Command Acknowledge through Tactile Feedback Improves the Usability of an EMG-based Interface for the Frontalis Muscle

This work presents a study on the effectiveness of tactile feedback for the acknowledgement of a correct command detection in an EMG-based interface for the frontalis muscle. EMG interfaces are increasingly used in assistive robotics to control robots exploiting the repeatability and robustness of the electromyographic signal. However, in many application a feedback about the correct detection of an input is often missed and the user has to wait for the device motion in order to understand if his/her will has been correctly detected by the system. We demonstrate with a user study involving fifteen subjects, that a simple vibrotactile feedback can reduce the muscular effort and the time needed to execute a sequence of action commanded by an EMG device. As a case study, an EMG interface for the frontalis muscle has been used, however proposed results could be extended to EMG interfaces designed for other muscles, e.g., for prosthesis or exoskeleton control

The digitally 'Hand Made' object

This article will outline the author’s investigations of types of computer interfaces in practical three-dimensional design practice. The paper contains a description of two main projects in glass and ceramic tableware design, using a Microscribe G2L digitising arm as an interface to record three-dimensional spatial\ud design input.\ud \ud The article will provide critical reflections on the results of the investigations and will argue that new approaches in digital design interfaces could have relevance in developing design methods which incorporate more physical ‘human’ expressions in a three-dimensional design practice. The research builds on concepts indentified in traditional craft practice as foundations for constructing new types of creative practices based on the use of digital technologies, as outlined by McCullough (1996)

Study and development of sensorimotor interfaces for robotic human augmentation

This thesis presents my research contribution to robotics and haptics in the context of human augmentation. In particular, in this document, we are interested in bodily or sensorimotor augmentation, thus the augmentation of humans by supernumerary robotic limbs (SRL). The field of sensorimotor augmentation is new in robotics and thanks to the combination with neuroscience, great leaps forward have already been made in the past 10 years. All of the research work I produced during my Ph.D. focused on the development and study of fundamental technology for human augmentation by robotics: the sensorimotor interface. This new concept is born to indicate a wearable device which has two main purposes, the first is to extract the input generated by the movement of the user's body, and the second to provide the somatosensory system of the user with an haptic feedback. This thesis starts with an exploratory study of integration between robotic and haptic devices, intending to combine state-of-the-art devices. This allowed us to realize that we still need to understand how to improve the interface that will allow us to feel the agency when using an augmentative robot. At this point, the path of this thesis forks into two alternative ways that have been adopted to improve the interaction between the human and the robot. In this regard, the first path we presented tackles two aspects conerning the haptic feedback of sensorimotor interfaces, which are the choice of the positioning and the effectiveness of the discrete haptic feedback. In the second way we attempted to lighten a supernumerary finger, focusing on the agility of use and the lightness of the device. One of the main findings of this thesis is that haptic feedback is considered to be helpful by stroke patients, but this does not mitigate the fact that the cumbersomeness of the devices is a deterrent to their use. Preliminary results here presented show that both the path we chose to improve sensorimotor augmentation worked: the presence of the haptic feedback improves the performance of sensorimotor interfaces, the co-positioning of haptic feedback and the input taken from the human body can improve the effectiveness of these interfaces, and creating a lightweight version of a SRL is a viable solution for recovering the grasping function

What You Touch Is (Not) What You See. The Haptic Unconscious and Digital In-corporeality in the Airport Space

The contemporary airport features a wide array of convergent apparatuses that digitize various services, thus modifying the space and creating unique experiences to travelers. Their increasingly haptic interfaces make techno-sensation emerge as of pivotal importance to comprehend the deeper cultural transformation animated by computational apparatuses. This process engages our bodies that constitute a material resource and feed the realm of digital data. As a perceptual machine, airport terminal shapes our sensations and works our feelings but its expanding codespace—assuming haptic image—engenders a novel mode of extra-perceptual experience. Adopting a new materialist and realist approach to computational media inspired by Gilles Deleuze and Gilbert Simondon, this article explores how airport environment is articulated in a techno-intimate manner, and how this transforms our habituated, representational, mode of organizing visual and haptic experience. Taking cues from Walter Benjamin and Cubist art, it further addresses aesthetic-ecological questions about our intimacies and the manners they are spatially architected by haptic interfaces. Critically engaging with the example of “The Social Tree” at Changi Airport, Singapore, the article demonstrates how the sensory machines codify travelers’ bodies, thus triggering their becoming-imperceptible. Analyzing airport’s generation of sensation beyond receptivity, this article accounts for how sensory entanglement with haptic interfaces s(t)imulates emergence of an in-corporeal aesthetic—one that no longer rests on distancing vision but (cod)entangled, sensible screen-series

