Acoustic Sensing: Mobile Applications and Frameworks

Acoustic sensing has attracted significant attention from both academia and industry due to its ubiquity. Since smartphones and many IoT devices are already equipped with microphones and speakers, it requires nearly zero additional deployment cost. Acoustic sensing is also versatile. For example, it can detect obstacles for distracted pedestrians (BumpAlert), remember indoor locations through recorded echoes (EchoTag), and also understand the touch force applied to mobile devices (ForcePhone). In this dissertation, we first propose three acoustic sensing applications, BumpAlert, EchoTag, and ForcePhone, and then introduce a cross-platform sensing framework called LibAS. LibAS is designed to facilitate the development of acoustic sensing applications. For example, LibAS can let developers prototype and validate their sensing ideas and apps on commercial devices without the detailed knowledge of platform-dependent programming. LibAS is shown to require less than 30 lines of code in Matlab to implement the prototype of ForcePhone on Android/iOS/Tizen/Linux devices.PHDComputer Science & EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143971/1/yctung_1.pd

Soft Sensors in digital healthcare monitoring

Stretchable sensors are a class of materials with applications across research fields from healthcare to structural engineering. Despite the extensive research aiming to improve the performance of individual materials or components, stretchable sensor devices are difficult to implement because conventional electronic components, mainly used for processing, which are rigid, have to make contact with soft components reliable enough to withstand real-world usage. This thesis introduces a method for creating electrical contacts that can be robustly attached onto soft, stretchable conductive polymer composites on one side and soldered to metal wires on the other side. Mechanically robust electrical contacts were developed to interface (soft) silicone-based strain sensors with conventional (hard) solid-state electronics using a nanoporous silicon-copper contact. Contacts are mounted on custom-made and commercial soft strain sensitive silicone sensors. The contacts are shown to be reliable under large deformations, then compared with a commonly used alternative under real-world strain conditions. The layered structure of the device creates a complex electronic component deriving from the silicon-copper Schottky junction. This thesis tests the versatility of the technology through a series of real-world applications. The silicon-copper contacts were used to produce a series of proof-of-concept devices, including a wearable respiration monitor, leg band for exercise monitoring, and squeezable ball to monitor rehabilitation of patients with hand injuries or neurological disorders. The sensor is shown to operate and detect multiple modes of motion regardless of placement on the body. Next, a proof-of-concept device was employed to measure hand grip strength. The optimized sensor can detect grip strength with high sensitivity. The hardness of the device was shown to increase sensitivity when healthy humans performed manual exercises and completed digital tasks. Providing patients with these devices can help monitor their rehabilitation following hand injuries or neurological disorders. This can be done through self-led at-home therapy which has been shown to improve treatment, engagement, long-term lifestyle adherence, while avoiding repeated visits to clinics which plays an important role in frequency of therapy, effectiveness, and accessibility.Open Acces

FM radio: family interplay with sonic mementos

Digital mementos are increasingly problematic, as people acquire large amounts of digital belongings that are hard to access and often forgotten. Based on fieldwork with 10 families, we designed a new type of embodied digital memento, the FM Radio. It allows families to access and play sonic mementos of their previous holidays. We describe our underlying design motivation where recordings are presented as a series of channels on an old fashioned radio. User feedback suggests that the device met our design goals: being playful and intriguing, easy to use and social. It facilitated family interaction, and allowed ready access to mementos, thus sharing many of the properties of physical mementos that we intended to trigger

Getting healthier : creating interactive cooking tools for kids

Cooking lessons are believed to be the basis for a healthy lifestyle for both children and adults. However, while children learn their eating habits during childhood, most people only learn to cook from the age of sixteen onwards. Therefore, it is suggested that people should learn to cook during childhood. Current cooking classes aim mainly at the cognitive skills, with children learning about food in a traditional setting, i.e. in class and from books. Children are taught that water boils at a hundred degrees Celsius by using numbers and visualizations of thermometers, instead of what boiling water looks like. This way of teaching contrasts very much with the rich sensorial experience that cooking actually is. Therefore, we argue that learning about cooking should be aimed more at exploiting the perceptual-emotional skills. In the current paper we present the design and development of an interactive learning environment that teaches children how to prepare healthy meals. The project was developed by means of a process referred to as research through design, i.e. by iteratively ideating concepts, making prototypes and evaluating them in context. A key element of this project is the facilitation of learning by doing in the interactive learning environment. It is argued that performing an action is a more effective way of learning than learning on a cognitive level. In addition, principles from tangible interaction have been integrated in the design. Tangible interfaces are believed to engage multiple senses, support natural learning and create playfulness. The Supersous Game supports an interactive feedback loop with five different cooking tools; a knife, a peeler, a masher, a scale and a rasp. The game guides the children through the process of cooking by auditory guides and visual explanations. Various prototype iterations have been evaluated on interaction and experience at an after school day care centre with children in the age group of 7 to 11 years. The experiential results, which were obtained by means of semi-structured interviews, suggest that after playing the game the children have a more positive attitude towards cooking. In addition, children have greater confidence in their ability to cook and have a better understanding of how they can eat healthier. Furthermore, all children indicated that they wanted to play the game more often, and some even mentioned that they would like to involve their parents in the process of cooking as well. Moreover, parents were surprised by the cooking skills of their children, as well as of their willingness to try out new self-prepared dishes. Finally, the evaluation of the interaction suggests possible improvements to the environment such as applying inherent feedback and personalization of guidance. The presented project suggests that interactive games may support a healthier lifestyle for children and that interactive learning environments could offer new opportunities for health promotion programs

