Disability and Rehabilitation-Assistive Technology最新文献

Purpose: Navigating urban environments poses significant challenges for individuals who are blind or have low vision, especially in areas affected by construction. Construction zones introduce hazards such as uneven surfaces, barriers, hazardous materials, excessive noise, and altered routes that obstruct familiar paths and compromise safety. Although navigation tools assist in trip planning, they often overlook these temporary obstacles. Existing hazard detection systems also struggle with the visual variability of construction sites.

Methods: We developed a computer vision-based assistive system integrating three modules: an open-vocabulary object detector to identify diverse construction-related elements, a YOLO-based model specialised in detecting scaffolding and poles, and an optical character recognition module to interpret construction signage.

Results: In static testing at seven construction sites using images from multiple stationary viewpoints, the system achieved 88.56% overall accuracy. It consistently identified relevant objects within 2-10 m and at approach angles up to 75°. At 2-4 m, detection was perfect (100%) across all angles. Even at 10 m, six of seven sites remained detectable within a 15° approach. In dynamic testing along a 0.5-mile urban route containing eight construction sites, the system analysed every frame of a first-person walking video. It achieved 87.26% accuracy in distinguishing construction from non-construction areas, rising to 92.0% with a 50-frame majority vote filter.

Conclusion: The system can reliably detect construction sites in real time and at sufficient distances to provide advance warnings, enabling individuals with visual impairments to make safer mobility decisions, such as proceeding with caution or rerouting.

Approximately 60-70% of people with stroke experience a mild incident. However, mild stroke can significantly impact daily life for these individuals and their significant others. Reviews suggest that the use of information and communication technology (ICT) can add value to the existing stroke rehabilitation. The purpose of the current study was to co-design and evaluate an ICT-based solution with and for people with mild stroke and their significant others to support them through the stroke trajectory. Inspired by experience-based co-design, the study focused on developing an ICT-based solution in a co-design workshop, testing the prototype in co-design teams, and pilot testing and evaluating the intervention through interviews with individuals with mild stroke and their significant others. Through the co-design process, a prototype was developed and tested. The developed ICT-based solution offers targeted information and tips for managing mild stroke consequences, such as concentration issues and fatigue. The evaluation led to the identified four categories: Diverse ways of using the ICT-based solution, Significant others' use of information tailored for people with mild strokes and vice versa, Essential elements related to the usability of the ICT-based solution, and Suggestions for further development and implementation. The evaluation showed that the app provided useful information to both participants with stroke and their significant others, which may have supported their stroke trajectory and coping abilities. Introducing the app during the hospital stay was beneficial. Over time, participants valued the app's information as they adapted to living with mild stroke.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between device and service satisfaction among mothers of children with cerebral palsy who use wheelchairs, as well as to examine the connections between satisfaction, wheelchair characteristics, confidence, and proficiency in wheelchair use.

Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted involving 30 mothers of children and adolescents with severe cerebral palsy that are not able to propel the wheelchair by themselves. Participants' satisfaction and the skills for moving with a wheelchair were assessed with the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST 2.0), the Wheelchair Skills Test Questionnaire. Statistical analysis, including correlation tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA-OneWay), was performed and supplemented by qualitative analysis for a more comprehensive understanding.

Results: The results showed that factors such as wheelchair dimensions, ease of adjustment, weight, comfort, and the quality of delivery and technical assistance services raised concerns and dissatisfaction among participants. Safety and comfort were identified as key factors for satisfaction, reported by 73.3% of participants, while 36.7% mentioned ease of use. A significant correlation between ability and confidence was established (p < 0.001), with a high magnitude (R = 0.94).

Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of including primary caregivers in wheelchair assessments to understand the determinants of satisfaction better and proposes Assistive Technology interventions that prioritize caregivers' perspectives. This may improve prescription practices, thereby increasing user satisfaction and usability. Additionally, it highlights the potential of modular and collapsible support systems tailored to meet diverse physical needs.

