Integrating the human factors characterization of disabled users in a design method. Application to an interface for playing acoustic music

International audienceUsers and uses inclusion in product design remains a challenge, especially when their characterization is very specific, which is the case with disabled persons. Many design methodologies integrating user exist, for example, User-Centered Design (UCD). The application of these methodologies results in custom product designs, but they haven't objective the motor activities characterization of stakeholders: people with disabilities. Our ambition is to characterize and model the motor specificities of these future users during the design process to adapt the man-machine interfaces to these motor performances. In this paper, we propose an adaptation of the UCD design process by integrating theoretical models and technological tools of motion capture. In conclusion an in response to identified needs of AE2M project (Ergonomic Adaptation of the Musical Material), we present an application of our approach in this context

Automatized assessment of motor function in patients with NMD: MFM-Digital Study

International audienceGiven the progress of research and management in Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), validated tools are needed to assess patients’ motor function. The Motor Function Measure assessment (MFM) is known as principal outcome measure of the motor function with an international recognition. It is a validated tool and sensitive to the change applicable in SMA.Clinicians from the Neuromuscular Diseases Department (Hospices Civils de Lyon, France) are developing the MFM-digital, an automated system to assess SMA patients’ motor function based on MFM. By using a Microsoft Kinect and a digital tablet, the objective is to improve reliability and acceptability of the MFM by lowering the measure’s subjectivity linked to heteroevaluation and by creating a hybrid serious-game.The feasibility study assesses the relevance of the system to capture postures and motions during a MFM test. Due to technological limits of capture by the Kinect sensor, 14 on 32 items may be recognized by the Kinect and 3 items by a tablet. In each case, the therapist scores items in live by referring to the MFM manual. Based on digital data coming from Kinect and tablet records, the principal investigator informs a blind score. The good correlation between items scoring by a therapist and items scoring on captured digital data show the possibility to use an algorithm to propose an automatic score.21 records of MFM were collected with Kinect and Tablet sensors. The first results are encouraging, showing a good concordance between the scores with tracks of improvements of the system in particular concerning the capture for weaker patients. The data supplied by the MFM-digital system bring additional data, in particular the duration of the items’ exercises and kinematic parameters.One interest of this work consists in creating an automatic measurement tool, based on the MFM-items, which has already shown its validity

Admittance control of the intelligent assist robot manipulator for people with duchenne muscular dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a neuromuscular disease with a prevalence of 1 in 3500 male births, results in characteristic muscle weakness which is progressive with age and leads to loss of independence. And, in this population, maintaining optimal quality of life depends on the preservation of self-sufficiency. Despite the loss of function, non-ambulant people with DMD retain some muscle strength, just not sufficient strength to overcome the force of gravity. There are a number of upper-limb passive and active orthotic devices that attempt to augment the loss of upper limb function in people with DMD by taking advantage of this residual muscle strength by providing anti-gravity assistance. The majority of these devices, as well as currently available robotic manipulators, are considerably limited in the functionality that they provide, rendering them obtrusive and unaccommodating, resulting in lack of use by this population. This thesis presents the design of a novel upper limb assistive robotic device. This design involves the use of admittance control as the interface for the intelligent Assist Robot Manipulator (iARM). A thorough qualitative and quantitative analysis of the prototype is performed, the results of which are presented. The quantitative analysis focuses on the ideal delay that is required of human-machine interfaces to ensure comfort and passivity. Additionally, potential contributors to the delay of the iARM are investigated

Outcome Measures in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy Clinical Trials

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a debilitating muscular dystrophy with a variable age of onset, severity, and progression. While there is still no cure for this disease, progress towards FSHD therapies has accelerated since the underlying mechanism of epigenetic derepression of the double homeobox 4 (DUX4) gene leading to skeletal muscle toxicity was identified. This has facilitated the rapid development of novel therapies to target DUX4 expression and downstream dysregulation that cause muscle degeneration. These discoveries and pre-clinical translational studies have opened new avenues for therapies that await evaluation in clinical trials. As the field anticipates more FSHD trials, the need has grown for more reliable and quantifiable outcome measures of muscle function, both for early phase and phase II and III trials. Advanced tools that facilitate longitudinal clinical assessment will greatly improve the potential of trials to identify therapeutics that successfully ameliorate disease progression or permit muscle functional recovery. Here, we discuss current and emerging FSHD outcome measures and the challenges that investigators may experience in applying such measures to FSHD clinical trial design and implementation