The Mole: a pressure-sensitive mouse

The traditional mouse enables the positioning of a cursor in a 2D plane, as well as the interaction of binary elements within that plane (e.g., buttons, links, icons). While this basic functionality is sufficient for interacting with every modern computing environment, it makes little use of the human hand\u27s ability to perform complex multi-directional movements. Devices developed to capture these multi-directional capabilities typically lack the familiar form and function of the mouse. This thesis details the design and development of a pressure-sensitive device called The Mole. The Mole retains the familiar form and function of the mouse while passively measuring the magnitude of normal hand force (i.e., downward force normal to the 2D operating surface). The measurement of this force lends itself to the development of novel interactions, far beyond what is possible with a typical mouse. This thesis demonstrates two such interactions: the positioning of a cursor in 3D space, and the simultaneous manipulation of cursor position and graphic tool parameters

The feasibility of using virtual prototyping technologies for product evaluation

With the continuous development in computer and communications technology the use of computer aided design in design processes is becoming more commonplace. A wide range of virtual prototyping technologies are currently in development, some of which are commercially viable for use within a product design process. These virtual prototyping technologies range from graphics tablets to haptic devices. With the compression of design cycles the feasibility of using these technologies for product evaluation is becoming an ever more important consideration. This thesis begins by presenting the findings of a comprehensive literature review defining product design with a focus on product evaluation and a discussion of current virtual prototyping technologies. From the literature review it was clear that user involvement in the product evaluation process is critical. The literature review was followed by a series of interconnected studies starting with an investigation into design consultancies' access and use of prototyping technologies and their evaluation methods. Although design consultancies are already using photo-realistic renderings, animations and sometimes 3600 view CAD models for their virtual product evaluations, current virtual prototyping hardware and software is often unsatisfactory for their needs. Some emergent technologies such as haptic interfaces are currently not commonly used in industry. This study was followed by an investigation into users' psychological acceptance and physiological discomfort when using a variety of virtual prototyping tools for product evaluation compared with using physical prototypes, ranging from on-screen photo-realistic renderings to 3D 3600 view models developed using a range of design software. The third study then went on to explore the feasibility of using these virtual prototyping tools and the effect on product preference when compared to using physical prototypes. The forth study looked at the designer's requirements for current and future virtual prototyping tools, design tools and evaluation methods. In the final chapters of the thesis the relative strengths and weaknesses of these technologies were re-evaluated and a definitive set of user requirements based on the documentary evidence of the previous studies was produced. This was followed by the development of a speculative series of scenarios for the next generation of virtual prototyping technologies ranging from improvements to existing technologies through to blue sky concepts. These scenarios were then evaluated by designers and consumers to produce documentary evidence and recommendations for preferred and suitable combinations of virtual prototyping technologies. Such hardware and software will require a user interface that is intuitive, simple, easy to use and suitable for both the designers who create the virtual prototypes and the consumers who evaluate them

Management of moisture-associated skin damage : a scoping review

BACKGROUND: Protecting the skin against moisture-associated damage is an important component of comprehensive skin and wound care. Based on a review of literature, the authors propose key interventions to protect and prevent damage in the skin folds, perineum, and areas surrounding a wound or stoma. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this scoping review is to identify and provide a narrative integration of the existing evidence related to the management and prevention of moisture-associated skin damage (MASD). METHODS: Study authors searched several databases for a broad spectrum of published and unpublished studies in English, published between 2000 and July 2015. Selected study information was collated in several different formats; ultimately, key findings were aggregated into a thematic description of the evidence to help generate a set of summative statements or recommendations. RESULTS: Based on inclusion criteria, 37 articles were considered appropriate for this review. Findings included functional definitions and prevalence rates of the 4 types of MASD, assessment scales for each, and 7 evidence-based strategies for the management of MASD. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this scoping review of literature, the authors propose key interventions to protect and prevent MASD including the use of barrier ointments, liquid polymers, and cyanoacrylates to create a protective layer that simultaneously maintains hydration levels while blocking external moisture and irritants