Assistive Technology最新文献

Children with disabilities in low-resource environments (LREs) face major barriers to education, participation, and well-being. Assistive technologies like prostheses can help, but current solutions often fail to meet child-specific needs, particularly in LREs. This study engages pediatric prosthesis users in Cambodia to identify their unique user needs. This study used a novel interactive interview with card games and functional mobility assessment. While the card games and mobility assessment provided quantitative data, the interview responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. Six themes emerged from the analysis, demonstrating children remarkable understanding of both benefits and limitations of their prostheses. They appreciated the independence and cosmetic appearance, but pointed to limited mobility, heavy components, and discomfort as major issues. These priorities were echoed in the card games, where anatomically looking prostheses were the most preferred style, and culturally important activities such as walking fast, sitting cross-legged and kneeling were ranked highest. Children clearly expressed what it is important for them and identified key areas for improvement in current prostheses to improve their social inclusion. Future prosthetic research and development must adopt a user-centered, culturally sensitive approach that actively involves children, ensuring prosthetic solutions meet their physical, emotional, and social needs.

This study examined how leisure and learning activities are associated with stress in children with physical disabilities, and how psychological changes - specifically competence, adaptability, and self-esteem - following the use of a power-assist device (PAD) influence this relationship. The study involved 19 children using a PAD for their manual wheelchairs. We collected responses regarding daily activities and activity-related feelings over a period of five days using the day reconstruction method and assessed psychological changes after the use of PAD. The analysis revealed that leisure activities had a significant negative effect on stress; academic engagement did not demonstrate a similar impact. Participants' increased adaptability after using the PAD was related to lower stress levels. Moreover, children who reported minimal self-esteem changes after using the PAD were more likely to experience the positive impact of leisure on their stress levels. These findings emphasize both the importance of promoting leisure participation and the value of expanding access to assistive mobility technology, which together can reduce stress and foster psychological resilience in children with severe physical disabilities.

An interactive virtual assistant can be very useful for older people because it is cost-effective and can easily assist them. It provides ways to give them social support and manage their loneliness by giving them activities, like playing games, solving puzzles, and listening to music. The importance of progress in virtual assistants goes beyond enhancing the features of virtual assistants. Such analysis can be important in finding patterns of trust and attitudes in human interactions, leading to improved adoption of virtual assistants. One of the specific areas where this can be useful is increasing the social acceptance of these assistants among the elderly population. In this study, we surveyed to gauge the popularity of virtual assistants in the elder population, which consisted of a total of 20 questions for which 104 responses were received. Seven hypotheses were formulated for the various Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) parameters and were supported by statistical analysis. The findings highlight that the virtual assistants not only show promising potential for improving the quality of life of older adults but also explain the role of trust, perceived reliability, and emotional comfort in shaping their long-term acceptance.

Wearable fall protection systems (WFPSs) effectively mitigate fall-related injury risks. However, varying application contexts and user characteristics create distinct demands for these assistive technologies. This review investigates the current research status and identifies the key characteristics to classify WFPS users. A literature search across IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases (2014-2024) yielded 40 eligible studies, selected following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. These studies emphasize the importance of addressing user-specific needs and optimizing technology to enhance usability. Five user groups and their sub-groups were identified, including general users, occupational workers, patients with mobility-impairing chronic diseases, people with disabilities, and wearable exoskeleton robot users. Most studies focused on older adults within the healthy population, with comparatively limited research on disease patients, occupational workers, people with disabilities, and wearable exoskeleton robot users. Significant differences in fall-risk profiles, activity patterns, and technological needs were found among user groups, which affect the effectiveness and acceptance of WFPSs. This review highlights a mismatch between user needs and the distribution of existing research efforts, summarizes challenges across different user groups, and informs future work toward more usable and adaptable systems in real-world contexts.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected global health and physical activities, necessitating social distancing measures (SDM) to control viral spread. This study investigated the impact of the SDM on the step activity of individuals with transtibial or transfemoral amputation in Hong Kong. Sixteen individuals with unilateral lower-limb amputation (5 transtibial, 11 transfemoral) participated in this study. Participants wore a StepWatch Activity Monitor to continuously record their step activity once during the SDM period and once after the SDM period over 28 days. Daily and hourly step counts, as well as walking bout frequency, were analyzed to compare physical activities between the two periods. Although group-level means showed no statistically significant differences for most parameters, individual-level analyses with statistical parametric mapping revealed significant within-participant changes in hourly step counts and walking bout frequency. In particular, significant changes in hourly step counts were observed during typical morning and evening commutes as well as lunch breaks. Additionally, the frequency of 12-step walking bouts significantly increased after SDM ended. These findings suggest that altered walking habits, commuting, and indoor activities may have shaped step patterns during and after SDM, providing insight into how SDM during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced walking behaviors in individuals with lower-limb amputation.