The impact of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) on mobility and other functions varies considerably and the trajectory of the disease is unpredictable. People often need timely funding for home modifications, with some needing specialist disability housing and support. This rapid review examined existing literature on the housing needs of people with MS. A representative reference group guided our process. Concentrating on the home environment, we systematically searched peer-reviewed literature through three databases and grey literature using a focused web-based process. The inclusion of 19 peer-reviewed articles and 13 grey literature documents revealed the need for accessible housing, affordable in-home assistive technology, and proximity to the community. A lack of timely funding was a primary barrier to independence in the home, resulting in calls for financial aid that is responsive to the progressive nature of MS. People with MS need comprehensive support, including timely access to information, affordable and accessible housing, and funding for necessary home modifications. These resources are crucial to promote independence at home, reduce hospitalisations, and prevent early admission to residential aged care. Further research is needed to capture the unique barriers people with MS face in their local context as a precursor to developing participant-led recommendations.

Neural implants are being developed to treat various conditions, including sensory impairments such as blindness and deafness. In these technologies there is a growing role for artificial intelligence (AI) to enable interpretation of complex data input. Current users of cochlear implants (CIs) face challenges in noisy environments, prompting the development of AI-driven software for personalized and context-aware noise suppression and speech enhancement. For blindness, an AI-driven cortical visual neural implant (cVNI) for artificial visual perception is under development. Here, AI-driven software may be used to process camera imaging for interfacing with the brain. If successful, these devices can offer important advantages for their users yet may also have ethical implications. Perspectives of (potential) users of these technologies is an important source for ethical analysis, yet so far these have not been explored in-depth. We performed a focus-group and interview study including potential users of a) the AI-driven cVNI (n = 5) and of b) the AI-driven CI (n = 3), and c) current or (former) users or a retinal implant (n = 3). Focus groups and interviews were transcribed and analyzed thematically. Perspectives were clustered under 1) expectations and experiences, including improvements from the status quo, enhancement of autonomy and design requirements, and 2) perceived risks and anticipated disadvantages, including uncertainty on effectiveness, operational risks, surgical risks, and media attention. AI-driven neural implants for vision and hearing were positively received by potential users due to their potential to improve autonomy. Yet, possible conditions for uptake were identified, including device aesthetics and sufficient levels of user-control.

Purpose: Endometriosis is a common condition affecting around 10% of women of childbearing age worldwide. Currently, adapted physical activities (APA) are increasingly used in the context of chronic diseases, often in conjunction with digital devices to help overcome some of the barriers to regular practice. However, it is essential to examine the technological acceptability to optimise the future use of these devices. The main aim of this study is to analyse the intention of women with endometriosis to use digital tools offering physical activities and to identify the factors most likely to predict this intention.

Materials and methods: Participants completed an online survey, which included socio-demographic and medical questions, as well as subscales derived from the HITAM model on intention to use digital tools. The data were analysed using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions.

Results and conclusion: A total of 313 women (Mean age = 34.4; SD = 8.69) met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The statistical analyses showed that the intention to use a digital APA program was fairly high, with a preference for technologies that offer a high degree of freedom in practice. Analyses of the theoretical model showed in particular the importance of a favourable social discourse. The final model (perceived threat, norms, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and age) explained 57.74% of the variance in intention. Findings should be interpreted with caution due to the self-selected online sample and the high dropout rate (899 incomplete responses).

Modern automatic text adaptation often fails to meet the specific needs of targeted readers. The TextAD project aimed to address this gap by creating tailored texts for students with intellectual disability (ID), focusing on their unique challenges. This exploratory study presents findings from three rounds of testing automatic adaptations at lexical, syntactic, and discourse levels in expository texts. Reading comprehension, self-reported ratings of comprehension, interest, and perceived difficulty, along with metacognitive insights were assessed with 27 students with ID, refining adaptations based on each iteration's results. While comprehension gains for the adapted versions were not significant overall, promising outcomes appeared with lexical and syntactic adaptations in the later rounds of testing, although group heterogeneity influenced results. Despite reporting high comprehension, students noted persistent difficulty understanding many expository concepts. Alongside evaluating the effects of text adaptations on comprehension and perceived understanding, this paper offers insights into assessment approaches for developing automatic adaptations tailored to this audience.

