Technological integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning in the Prosthetic and Orthotic industry and in the field of assistive technology has become boon for the Persons with Disabilities. The concept of neural network has been used by the leading manufacturers of rehabilitation aids for simulating various anatomical and biomechanical functions of the lost parts of the human body. The involvement of human interaction with various agents’ i.e. electronic circuitry, software, robotics, etc. has made a revolutionary impact in the rehabilitation field to develop devices like Bionic leg, mind or thought control prosthesis and exoskeletons. Application of Artificial Intelligence and robotics technology has a huge impact in achieving independent mobility and enhances the quality of life in Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).

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Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Prosthetic and Orthotic Rehabilitation

Remote learning predominates the research literature during the COVID-19 pandemic, while remote work structures and workflow research were unknown. A rapid scoping review was conducted for remote work and workflow for 2020-2021. After locating and screening articles, a qualitative synthesis of the literature explored trends and themes using thematic analysis. A discussion of the perplexities of remote work and workflow, issues which impact every student and teacher, examined the problems of the new normal. Recommendations were to use Fayol’s principles as a guide within the context of using a holistic schooling experience focus, a formalized policy, and making leadership and management standardized and present within a remote environment. Limitations were discussed, and future directions for research gave a plan to improve remote work and learning.

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Structure of Remote Work in Public Education: A Rapid Scoping Review

If you are reading this book, it is highly likely that you have heard some of the excitement surrounding Microsoft Teams. Understanding the value of the application and knowing about its components and how they interact with each other is a good way to start learning about the product. In this chapter, we explain the different methods of accessing Microsoft Teams and the different features that combine to make it work. If you’re ready to begin your journey of learning Microsoft Teams, without further ado, let’s begin!

Introduction to Microsoft Teams

An efficient reintegration of the disabled people in the family and society should be fulfilled; hence it is strongly needful to assist their diminished functions or to replace the totally lost functions. Assistive technology helps in neutralizing the impairment. Recent advancements in embedded systems have opened up a vast area of research and development for affordable and portable assistive devices for the visually impaired. Granted there are many assistive devices on the market that are able to detect obstacles, and numerous research and development currently in process to alleviate the cause, unfortunately the cost of devices, size of devices, intrusiveness and higher learning curve prevents the visually impaired from taking advantage of available devices. This project aims at the design and implementation of a detachable unit which is robust, low cost and user friendly, thus, trying to aggrandize the functionality of the existing white cane, to concede above-knee obstacle detection. The designed obstruction detector uses ultrasound sensors for detecting the obstructions before direct contact. It bestows haptic feedback to the user in accordance with the position of the obstacle. Keywords—Visually impaired, Ultrasonic sensors, Obstruction detector, Mobility aid

Smart Cane Assisted Mobility for the Visually Impaired

Vision is extremely important in our lives. The loss of sight is a serious issue for anyone. According to the WHO, one-sixth of the world's population suffers from vision impairment. According to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics published in December 2021, more than 283 million people worldwide suffer from sight problems, including 39 million blind people and 228 million people with low vision. Navigation in unfamiliar environments is a significant challenge for the partially sighted and visually impaired. Improving visual information on object location and content can aid navigation in unfamiliar environments. Many efforts have been made over the years to develop various devices to assist the visually impaired and improve their quality of life. Numerous efforts have been made over the decades to develop gadgets to support the visually impaired as well as enhance the quality of their lives by trying to make them skilled. There are many existing navigation alternatives that can aid these people. However, in practice, navigation alternatives are infrequently adopted and implemented. For universal use, many of these gadgets are either too heavy or too expensive. While emphasizing related strengths and limitations, it is necessary to produce a minimally expensive assistive device for people with visual disabilities. The proposed model provides an efficient solution for VIPs to roam from place to place by themselves through smart applications with AI and sensor technology. The smart application captures and classifies the images. The obstacles are detected through ultrasonic sensors. The user can get a sense of the obstacles in the path through voice command. The proposed model is very helpful for the VIPs in terms of qualitative and quantitative performance measures. This enables a ranking of the evaluated systems according to their potential influence on Visually Impaired people's lives. 
 

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Smart_Eye: A Navigation and Obstacle Detection for Visually Impaired People through Smart App

Visually impaired individuals find it more challenging to move about independently because of their compromised vision. Moreover, a blind person’s capacity to navigate in a given setting, along with their ability to organize their daily activities are vital to their health and wellbeing. Organizing any commonplace activity can be especially difficult for a blind man/woman if he/she has not learned to distinguish between different items like drug containers and packaged goods, just by feeling with the hands. The more saddening fact is that there are tens of millions of visually impaired persons worldwide who have to go through such experience and are dependent on others for their wellbeing and happiness. The encouraging news, however, is that the rapid advancement in technology has seen the innovation of better systems for assisting the disabled, including the blind, such as the AI glasses, which can provide intelligent navigation capabilities to the blind. This paper reviews the design of a smart cane, i.e., A smart stick for the blind, equipped with obstacle recognition using AI Technologies adds more virtual visibility in their journey. It shows that such a stick can be a significant boon to the blind.

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A Design review of Smart Stick for the Blind Equipped with Obstacle Detection and Identification using Artificial Intelligence

Office work refers to work that is generally done in an office building designated explicitly for administrative and professional duties. Remote work relates to business operations and professional tasks outside of the office space like telecommunication or working from home. Many companies believe that office spaces are more productive because the collective energy of having other people around who are working towards the same goal promotes innovation, collaboration, and collision. Production is at a faster pace when there are a laser focus and no distractions. More impromptu and immediate interactions and consultations create a deep cultural connection and assistance on tasks that one cannot complete independently (Haynes et al., 2017). The office space is not without its challenges. Productivity can be limited due to distractions that one is unlikely to encounter when working remotely, such as noise and commotion, interruptions from other workers dropping into one's office space, impromptu meetings, and gossip sessions (Haapakangas et al., 2018). Commutes to and from the office building result in time wastage and fatigue. Skipping a commute has the impact of letting one customize the workday and work longer hours due to the reduced stress levels (Lin & Bao, 2019).

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Tools and Technology for Effective Remote Work

The introduction of the enterprise-wide Internet Protocol (IP) infrastructure has made it possible for a variety of services to be hosted on the IP network. An example of this service is the Unified Communications System (UCS). This service enables voice, video, and data to be transmitted over the internet standard on a single network. The improvement of virtualized computer systems allows ease of management of the various components linked to the Unified Communication System. For this reason, there is increased flexibility of the UCS components. The various parts at the data center have greatly helped in achieving a consistent, seamless, secure and highly-available telephony service over the enterprise network. In summary, the solution functions as follows; a part of the system and method relies on a data communication network forming a middle part of the distribution network. Telephone communication is usually used either for the earlier or later parts. The system for recovery can acknowledge Voicemail, E-mail, facsimiles and other message types by the one who has subscribed. Cisco Unified Communication system together with Microsoft's solution provides an integrated solution that has improved the efficiency of the business processes.

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Balu N. Ilag

Papers

A Design review of Smart Stick for the Blind Equipped with Obstacle Detection and Identification using Artificial Intelligence

Tools and Technology for Effective Remote Work

An Integrated Solution of the Unified Communication System