This study validated the caster-up durability test specified in ISO 7176-30, originally developed to ensure the structural safety of wheelchairs designed for changing occupant posture. As caregiver-assisted caster-up maneuvers are common in standard manual wheelchairs, particularly in aging societies, the study examined the applicability of this test to such wheelchairs. A worst-case scenario, involving a downward vertical force applied to the push handles, was defined. A custom test apparatus capable of simulating both the ISO-defined method and the worst-case method was developed. Mechanical stress on the wheelchair frame was quantified using strain gauges. Results showed that the worst-case method induced approximately 1.3 times greater strain at specific locations on the back support pipe compared to the existing method, indicating a potential underestimation of stress in the current ISO test. Durability tests conducted on four commercial wheelchair models found that two passed and two failed under the worst-case method. While the test method itself appears generally valid, the criterion for allowable readjustments requires reconsideration. These findings suggest that incorporating the worst-case method into durability testing could enhance user safety, supporting reconsideration of certain ISO 7176-30 requirements.

Assistive technology (AT) plays a pivotal role in enhancing educational access and outcomes for students with visual impairments (SVI). This systematic literature review (SLR) examines research trends and implementation challenges of AT in SVI education between 2014 and 2024. The study addresses three research questions: (1) the frequency and growth of AT-related publications, (2) the subjects and samples examined in prior studies, and (3) the most frequently implemented AT applications and approaches among SVI. A comprehensive review was conducted across seven scientific databases, encompassing indexed, non-indexed, and conference proceedings. A systematic mapping study (SMS) framework was applied to categorize AT devices based on sensory type and educational application. Findings indicate a steady increase in AT research, with primary emphasis on educational functionality, social interaction, motivation, and self-confidence enhancement among SVI learners. AT is widely reported to reduce participation barriers and bridge activity limitations. However, persistent challenges include limited device ownership, insufficient technical expertise, inadequate training, and recurring technical constraints, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The review underscores the need for context-sensitive AT development, improved professional training, and equitable policy implementation. These findings provide strategic insights for optimizing AT design, adaptation, and deployment to promote inclusive education and equal workforce participation for individuals with visual impairments.

This research presents the development and empirical evaluation of an AI-enhanced interactive storytelling system designed specifically for children with cognitive disabilities. Addressing the critical gap in accessible educational technologies, our system integrates multiple artificial intelligence components - including speech recognition, text-to-speech conversion, and adaptive narrative generation - within a comprehensive accessibility framework. We employ a three-tier architecture leveraging Neo4j graph database technology for efficient management of complex branching narratives and user interaction data. Following an agile development methodology with Scrum framework, the platform was evaluated through a six-week study involving 45 children with diverse cognitive profiles. Quantitative analysis reveals significant improvements across key metrics: a 45% increase in engagement duration, 109% enhancement in interaction frequency, and 32-41% improvements in comprehension and narrative sequencing abilities compared to traditional storytelling methods. The system achieved 92% task completion success with 3.2% error rates, demonstrating both technical robustness and educational efficacy. Our findings contribute novel insights into the design of assistive technologies, demonstrating that AI-driven interactive storytelling can effectively address accessibility barriers while promoting cognitive development in children with disabilities. This research establishes evidence- based design principles and provides a validated framework for developing inclusive educational technologies.

The purpose of this review is to determine the effectiveness of assistive technologies in reducing the caregiving burden for older adults with cognitive impairments and disabilities. International databases, Cochrane, PubMed, Embase, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, as well as KoreaMed and other Korean databases, were searched for studies published up to March 30, 2025.The included studies were synthesized using a systematic review without meta-analysis approach. Twelve studies were selected, comprising 941 participants, with eight randomized and four non-randomized controlled trials. Methodologically, the reviewers assessed randomized controlled trials using Cochrane's Risk-of-Bias tool 2.0 and non-randomized controlled trials using the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Non-randomized Studies. Assistive technology included social-assist robots; smart tablets or mobile devices; home care technologies that provide monitoring or assistance with activities of daily living; and interactive technologies that enable home monitoring, visits, and telecare. Assistive technology significantly reduced caregiver distress, role strain, concerns about older adults, caregiver burnout, anxiety, negative feelings, and loss of control, and improved caregiver well-being.Caregivers should consider using assistive technology to care for older adults as it can reduce their care burden. Further intervention studies are necessary to analyze how interventions using assistive technology reduce caregiver burden.

Objectives: To examine powered mobility learning in children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type I, involving families and evaluating goal attainment through the use of small, modified electric toy cars in the children's natural environments.

Design: Single-blind pilot intervention study derived from an originally planned wait-list randomized controlled trial. This report includes only the immediate-intervention group that received powered mobility training.

Setting: Participants' natural environments.

Participants: Children aged 10 months to 5 years diagnosed with SMA type I, with no previous powered mobility experience.

Interventions: Individualized adaptations of electric toy cars, including postural supports and customized control systems. The structured program lasted 12 weeks, with three 30-minute sessions per week.

Outcome measures: Progress in powered mobility use was assessed using the Assessment of Learning Powered Mobility use (ALP). Functional goal achievement was measured with Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS).

Results: Of the 16 children enrolled, 9 completed the 12-week intervention. The greatest improvement in ALP phase occurred between weeks 0-4 (88.88%; p = 0.01). Functional goals showed significant improvement at all measured intervals (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: A structured powered mobility intervention delivered in natural environments supported mobility learning and functional goal attainment in children with SMA type I.