Advances in Intelligent Robotics and Collaborative Automation

This book provides an overview of a series of advanced research lines in robotics as well as of design and development methodologies for intelligent robots and their intelligent components. It represents a selection of extended versions of the best papers presented at the Seventh IEEE International Workshop on Intelligent Data Acquisition and Advanced Computing Systems: Technology and Applications IDAACS 2013 that were related to these topics. Its contents integrate state of the art computational intelligence based techniques for automatic robot control to novel distributed sensing and data integration methodologies that can be applied to intelligent robotics and automation systems. The objective of the text was to provide an overview of some of the problems in the field of robotic systems and intelligent automation and the approaches and techniques that relevant research groups within this area are employing to try to solve them.The contributions of the different authors have been grouped into four main sections:• Robots• Control and Intelligence• Sensing• Collaborative automationThe chapters have been structured to provide an easy to follow introduction to the topics that are addressed, including the most relevant references, so that anyone interested in this field can get started in the area

Models and evaluation of human-machine systems

"September 1993.""Prepared for: International Atomic Energy Association [sic], Wagramerstrasse 5, P. 0. Box 100 A-1400 Vienna, Austria."Part of appendix A and bibliography missingIncludes bibliographical referencesThe field of human-machine systems and human-machine interfaces is very multidisciplinary. We have to navigate between the knowledge waves brought by several areas of the human learning: cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence, philosophy, linguistics, ergonomy, control systems engineering, neurophysiology, sociology, computer sciences, among others. At the present moment, all these disciplines seek to be close each other to generate synergy. It is necessary to homogenize the different nomenclatures and to make that each one can benefit from the results and advances found in the other. Accidents like TMI, Chernobyl, Challenger, Bhopal, and others demonstrated that the human beings shall deal with complex systems that are created by the technological evolution more carefully. The great American writer Allan Bloom died recently wrote in his book 'The Closing of the American Mind' (1987) about the universities curriculum that are commonly separated in tight departments. This was a necessity of the industrial revolution that put emphasis in practical courses in order to graduate specialists in many fields. However, due the great complexity of our technological world, we feel the necessity to integrate again those disciplines that one day were separated to make possible their fast development. This Report is a modest trial to do this integration in a holistic way, trying to capture the best tendencies in those areas of the human learning mentioned in the first lines above. I expect that it can be useful to those professionals who, like me, would desire to build better human-machine systems in order to avoid those accidents also mentioned above

Predicting cognitive fitness to drive with touchscreen DriveSafe DriveAware

Driving is a highly valued daily living activity easily disrupted by illness, injury, or age-related changes. General practitioners (GPs) are ultimately responsible for determining medical fitness to drive but lack valid and reliable tools. The desktop (original) version of DriveSafe DriveAware (DSDA) is a promising, valid and reliable test but it is not practical for medical practice. The concern of this thesis was the conversion of original DSDA into a touchscreen test of cognitive fitness to drive for GPs and occupational therapists to use in predicting patient driving performance without on-road testing. Because we were transitioning from a test administered and scored by a trained assessor to one where patient touch responses were scored in-app, we needed to develop an automatic data collection and scoring system that reflected the decision that would otherwise have been made by an expert-rater. We tested usability of the system with older adults then examined set scoring parameters to determine if these discriminated at-risk from comparison drivers. Results indicated the system we designed reflected the decisions that would have been made by a trained assessor. Next, we conducted a study to examine the internal validity, reliability, and predictive validity of data gathered with touchscreen DSDA. The criterion measure was outcome of a standardised occupational therapy on-road assessment. Rasch analysis provided evidence that touchscreen DSDA had retained the strong psychometric properties of original DSDA. However, results of a discontinued feasibility study indicated potential barriers to uptake of the test by physicians. Touchscreen DSDA may rather be a tool for occupational therapists to use in driver screening and addressing the community mobility need of their clients. Research indicates no there is no one best tool for screening fitness to drive. However, the thesis findings indicate touchscreen DSDA is one useful tool

Advances in Intelligent Robotics and Collaborative Automation

This book provides an overview of a series of advanced research lines in robotics as well as of design and development methodologies for intelligent robots and their intelligent components. It represents a selection of extended versions of the best papers presented at the Seventh IEEE International Workshop on Intelligent Data Acquisition and Advanced Computing Systems: Technology and Applications IDAACS 2013 that were related to these topics. Its contents integrate state of the art computational intelligence based techniques for automatic robot control to novel distributed sensing and data integration methodologies that can be applied to intelligent robotics and automation systems. The objective of the text was to provide an overview of some of the problems in the field of robotic systems and intelligent automation and the approaches and techniques that relevant research groups within this area are employing to try to solve them.The contributions of the different authors have been grouped into four main sections:• Robots• Control and Intelligence• Sensing• Collaborative automationThe chapters have been structured to provide an easy to follow introduction to the topics that are addressed, including the most relevant references, so that anyone interested in this field can get started in the area