diferente, en términos de tiempo, entre ambos grupos en el promedio de un período de dos semanas.Over the past two decades social robots have become an emerging field where there are many things still to work on. This field not only requires knowledge in mechanics, control, artificial intelligence, systems, etc., but also in psychology, design, ethics, etc. Our multidisciplinary research group has been working on designing social robotic platforms in different applications for children with special needs. The aim of this thesis is to investigate different scenarios in therapy or education where social robots could be a useful tool for children. We ran 4 studies with different purposes: (1) to design activities with LEGO robotics to assess children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) social behaviour (between peers and with adults) and to analyze the effectiveness, (2) to design a social robotic platform to recover the functionalities most affected by traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in children and see the effectiveness of the treatment, (3) to provide a pet robot to alleviate feelings of anxiety, loneliness and stress of long-term children inpatient and their bystanders, and (4) to verify how a robot with social behaviour and personalization verses those robots without, shows differences in terms of interaction with children and thus, helps the effectiveness of different treatments as we mention above. The results revealed different outcomes depending on the application: (1) effectiveness with the social robotic platform that we designed in neuropsychological treatment in those areas affected by TBI, (2) effectiveness with the LEGO robotics activities designed by a group of therapists in terms of improvement of the social skills and engagement, (3) a positive effect within mediators and facilitators of interaction and relationships between the different agents involved in the caring process: in-patients, relatives, volunteers and clinical staff (4) slight evidence towards a different interaction, in terms of time, between both groups in the average of a two-week period

Artificial Intelligence acceptance : morphological elements of the acceptance of Artificial Intelligence

Inteligência Artificial tem-se desenvolvido muito rapidamente ao longo dos últimos anos, há medida que os algoritmos de machine learning vão evoluindo e ficando mais complexos, os robôs ficam cada vez mais autónomos, levando a um desenvolvimento mais rápido e à aparição de mais chatbots no suporte a variados serviços e assistentes pessoais como a Cortana e a Siri. Esta rápida evolução permite que as empresas que adotam estas tecnologias possam vir a ganhar uma vantagem competitiva. No entanto, para que estas tecnologias se traduzam numa melhoria da performance das empresas, é de elevada importância que a Inteligência Artificial seja aceite e incentivada pelos colaboradores das empresas em questão. Neste sentido, estudámos as teorias de aceitação da tecnologia existentes, adaptando o UTAUT para chegar a um novo modelo que permite compreender a aceitação de Inteligência Artificial. O instrumento de recolha de dados utilizado foi um questionário online que foi respondido por 321 pessoas com uma média de idades de aproximadamente 29 anos, sendo que cerca de 50% da amostra corresponde a pessoas com idades compreendidas entre os 22 e os 35 anos. Os resultados obtidos foram bastante positivos, mostrando que a maioria das pessoas parece estar recetiva a esta tecnologia e achar que se trata de uma ferramenta útil.Artificial Intelligence is experiencing a fast progress in the last years, as machine learning algorithms evolve into more complex algorithms, robots gain autonomy, leading to a faster development of chatbots in the support to several services and personal assistants, such as Cortana and Siri. This rapid evolution allows companies to obtain competitive advantages by adopting this type of technologies. However, in order for these technologies to improve the companies’ performance, employers, managers and employees have to accept Artificial Intelligence and foster the usage of these programs. In this sense, we studied the existent technology acceptance theories, adapting the UTAUT to develop a model to study the acceptance of Artificial Intelligence. The instrument for collecting data used was an online questionnaire, that was answered by 321 people with an average of ages of approximately 29 years and 50% of the sample had ages between 22 and 35 years. The results were very positive, showing that the generality of people seemed to be receptive to this technology, while thinking it can be an useful tool