The implementation of Fuzzy control systems on microcontrollers provides a low-cost, efficient, and innovative approach for assistive technologies, such as wheelchairs controlled by head and neck motion. However, their practical implementation is sensitive to several design parameters that are often overlooked. This study presents a statistical evaluation of a Fuzzy control system implemented on Arduino Mega and Due microcontrollers, focusing on the effects of the Iteration Step (IS) during defuzzification, microcontroller architecture, and overlap between membership functions, using the Center of Gravity (COG) method. System performance was evaluated using Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and processing time. The influence of an overlap between membership functions on the RMSE was also investigated. It was found that a smaller IS, such as 0.01, increased the precision of the system but led to long processing times (over 700 ms). Intermediate IS values (0.1 and 1) offered the most favourable trade-off between speed and accuracy, with RMSEs as low as 0.13% of the motor's total output and processing times under 260 ms. The Arduino Due significantly outperformed the Mega in processing time at low IS values, with little variation in accuracy. At higher ISs, the difference in processing time was negligible for practical use, making the Mega a viable cost-effective option. These findings provide empirical guidance for optimising Fuzzy control parameters in low-cost control systems, especially in applications where both real-time responsiveness and accuracy are critical.

Purpose: Environmental control systems (ECS) are designed to assist people with disabilities live more independently by facilitating access to electronics devices around the home. These devices are prescribed and managed by healthcare services within the UK. Despite this there is limited evidence regarding their effectiveness. This review aims to provide an update on the state of evidence for ECS. Materials and methods: A systematic review was conducted using key words linked to ECSs and with a target population of individuals with neurological conditions. The search was conducted in the databases Embase and MEDLINE and covered articles published between 2011 and 2024. The abstracts were screened for inclusion and data extracted. The quality of the research was assessed by completing qualitative CASP checklists. Results: After screening seven articles were selected for inclusion in the review. There were no comparative studies; all were descriptive. Six articles reported increased independence. Impact on well-being and usability was reported across six and five studies respectively, with mixed results. Assessment using CASP checklists indicated the studies were of good quality within the limitations of non-experimental designs. Conclusions: There remains limited research in the ECS field. The evidence for the effectiveness, impact on wellbeing and usability of these devices remains weak. Future studies should consider before and after designs and control conditions to improve the evidence base.

Purpose: In the disability support sector, empathy is a critical skill needed by frontline workers. Virtual Reality technology may enhance empathy. Some disability service providers have adopted Virtual Reality to advance their training practices. Currently, it is unknown how accepting the Australian disability support workforce is of Virtual Reality technology. This study evaluates the internal and external factors that are significant in influencing disability support sector employees' acceptance of Virtual Reality technology. Method: A quantitative study using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was completed by 120 cross-sectional respondents from the Australian disability workforce. Data were collected via an online questionnaire with a Likert scale, and analysed using descriptive statistics, reliability, correlation, and path analysis. Results: The external factors of curiosity, and past use had a significant relationship with the acceptance of virtual reality technology. Conclusion: Understanding factors relating to VR acceptance may facilitate greater adoption of VR training programs aimed to enhance empathetic behaviour in the disability support sector. The current study offers important insight relating to key determinants that facilitate the acceptance of VR technology for the disability services workforce. The five recommendations address the crucial findings - (1) evaluate the level of curiosity, (2) evaluate the level of past use, (3) offer hands-on VR workshops, (4) cultivate a sustainable collaborative design environment around training and technology adoption, and (5) cultivate a sustainable collaborative culture that is informative and fosters innovation.