Pub Date : 2025-01-01Epub Date: 2025-06-13DOI: 10.1007/s10209-025-01234-2
Florian Ehrlich-Sommer, Bernhard Hörl, Christoph Gollob, Arne Nothdurft, Karl Stampfer, Andreas Holzinger
This study evaluated the usability and effectiveness of robotic platforms working together with foresters in the wild on forest inventory tasks using LiDAR scanning. Emphasis was on the Universal Access principle, ensuring that robotic solutions are not only effective but also environmentally responsible and accessible for diverse users. Three robotic platforms were tested: Boston Dynamics Spot, AgileX Scout, and Bunker Mini. Spot's quadrupedal locomotion struggled in dense undergrowth, leading to frequent mobility failures and a System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 78 ± 10. Its short, battery life and complex recovery processes further limited its suitability for forest operations without substantial modifications. In contrast, the wheeled AgileX Scout and tracked Bunker Mini demonstrated superior usability, each achieving a high SUS score of 88 ± 5. However, environmental impact varied: Scout's wheeled design caused minimal disturbance, whereas Bunker Mini's tracks occasionally damaged young vegetation, highlighting the importance of gentle interaction with natural ecosystems in robotic forestry. All platforms enhanced worker safety, reduced physical effort, and improved LiDAR workflows by eliminating the need for human presence during scans. Additionally, the study engaged forest engineering students, equipping them with hands-on experience in emerging robotic technologies and fostering discussions on their responsible integration into forestry practices. This study lays a crucial foundation for the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into forest robotics, enabling future advancements in autonomous perception, decision-making, and adaptive navigation. By systematically evaluating robotic platforms in real-world forest environments, this research provides valuable empirical data that will inform AI-driven enhancements, such as machine learning-based terrain adaptation, intelligent path planning, and autonomous fault recovery. Furthermore, the study holds high value for the international research community, serving as a benchmark for future developments in forestry robotics and AI applications. Moving forward, future research will build on these findings to explore adaptive remote operation, AI-powered terrain-aware navigation, and sustainable deployment strategies, ensuring that robotic solutions enhance both operational efficiency and ecological responsibility in forest management worldwide.
{"title":"Robot usability in the wild: bridging accessibility gaps for diverse user groups in complex forestry operations.","authors":"Florian Ehrlich-Sommer, Bernhard Hörl, Christoph Gollob, Arne Nothdurft, Karl Stampfer, Andreas Holzinger","doi":"10.1007/s10209-025-01234-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10209-025-01234-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated the usability and effectiveness of robotic platforms working together with foresters in the wild on forest inventory tasks using LiDAR scanning. Emphasis was on the Universal Access principle, ensuring that robotic solutions are not only effective but also environmentally responsible and accessible for diverse users. Three robotic platforms were tested: Boston Dynamics Spot, AgileX Scout, and Bunker Mini. Spot's quadrupedal locomotion struggled in dense undergrowth, leading to frequent mobility failures and a System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 78 ± 10. Its short, battery life and complex recovery processes further limited its suitability for forest operations without substantial modifications. In contrast, the wheeled AgileX Scout and tracked Bunker Mini demonstrated superior usability, each achieving a high SUS score of 88 ± 5. However, environmental impact varied: Scout's wheeled design caused minimal disturbance, whereas Bunker Mini's tracks occasionally damaged young vegetation, highlighting the importance of gentle interaction with natural ecosystems in robotic forestry. All platforms enhanced worker safety, reduced physical effort, and improved LiDAR workflows by eliminating the need for human presence during scans. Additionally, the study engaged forest engineering students, equipping them with hands-on experience in emerging robotic technologies and fostering discussions on their responsible integration into forestry practices. This study lays a crucial foundation for the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into forest robotics, enabling future advancements in autonomous perception, decision-making, and adaptive navigation. By systematically evaluating robotic platforms in real-world forest environments, this research provides valuable empirical data that will inform AI-driven enhancements, such as machine learning-based terrain adaptation, intelligent path planning, and autonomous fault recovery. Furthermore, the study holds high value for the international research community, serving as a benchmark for future developments in forestry robotics and AI applications. Moving forward, future research will build on these findings to explore adaptive remote operation, AI-powered terrain-aware navigation, and sustainable deployment strategies, ensuring that robotic solutions enhance both operational efficiency and ecological responsibility in forest management worldwide.</p>","PeriodicalId":49115,"journal":{"name":"Universal Access in the Information Society","volume":"24 3","pages":"2867-2887"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12394322/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144975935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-12-19DOI: 10.1007/s10209-023-01075-x
Tengku Siti Meriam Tengku Wook, Siti Fadzilah Mat Noor, Noraidah Sahari @ Ashaari, Hazura Mohamed, Nor Hidayah Hussain, Rasheedah Zakariya
{"title":"Evaluation of the effectiveness of preschool English learning applications based on touch and voice multimodal interaction technique","authors":"Tengku Siti Meriam Tengku Wook, Siti Fadzilah Mat Noor, Noraidah Sahari @ Ashaari, Hazura Mohamed, Nor Hidayah Hussain, Rasheedah Zakariya","doi":"10.1007/s10209-023-01075-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-023-01075-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49115,"journal":{"name":"Universal Access in the Information Society","volume":"108 29","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138959154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-12-15DOI: 10.1007/s10209-023-01074-y
Nazaret Fresno, Gian Maria Greco
{"title":"Media accessibility: in search for alliances","authors":"Nazaret Fresno, Gian Maria Greco","doi":"10.1007/s10209-023-01074-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-023-01074-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49115,"journal":{"name":"Universal Access in the Information Society","volume":"118 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138999418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-12-15DOI: 10.1007/s10209-023-01076-w
Pabitra Dangol