Socially assistive robots adoption

Mestrado em Gestão de Sistemas de InformaçãoCom o rápido envelhecimento da população mundial verifica-se um aumento do número de pessoas a requerer cuidados da parte de outrem. Contudo, o fenómeno mencionado traz, também, uma redução do número de pessoas disponíveis para prestar tais cuidados. Como tal, as sociedades são cada vez mais forçadas a lidar com esta discrepância que deve ser colmatada de modo a permitir aos idosos envelhecer com a dignidade que estes merecem. Uma forma de o fazer pode ser encontrada no campo das tecnologias de apoio, nomeadamente na figura dos Socially Assistive Robots (SAR): robots que apoiam os humanos através da interação social. O objetivo do presente estudo é investigar a propensão da população idosa portuguesa para a adoção destes robots. Para esse fim, primeiro, foi levada a cabo uma revisão da literatura onde foi recolhida informação relativa às formas em que os SAR podem apoiar os idosos, fatores que afetam a adoção destes robots e as principais preocupações que se afiguram num processo de adoção. De seguida, um estudo quantitativo baseado na aplicação de questionários à população portuguesa com 65 ou mais anos foi conduzido. De modo a estudar os fatores que influenciam a adoção dos robots, uma adaptação da segunda versão do modelo Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology foi criada e operacionalizada. Os resultados do estudo, não sendo tão abrangentes como inicialmente desejado, servem para complementar a base de conhecimento a ser constituída em torno deste tópico, iluminando e informando o trabalho daqueles que desenvolvem SAR.With the world population ageing rapidly comes an increase in the number of people requiring care from others. However, this phenomenon also brings a decrease in the number of people capable of providing such care. Societies are then increasingly left with a gap which must be bridged for the elderly to be afforded to age with the dignity which they deserve. One way to close said gap can be found in the field of assistive technologies, namely in the form of Socially Assistive Robots (SAR): robots designed to aid humans through social interaction. The aim of the current study is to investigate the propension of elderly Portuguese people for SAR adoption. Thus, firstly a review of literature focused on the ways in which SAR can aid the elderly, robot acceptance factors and common adoption concerns was put together. Secondly, a quantitative study based on the application of questionnaires to the Portuguese population aged 65 and over was conducted. In order to study the robot acceptance factors, an adaptation of the second version of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology was created and deployed. The study results, while not as encompassing as initially desired, serve to complement the knowledge base being currently built around this topic, illuminating and informing the work of individuals focused on designing Socially Assistive Robots.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Future of Service Post-COVID-19 Pandemic, Volume 1

This open access book is geared towards providing insights and stimulating new thinking about the changing nature of services, service work and workers, and service experiences during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, particularly focusing on digital service technology. This book serves as a useful resource for business practitioners and academics in the areas of service and human resource management. Each chapter deals with specific current issues within these industries due to COVID-19 and issues that will come up post-pandemic. As COVID-19 is expected introduce novel methods to the service sector, such as untact service, telecommuting, alternative work arrangements, job crafting, and new work skills, digital technology is becoming more important than ever before. This books provides a range of examples and cases to elaborate on the effective application of digital service technology in order for businesses to stay relevant in the current climate

The Internet of Things Will Thrive by 2025

This report is the latest research report in a sustained effort throughout 2014 by the Pew Research Center Internet Project to mark the 25th anniversary of the creation of the World Wide Web by Sir Tim Berners-LeeThis current report is an analysis of opinions about the likely expansion of the Internet of Things (sometimes called the Cloud of Things), a catchall phrase for the array of devices, appliances, vehicles, wearable material, and sensor-laden parts of the environment that connect to each other and feed data back and forth. It covers the over 1,600 responses that were offered specifically about our question about where the Internet of Things would stand by the year 2025. The report is the next in a series of eight Pew Research and Elon University analyses to be issued this year in which experts will share their expectations about the future of such things as privacy, cybersecurity, and net neutrality. It includes some of the best and most provocative of the predictions survey respondents made when specifically asked to share their views about the evolution of embedded and wearable computing and the Internet of Things

Exploring perspectives of people with type-1 diabetes on goalsetting strategies within self-management education and care

Background. Collaborative goal-setting strategies are widely recommended for diabetes self-management support within healthcare systems. Creating self-management plans that fit with peoples’ own goals and priorities has been linked with better diabetic control. Consequently, goal-setting has become a core component of many diabetes selfmanagement programmes such as the ‘Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating (DAFNE) programme’. Within DAFNE, people with Type-1 Diabetes (T1D) develop their own goals along with action-plans to stimulate goal-achievement. While widely implemented, limited research has explored how goal-setting strategies are experienced by people with diabetes.Therefore, this study aims to explore the perspectives of people with T1D on theimplementation and value of goal-setting strategies within DAFNE and follow-up diabetes care. Furthermore, views on barriers and facilitators to goal-attainment are explored.Methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 people with T1D who attended a DAFNE-programme. Following a longitudinal qualitative research design, interviews took place 1 week, and 6-8 months after completion of DAFNE. A recurrent cross-sectional approach is applied in which themes will be identified at each time-point using thematic analyses.Expected results. Preliminary identified themes surround the difference in value that participants place on goal-setting strategies, and the lack of support for goal-achievement within diabetes care.Current stage. Data collection complete; data-analysis ongoing.Discussion. Goal-setting strategies are increasingly included in guidelines for diabetes support and have become essential parts of many primary care improvement schemes. Therefore, exploring the perspectives of people with T1D on the value and implementation of goal-setting strategies is vital for their optimal application