For a long time, human beings have dreamed of a virtual world where it is possible to interact with synthetic entities as if they were real. It has been shown that the ability to touch virtual objects increases the sense of presence in virtual environments. This book provides an authoritative overview of state-of-theart haptic rendering algorithms and their applications. The authors examine various approaches and techniques for designing touch-enabled interfaces for a number of applications, including medical training, model design, and maintainability analysis for virtual prototyping, scientific visualization, and creative processes.

Haptic Rendering : Foundations, Algorithms, and Applications

The evolution of human-robot interaction (HRI) is now expanding its wings to aid children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in areas of socialization, communication and playful behavior through robot-based intervention. Herein we present our holistic, long-standing goal to contribute to the lives of children with ASD; who suffer a lifelong developmental disability. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on a case study in our pilot experiment where a child with ASD is exposed to the humanoid robot NAO in order to gauge his initial response and behavior in the presence of a robot. NAO robot is the chosen robotic agent as it is a commercially available humanoid with simpler in appearance compared to real humans, thus appears more approachable to children with ASD. The pilot procedures involve the robot executing basic, simple components of interaction through a series of 5 different modules. In this study, the principal results show that the basic HRI carried out by the robot is able to suppress the child's autistic behavior during the child-robot interaction. Also, more eye contact is observed between the child and robot compared to the child with his teacher during regular class session. Relating this to the child's IQ which falls in the moderate category, it is suggested that children with ASD in the same IQ group will be receptive to robot-based intervention even in the first interaction session. Hence, it can be concluded that the humanoid robot NAO has potential to serve as a platform to support and initiate interaction in children with ASD.

Initial Response in HRI- a Case Study on Evaluation of Child with Autism Spectrum Disorders Interacting with a Humanoid Robot NAO

It is known that many products are not accessible to large sections of the population. Designers instinctively design for able-bodied users and are either unaware of the needs of users with different capabilities, or do not know how to accommodate their needs into the design cycle.This aim of this paper is to present a methodological design approach for implementing inclusive design. A summary of the principal methods for designing for users with different capabilities is given along with a description of a model, the Inclusive Design Cube, that displays how the different approaches are complementary and can provide complete population coverage. A case study of the design of an information point for use in a post office, shall be used to highlight the use of the model.

/pdf/towards-a-practical-inclusive-design-approach-4vpz3hprvr.pdf

Towards a practical inclusive design approach

It is known that many people are being excluded unnecessarily from using products, services and environments that are essential for supporting independence and quality of life. Such exclusion often arises from designers taking inadequate account of the end user's functional capabilities when making design decisions. This paper addresses how traditional usability techniques can be extended to include accessibility issues by considering the spread of user functional capabilities across the population. A series of measures for evaluating the level of design exclusion based on those capabilities is also presented.

Countering design exclusion: bridging the gap between usability and accessibility

This paper considers the differences between users with motion-impairments and able-bodied users when they interact with computers and the implications for user models. Most interface design and usability assessment practices are based on explicit or implicit models of user behaviour. This paper studies the applicability of an existing interface design user model to motion-impaired users for the relatively straightforward task of button activation. A discussion of the empirical results is provided and the paper concludes that there are significant differences between the behaviour of motion-impaired users and the accepted modelling theory.

Investigating the applicability of user models for motion-impaired users

Rehabilitation Robotics (RR) is a challenging field with a high potential to support people with severe disabilities in their daily life. In the past years this field developed in Europe with a European dimension. European consortia have been supported in technical development and investigations. Also, several robotic aids have been sold and installed in Europe and support end users in their daily life. However, the breakthrough on the market is still outstanding. This paper tries to draw a picture of the RR situation in Europe and discusses aspects to move forward. Particular reference is given to TIDE (Technology Initiative for Disabled and Elderly people of European Union) and the special interest group on RR (SIG-1) of the AAATE (Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe).

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0263574798000630

Christian Bühler

Papers

Robotics for rehabilitation — a European (q) perspective