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

Design and Development of Smart List: A Mobile App for Creating and Managing Grocery Lists

أثبت البحث في علم المستهلك أن التسوق في البقالة عملية معقدة ومحزنة. علاوة على ذلك ، يتم دائمًا تقدير مهمة إنشاء قوائم البقالةالخاصة بتسوق البقالة لأن الجهد المبذول والوقت المستغرق لإنشاء قوائم البقالة وإدارتها غير مرئي وغير معترف به. على الرغم من أن قوائمالبقالة تمثل نية شراء المستهلكين، إلا أن الأبحاث المتعلقة بقوائم البقالة لا تحظى باهتمام كبير من الباحثين ؛ لذلك، توجد دراسات محدودة حولالموضوع في الأدب. وبالتالي، تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى سد الفجوة من خلال تصميم وتطوير تطبيق )تطبيق( للهاتف المحمول لإنشاء وإدارةقوائم البقالة باستخدام الهواتف الذكية الحديثة. الهواتف الذكية منتشرة وتصبح ضرورة للجميع اليوم. وبالتالي، فإن تطبيق الهاتف الذكي الذييمكن أن يسهل عملية إنشاء وإدارة قوائم البقالة للأشخاص المشغولين والعاملين مفيد. يتبع تصميم وتطوير التطبيق منهجية تطوير التطبيقالسريع. أولاً ، تم جمع المتطلبات الوظيفية من خلال المقابلات وتحليل المحتوى. بعد ذلك، تم تطوير نموذج أولي باسم SMART LIST بناءًعلى المتطلبات المجمعة، وتم إجراء دراسة ميدانية لتقييم قابلية استخدام النموذج الأولي. تشير نتائج التقييم إلى أن قائمة SMART LIST مفيدة وسهلة الاستخدام. راضون أيضًا عن وظائف إدارة قوائم البقالة التي تقدمها SMART LIST. تساهم الدراسة في فهم متطلبات النظاموواجهة المستخدم لتطبيق الجوال لإدارة قائمة البقالة. يمكن أن يكون نموذجًا مرجعيًا للمطورين والباحثين في المنطقة لتطوير تطبيقات مماثلةأو تعزيز القدرات في إنشاء قوائم البقالة وإدارتهاResearch in consumer science has proven that grocery shopping is a complex and distressing process. Further, the task of generating the grocery lists for the grocery shopping is always undervalued as the effort and time took to create and manage the grocery lists are unseen and unrecognized. Even though grocery lists represent consumers’ purchase intention, research pertaining the grocery lists does not get much attention from researchers; therefore, limited studies about the topic are found in the literature. Hence, this study aims at bridging the gap by designing and developing a mobile app (application) for creating and managing grocery lists using modern smartphones. Smartphones are pervasive and become a necessity for everyone today. Hence, a smartphone app that can facilitate the process of creating and managing grocery lists for busy and working people is beneficial. The design and development of the app followed the rapid application development methodology. First, the functional requirements were gathered through interviews and content analysis. Then, a prototype named SMART LIST has been developed based on the gathered requirements, and a field study was carried out to evaluate the usability of the prototype. The results of the evaluation suggested that SMART LIST is useful and easy to use. The respondents also satisfied with the functions for managing grocery lists offered by SMART LIST. The study contributes towards an understanding the system requirements and user interface of a mobile app for managing grocery list. It can be a reference model for developers and researchers in the area to develop similar apps or enhancing the capabilities in creating and managing grocery lists

Mobile assistive technologies for the visually impaired

There are around 285 million visually impaired people worldwide, and around 370,000 people are registered as blind or partially sighted in the UK. Ongoing advances in information technology (IT) are increasing the scope for IT-based mobile assistive technologies to facilitate the independence, safety, and improved quality of life of the visually impaired. Research is being directed at making mobile phones and other handheld devices accessible via our haptic (touch) and audio sensory channels. We review research and innovation within the field of mobile assistive technology for the visually impaired and, in so doing, highlight the need for successful collaboration between clinical expertise, computer science, and domain users to realize fully the potential benefits of such technologies. We initially reflect on research that has been conducted to make mobile phones more accessible to people with vision loss. We then discuss innovative assistive applications designed for the visually impaired that are either delivered via mainstream devices and can be used while in motion (e.g., mobile phones) or are embedded within an environment that may be in motion (e.g., public transport) or within which the user may be in motion (e.g., smart homes)

Design and development of smart list: a mobile app for creating and managing grocery lists