Workload-aware systems and interfaces for cognitive augmentation

In today's society, our cognition is constantly influenced by information intake, attention switching, and task interruptions. This increases the difficulty of a given task, adding to the existing workload and leading to compromised cognitive performances. The human body expresses the use of cognitive resources through physiological responses when confronted with a plethora of cognitive workload. This temporarily mobilizes additional resources to deal with the workload at the cost of accelerated mental exhaustion. We predict that recent developments in physiological sensing will increasingly create user interfaces that are aware of the user’s cognitive capacities, hence able to intervene when high or low states of cognitive workload are detected. In this thesis, we initially focus on determining opportune moments for cognitive assistance. Subsequently, we investigate suitable feedback modalities in a user-centric design process which are desirable for cognitive assistance. We present design requirements for how cognitive augmentation can be achieved using interfaces that sense cognitive workload. We then investigate different physiological sensing modalities to enable suitable real-time assessments of cognitive workload. We provide empirical evidence that the human brain is sensitive to fluctuations in cognitive resting states, hence making cognitive effort measurable. Firstly, we show that electroencephalography is a reliable modality to assess the mental workload generated during the user interface operation. Secondly, we use eye tracking to evaluate changes in eye movements and pupil dilation to quantify different workload states. The combination of machine learning and physiological sensing resulted in suitable real-time assessments of cognitive workload. The use of physiological sensing enables us to derive when cognitive augmentation is suitable. Based on our inquiries, we present applications that regulate cognitive workload in home and work settings. We deployed an assistive system in a field study to investigate the validity of our derived design requirements. Finding that workload is mitigated, we investigated how cognitive workload can be visualized to the user. We present an implementation of a biofeedback visualization that helps to improve the understanding of brain activity. A final study shows how cognitive workload measurements can be used to predict the efficiency of information intake through reading interfaces. Here, we conclude with use cases and applications which benefit from cognitive augmentation. This thesis investigates how assistive systems can be designed to implicitly sense and utilize cognitive workload for input and output. To do so, we measure cognitive workload in real-time by collecting behavioral and physiological data from users and analyze this data to support users through assistive systems that adapt their interface according to the currently measured workload. Our overall goal is to extend new and existing context-aware applications by the factor cognitive workload. We envision Workload-Aware Systems and Workload-Aware Interfaces as an extension in the context-aware paradigm. To this end, we conducted eight research inquiries during this thesis to investigate how to design and create workload-aware systems. Finally, we present our vision of future workload-aware systems and workload-aware interfaces. Due to the scarce availability of open physiological data sets, reference implementations, and methods, previous context-aware systems were limited in their ability to utilize cognitive workload for user interaction. Together with the collected data sets, we expect this thesis to pave the way for methodical and technical tools that integrate workload-awareness as a factor for context-aware systems.Tagtäglich werden unsere kognitiven Fähigkeiten durch die Verarbeitung von unzähligen Informationen in Anspruch genommen. Dies kann die Schwierigkeit einer Aufgabe durch mehr oder weniger Arbeitslast beeinflussen. Der menschliche Körper drückt die Nutzung kognitiver Ressourcen durch physiologische Reaktionen aus, wenn dieser mit kognitiver Arbeitsbelastung konfrontiert oder überfordert wird. Dadurch werden weitere Ressourcen mobilisiert, um die Arbeitsbelastung vorübergehend zu bewältigen. Wir prognostizieren, dass die derzeitige Entwicklung physiologischer Messverfahren kognitive Leistungsmessungen stets möglich machen wird, um die kognitive Arbeitslast des Nutzers jederzeit zu messen. Diese sind in der Lage, einzugreifen wenn eine zu hohe oder zu niedrige kognitive Belastung erkannt wird. Wir konzentrieren uns zunächst auf die Erkennung passender Momente für kognitive Unterstützung welche sich der gegenwärtigen kognitiven Arbeitslast bewusst sind. Anschließend untersuchen wir in einem nutzerzentrierten Designprozess geeignete Feedbackmechanismen, die zur kognitiven Assistenz beitragen. Wir präsentieren Designanforderungen, welche zeigen wie Schnittstellen eine kognitive Augmentierung durch die Messung kognitiver Arbeitslast erreichen können. Anschließend untersuchen wir verschiedene physiologische Messmodalitäten, welche Bewertungen der kognitiven Arbeitsbelastung in Realzeit ermöglichen. Zunächst validieren wir empirisch, dass das menschliche Gehirn auf kognitive Arbeitslast reagiert. Es zeigt sich, dass die Ableitung der kognitiven Arbeitsbelastung über Elektroenzephalographie eine geeignete Methode ist, um den kognitiven Anspruch neuartiger Assistenzsysteme zu evaluieren. Anschließend verwenden wir Eye-Tracking, um Veränderungen in den Augenbewegungen und dem Durchmesser der Pupille unter verschiedenen Intensitäten kognitiver Arbeitslast zu bewerten. Das Anwenden von maschinellem Lernen führt zu zuverlässigen Echtzeit-Bewertungen kognitiver Arbeitsbelastung. Auf der Grundlage der bisherigen Forschungsarbeiten stellen wir Anwendungen vor, welche die Kognition im häuslichen und beruflichen Umfeld unterstützen. Die physiologischen Messungen stellen fest, wann eine kognitive Augmentierung sich als günstig erweist. In einer Feldstudie setzen wir ein Assistenzsystem ein, um die erhobenen Designanforderungen zur Reduktion kognitiver Arbeitslast zu validieren. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Arbeitsbelastung durch den Einsatz von Assistenzsystemen reduziert wird. Im Anschluss untersuchen wir, wie kognitive Arbeitsbelastung visualisiert werden kann. Wir stellen eine Implementierung einer Biofeedback-Visualisierung vor, die das Nutzerverständnis zum Verlauf und zur Entstehung von kognitiver Arbeitslast unterstützt. Eine abschließende Studie zeigt, wie Messungen kognitiver Arbeitslast zur Vorhersage der aktuellen Leseeffizienz benutzt werden können. Wir schließen hierbei mit einer Reihe von Applikationen ab, welche sich kognitive Arbeitslast als Eingabe zunutze machen. Die vorliegende wissenschaftliche Arbeit befasst sich mit dem Design von Assistenzsystemen, welche die kognitive Arbeitslast der Nutzer implizit erfasst und diese bei der Durchführung alltäglicher Aufgaben unterstützt. Dabei werden physiologische Daten erfasst, um Rückschlüsse in Realzeit auf die derzeitige kognitive Arbeitsbelastung zu erlauben. Anschließend werden diese Daten analysiert, um dem Nutzer strategisch zu assistieren. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Erweiterung neuartiger und bestehender kontextbewusster Benutzerschnittstellen um den Faktor kognitive Arbeitslast. Daher werden in dieser Arbeit arbeitslastbewusste Systeme und arbeitslastbewusste Benutzerschnittstellen als eine zusätzliche Dimension innerhalb des Paradigmas kontextbewusster Systeme präsentiert. Wir stellen acht Forschungsstudien vor, um die Designanforderungen und die Implementierung von kognitiv arbeitslastbewussten Systemen zu untersuchen. Schließlich stellen wir unsere Vision von zukünftigen kognitiven arbeitslastbewussten Systemen und Benutzerschnittstellen vor. Durch die knappe Verfügbarkeit öffentlich zugänglicher Datensätze, Referenzimplementierungen, und Methoden, waren Kontextbewusste Systeme in der Auswertung kognitiver Arbeitslast bezüglich der Nutzerinteraktion limitiert. Ergänzt durch die in dieser Arbeit gesammelten Datensätze erwarten wir, dass diese Arbeit den Weg für methodische und technische Werkzeuge ebnet, welche kognitive Arbeitslast als Faktor in das Kontextbewusstsein von Computersystemen integriert

