Context awareness for wearable computers

The research described in this thesis considers mobile technology with particular reference to the use of context sensing. It is argued that such technologies are useful to enhance user proficiency in everyday tasks. A wearable, context–aware computer system and a set of evaluation tasks are devised to investigate this premise. A photograph diary study is carried out to elicit defining features of a broad range of everyday activities. These features are called Context Identifiers. From this a structured definition of context is suggested that bridges the gap between the current theoretical and technological definitions of context. Based on a literature review of current mobile and wearable technology and on the findings of the photograph diary study, a novel wearable computer and supporting software is developed. The wearable computer can detect and interpret features of everyday context, including Location, Posture and Movement, and Objects. During the design cycle of the wearable computer, experiments are conducted to evaluate three versions of the wearable computer. The usability of the computer is considered based on measures of efficiency, effectiveness and user satisfaction. Use of the system is shown to improve user task proficiency in the completion of simple tasks and the wearable computer is shown to capture context in a similar way to humans. Specifically when the first version of the system is used in an information retrieval task, the wearable computer is shown to significantly decrease task completion time when compared to using a standard internet enabled computer or users searching for information in their environment. In addition the task accuracy is increased. The second version of the system in which the number of everyday contextual features the system can detect is increased, again significantly decrease the task completion time when compared to the same system detecting less context features. The third version of the system which detects further more contextual features is shown to be highly usable based on a number of usability measures and is shown to capture context in a similar fashion to humans

Design of a handheld computer application for clinical critical incident reporting

This paper describes the design of a handheld, mobile computing application for the reporting of patient safety incidents by clinical staff. Research suggests that there is under-reporting of patient related critical incidents within the NHS. The current process of reporting is primarily handled using paper based systems. This introduces a number of barriers to reporting by staff and presents risks in terms of the integrity of the information. This research has involved determining the user requirements of a handheld computer-based reporting system aimed at improving the quality and quantity of reports made. The user centred design process involved in producing a prototype solution is described

The comfort assessment of wearable computers

This paper presents a tool to measure the comfort of wearable computers. The comfort rating scales (CRS) measure wearable comfort across 6 dimensions. These dimensions are Emotion, Attachment, Harm, Perceived change, Movement and Anxiety. This paper also presents two studies in which the CRS have been used to assess the comfort of two types of wearable technology currently being developed at the University of Birmingham, these are the SensVest and the x3. The results of the studies show that the CRS can be used to aid designers and manufactures focus on what modifications are needed to wearable computer design to make them more comfortable. They aZso show that assessments of wearable computer comfort must be made in situations and environments to which the computer will uZtimateZy be introduced. Key word

Effect of processing additive 1,8-octanedithiol on the lifetime of PCPDTBT based Organic Photovoltaics

The effect that processing additives have upon the lifetime of PCPDTBT-based OPVs has been investigated. The results show conclusively that whilst ODT processing additive enhances the initial performance of PCPDTBT:PCBM OPVs, it is detrimental to their long term performance, when measured under light soaking at 1 Sun of irradiance. Results are shown for both encapsulated and non-encapsulated devices. Topographical and morphological measurements made using AFM and small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering of active layers show that there are greater morphological changes of devices fabricated with the 1,8-octanedithiol upon light soaking, revealing a relatively venerable morphology of the active layer processed with the additive, when subject to light soaking