Research in consumer science has proven that grocery shopping is a complex and distressing process. Further, the task of generating the grocery lists for the grocery shopping is always undervalued as the effort and time took to create and manage the grocery lists are unseen and unrecognized. Even though grocery lists represent consumers’ purchase intention, research pertaining the grocery lists does not get much attention from researchers; therefore, limited studies about the topic are found in the literature. Hence, this study aims at bridging the gap by designing and developing a mobile app (application) for creating and managing grocery lists using modern smartphones. Smartphones are pervasive and become a necessity for everyone today. Hence, a smartphone app that can facilitate the process of creating and managing grocery lists for busy and working people is beneficial. The design and development of the app followed the rapid application development methodology. First, the functional requirements were gathered through interviews and content analysis. Then, a prototype named SMART LIST has been developed based on the gathered requirements, and a field study was carried out to evaluate the usability of the prototype. The results of the evaluation suggested that SMART LIST is useful and easy to use. The respondents also satisfied with the functions for managing grocery lists offered by SMART LIST. The study contributes towards an understanding the system requirements and user interface of a mobile app for managing grocery list. It can be a reference model for developers and researchers in the area to develop similar apps or enhancing the capabilities in creating and managing grocery lists. أثبت البحث في علم المستهلك أن التسوق في البقالة عملية معقدة ومحزنة. علاوة على ذلك ، يتم دائمًا تقدير مهمة إنشاء قوائم البقالة الخاصة بتسوق البقالة لأن الجهد المبذول والوقت المستغرق لإنشاء قوائم البقالة وإدارتها غير مرئي وغير معترف به. على الرغم من أن قوائم البقالة تمثل نية شراء المستهلكين، إلا أن الأبحاث المتعلقة بقوائم البقالة لا تحظى باهتمام كبير من الباحثين ؛ لذلك، توجد دراسات محدودة حول الموضوع في الأدب. وبالتالي، تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى سد الفجوة من خلال تصميم وتطوير تطبيق (تطبيق) للهاتف المحمول لإنشاء وإدارة قوائم البقالة باستخدام الهواتف الذكية الحديثة. الهواتف الذكية منتشرة وتصبح ضرورة للجميع اليوم. وبالتالي، فإن تطبيق الهاتف الذكي الذي يمكن أن يسهل عملية إنشاء وإدارة قوائم البقالة للأشخاص المشغولين والعاملين مفيد. يتبع تصميم وتطوير التطبيق منهجية تطوير التطبيق السريع. أولاً ، تم جمع المتطلبات الوظيفية من خلال المقابلات وتحليل المحتوى. بعد ذلك، تم تطوير نموذج أولي باسم SMART LIST بناءً على المتطلبات المجمعة، وتم إجراء دراسة ميدانية لتقييم قابلية استخدام النموذج الأولي. تشير نتائج التقييم إلى أن قائمة SMART LIST مفيدة وسهلة الاستخدام. راضون أيضًا عن وظائف إدارة قوائم البقالة التي تقدمها SMART LIST. تساهم الدراسة في فهم متطلبات النظام وواجهة المستخدم لتطبيق الجوال لإدارة قائمة البقالة. يمكن أن يكون نموذجًا مرجعيًا للمطورين والباحثين في المنطقة لتطوير تطبيقات مماثلة أو تعزيز القدرات في إنشاء قوائم البقالة وإدارتها

Iterative Design and Prototyping of Computer Vision Mediated Remote Sighted Assistance

Remote sighted assistance (RSA) is an emerging navigational aid for people with visual impairments (PVI). Using scenario-based design to illustrate our ideas, we developed a prototype showcasing potential applications for computer vision to support RSA interactions. We reviewed the prototype demonstrating real-world navigation scenarios with an RSA expert, and then iteratively refined the prototype based on feedback. We reviewed the refined prototype with 12 RSA professionals to evaluate the desirability and feasibility of the prototyped computer vision concepts. The RSA expert and professionals were engaged by, and reacted insightfully and constructively to the proposed design ideas. We discuss what we learned about key resources, goals, and challenges of the RSA prosthetic practice through our iterative prototype review, as well as implications for the design of RSA systems and the integration of computer vision technologies into RSA

Visions, Values, and Videos: Revisiting Envisionings in Service of UbiComp Design for the Home

UbiComp has been envisioned to bring about a future dominated by calm computing technologies making our everyday lives ever more convenient. Yet the same vision has also attracted criticism for encouraging a solitary and passive lifestyle. The aim of this paper is to explore and elaborate these tensions further by examining the human values surrounding future domestic UbiComp solutions. Drawing on envisioning and contravisioning, we probe members of the public (N=28) through the presentation and focus group discussion of two contrasting animated video scenarios, where one is inspired by "calm" and the other by "engaging" visions of future UbiComp technology. By analysing the reasoning of our participants, we identify and elaborate a number of relevant values involved in balancing the two perspectives. In conclusion, we articulate practically applicable takeaways in the form of a set of key design questions and challenges.Comment: DIS'20, July 6-10, 2020, Eindhoven, Netherland