Digital Navigational Aids for the Visually Impaired A Designer’s Guide for Implementing Effective Feedback Solutions

Mobility and navigation in outdoor environments constitute a formidable daily challenge for the blind and visually impaired community. Difficulty in outdoor mobility limits participation in social activities and employment opportunities which in turn contributes to isolation and a decreased sense of mental well-being. To address these challenges, digital navigational aids (NAVIs) extend the capabilities of traditional mobility aids such as guide dogs and the white cane. However, adoption of these new technologies within the blind and visually impaired community has been low. This low adoption rate suggests that a gap exists between current solutions and user needs and goals. As intermediaries between solutions and the users they serve, designers are ideally situated to bridge this gap. Thus, this research aims to provide designers new to the problem space with an understanding of the considerations that inform NAVI design. To build a rudimentary understanding of these considerations, a literature review of individual NAVI research projects and comparative reviews of NAVIs was con-ducted. The interaction design requirements framework proposed by Sharp et al. (2019) was then used as an organizational tool for further defining these considerations. Requirements categories including user experience goals, usability goals, functional requirements, environmental requirements and data requirements were applied as themes in a thematic analysis of data obtained through interviews with NAVI designers and other designers of feedback systems in an effort to identify challenges, designer approaches and areas where improvements could be made to current NAVI design solutions. Findings from expert interviews suggest that developments emerging from the rap-idly evolving technological environment can be leveraged by designers for creating more user friendly and accessible solutions. For example, user familiarity with smartphone interfaces can reduce the learning curve required when adapting to a new smartphone-based NAVI thus increasing the chances of adoption into daily use. Data obtained in interviews also examines the methods by which designers improve usability, including users not only in their iterative processes but through-out the entire life cycle of a NAVI solution. Finally, expert interviews reveal new prototyping tools for designing feedback systems with wearables which streamline the prototyping process and lower the barrier of entry for designers without prior expertise in coding or electronics