{"title":"Website accessibility evaluation of the federal government of Nepal","authors":"Pabitra Dangol","doi":"10.1007/s10209-023-01076-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-023-01076-w","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49115,"journal":{"name":"Universal Access in the Information Society","volume":"195 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138997180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-12-15DOI: 10.1007/s10209-023-01067-x
Lusha Huang, Baihui Chen
{"title":"A scientometric analysis of research on people with visual impairments in the field of HCI design: mapping the intellectual structure and evolution","authors":"Lusha Huang, Baihui Chen","doi":"10.1007/s10209-023-01067-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-023-01067-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49115,"journal":{"name":"Universal Access in the Information Society","volume":"16 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138970755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-12-14DOI: 10.1007/s10209-023-01077-9
Irene Hermosa-Ramírez
{"title":"Universal and ecological design in media accessibility: finding common ground","authors":"Irene Hermosa-Ramírez","doi":"10.1007/s10209-023-01077-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-023-01077-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49115,"journal":{"name":"Universal Access in the Information Society","volume":"8 2‐3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139002462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-12-08DOI: 10.1007/s10209-023-01070-2
Julia Offermann, Caterina Maidhof, Martina Ziefle
{"title":"Somebody is watching me? Analyzing privacy preferences in using visual AAL technology considering human-, technology-, and context-related factors","authors":"Julia Offermann, Caterina Maidhof, Martina Ziefle","doi":"10.1007/s10209-023-01070-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-023-01070-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49115,"journal":{"name":"Universal Access in the Information Society","volume":"61 13","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138587141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-12-05DOI: 10.1007/s10209-023-01073-z
Mario Quinde, Juan Quinde
{"title":"Providing micro and small retail enterprises with business intelligence tools: a case study in Peru","authors":"Mario Quinde, Juan Quinde","doi":"10.1007/s10209-023-01073-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-023-01073-z","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49115,"journal":{"name":"Universal Access in the Information Society","volume":"81 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138600403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-12-01DOI: 10.1007/s10209-023-01069-9
Marta Brescia-Zapata
{"title":"Towards sustainable and accessible events: an exploratory research perspective","authors":"Marta Brescia-Zapata","doi":"10.1007/s10209-023-01069-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-023-01069-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49115,"journal":{"name":"Universal Access in the Information Society","volume":" 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138614465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-11-14DOI: 10.1007/s10209-023-01065-z
Marta Díaz-Boladeras, Ada Claver i Díaz, Marta García-Sánchez
Abstract Robot-based activities have been proven to be a valuable tool for children with learning and developmental disabilities. However, their feasibility in general educational environments needs further exploration. This scoping review provides a critical examination of robot-based learning experiences involving children with disabilities, implemented either in mainstream schools or in specialized centers in order to gain insight into their potential to support inclusion. For this purpose, a search was conducted in the multidisciplinary Scopus and WoS databases, completed with Dialnet database. Based on PRISMA guidelines for literature reviews, we limited the systematic analysis to 33 papers published after 2009 that contain information on the instructional design and details of how the activities were implemented. On the other hand, studies reporting interventions with robots for clinical purposes were excluded as well as papers focused exclusively on technical developments. Content analysis shows that most experiences lead to improvements in terms of educational goals and/or stakeholders’ satisfaction. However, the analysis also reported issues that may hinder the adoption of these practices in general classrooms and integrated education services. The reported difficulties include the lack of stability and autonomy of the robots used, the need for aids and adaptations to enable children with sensory and physical impairments to interact easily with the robots, and the requirement of technical support with system’s setup, implementation and maintenance. We conclude that robots and robotics are a powerful tool to address the needs of diverse learners who are included in mainstream classrooms. This review aims at presenting evidences of good practices and recommendations for successful implementation.
{"title":"Robots for inclusive classrooms: a scoping review","authors":"Marta Díaz-Boladeras, Ada Claver i Díaz, Marta García-Sánchez","doi":"10.1007/s10209-023-01065-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-023-01065-z","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Robot-based activities have been proven to be a valuable tool for children with learning and developmental disabilities. However, their feasibility in general educational environments needs further exploration. This scoping review provides a critical examination of robot-based learning experiences involving children with disabilities, implemented either in mainstream schools or in specialized centers in order to gain insight into their potential to support inclusion. For this purpose, a search was conducted in the multidisciplinary Scopus and WoS databases, completed with Dialnet database. Based on PRISMA guidelines for literature reviews, we limited the systematic analysis to 33 papers published after 2009 that contain information on the instructional design and details of how the activities were implemented. On the other hand, studies reporting interventions with robots for clinical purposes were excluded as well as papers focused exclusively on technical developments. Content analysis shows that most experiences lead to improvements in terms of educational goals and/or stakeholders’ satisfaction. However, the analysis also reported issues that may hinder the adoption of these practices in general classrooms and integrated education services. The reported difficulties include the lack of stability and autonomy of the robots used, the need for aids and adaptations to enable children with sensory and physical impairments to interact easily with the robots, and the requirement of technical support with system’s setup, implementation and maintenance. We conclude that robots and robotics are a powerful tool to address the needs of diverse learners who are included in mainstream classrooms. This review aims at presenting evidences of good practices and recommendations for successful implementation.","PeriodicalId":49115,"journal":{"name":"Universal Access in the Information Society","volume":"36 5","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134901340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}