Visual Perception and Cognition in Image-Guided Intervention

Surgical image visualization and interaction systems can dramatically affect the efficacy and efficiency of surgical training, planning, and interventions. This is even more profound in the case of minimally-invasive surgery where restricted access to the operative field in conjunction with limited field of view necessitate a visualization medium to provide patient-specific information at any given moment. Unfortunately, little research has been devoted to studying human factors associated with medical image displays and the need for a robust, intuitive visualization and interaction interfaces has remained largely unfulfilled to this day. Failure to engineer efficient medical solutions and design intuitive visualization interfaces is argued to be one of the major barriers to the meaningful transfer of innovative technology to the operating room. This thesis was, therefore, motivated by the need to study various cognitive and perceptual aspects of human factors in surgical image visualization systems, to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of medical interfaces, and ultimately to improve patient outcomes. To this end, we chose four different minimally-invasive interventions in the realm of surgical training, planning, training for planning, and navigation: The first chapter involves the use of stereoendoscopes to reduce morbidity in endoscopic third ventriculostomy. The results of this study suggest that, compared with conventional endoscopes, the detection of the basilar artery on the surface of the third ventricle can be facilitated with the use of stereoendoscopes, increasing the safety of targeting in third ventriculostomy procedures. In the second chapter, a contour enhancement technique is described to improve preoperative planning of arteriovenous malformation interventions. The proposed method, particularly when combined with stereopsis, is shown to increase the speed and accuracy of understanding the spatial relationship between vascular structures. In the third chapter, an augmented-reality system is proposed to facilitate the training of planning brain tumour resection. The results of our user study indicate that the proposed system improves subjects\u27 performance, particularly novices\u27, in formulating the optimal point of entry and surgical path independent of the sensorimotor tasks performed. In the last chapter, the role of fully-immersive simulation environments on the surgeons\u27 non-technical skills to perform vertebroplasty procedure is investigated. Our results suggest that while training surgeons may increase their technical skills, the introduction of crisis scenarios significantly disturbs the performance, emphasizing the need of realistic simulation environments as part of training curriculum

XR, music and neurodiversity: design and application of new mixed reality technologies that facilitate musical intervention for children with autism spectrum conditions

This thesis, accompanied by the practice outputs,investigates sensory integration, social interaction and creativity through a newly developed VR-musical interface designed exclusively for children with a high-functioning autism spectrum condition (ASC).The results aim to contribute to the limited expanse of literature and research surrounding Virtual Reality (VR) musical interventions and Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) designed to support individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions. The author has developed bespoke hardware, software and a new methodology to conduct field investigations. These outputs include a Virtual Immersive Musical Reality Intervention (ViMRI) protocol, a Supplemental Personalised, immersive Musical Experience(SPiME) programme, the Assisted Real-time Three-dimensional Immersive Musical Intervention System’ (ARTIMIS) and a bespoke (and fully configurable) ‘Creative immersive interactive Musical Software’ application (CiiMS). The outputs are each implemented within a series of institutional investigations of 18 autistic child participants. Four groups are evaluated using newly developed virtual assessment and scoring mechanisms devised exclusively from long-established rating scales. Key quantitative indicators from the datasets demonstrate consistent findings and significant improvements for individual preferences (likes), fear reduction efficacy, and social interaction. Six individual case studies present positive qualitative results demonstrating improved decision-making and sensorimotor processing. The preliminary research trials further indicate that using this virtual-reality music technology system and newly developed protocols produces notable improvements for participants with an ASC. More significantly, there is evidence that the supplemental technology facilitates a reduction in psychological anxiety and improvements in dexterity. The virtual music composition and improvisation system presented here require further extensive testing in different spheres for proof of concept