Assistive Technology最新文献

Sleep problems are highly prevalent in autism and negatively impact the physical and mental health of children and their caregivers. Sleep education programs are often recommended as a first line-treatment to help parents implement healthy sleeping habits and a bedtime routine at home; however, the accompanying paper-based toolkits used in the bedtime routines have limitations related to engagement and adherence. To address these gaps, we iteratively developed and tested the usability of an augmented reality (AR) bedtime routine application. Our single participant design study (n = 7 child/parent dyads) found 86% compliance with the program and suggested good-excellent usability of the app with a trend toward increased willingness and faster completion of children's bedtime routines. This work supports the feasibility of using technology-based tools in sleep education programs and informs future clinical studies examining the effectiveness of these approaches for mitigating sleep difficulties.

This article presents the engineering design and preliminary testing of the Afari^TM mobility device and the integrated Intrac^TM activity tracking system. The patented Afari design is a three-wheeled device that assists users of any age with mobility impairments with outdoor exercise and movement in various environments and surfaces. We devised methods for testing of the Afari to ensure safe and flexible mobility assistance and demonstrated a high level of stability and structural integrity suitable for vigorous outdoor exercise. A smartphone-based sensing system, the Intrac, was designed for and integrated with the Afari to monitor the user's interaction forces and important gait parameters. The Intrac offers a graphical user interface for displaying and sharing measurements with users and providers, and the accuracy of its measurements was validated by testing its individual components. A preliminary subject study showed that the participants could use the Afari for various levels of weight compensation during walking, while the Intrac enabled the measurement of interactive forces on their arms and key gait parameters. The results demonstrate the potential of the Afari and Intrac to provide a safe walking experience in a variety of terrains and continuously monitor users' gait.

This study describes the development and content validation of the Electronic Instrumental activities of daily living Satisfaction Assessment (EISA), a self-report outcome measure for assessing satisfaction with completing instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) for People With Disabilities (PWD) using internet-Connected Assistive Devices (iCAD). For this study, an iCAD is defined as any information communication technology/electronic device or software that assists with promoting, maintaining, and/or enhancing the ability of a PWD to live independently in society. Phase 1 of development involved generating an initial item pool based on a literature review. Content validity of the EISA was computed in Phase 2 using the Qualtrics on-line research platform. Utilizing the content validity index procedure, EISA demonstrated acceptable content validity: item level (I-CVI of 0.78 or higher) and scale level (S-CVI/Ave of 0.90 or higher). EISA version 1.0 was generated in Phase 3 where it is the first of its kind outcome measure specifically designed for assessing satisfaction with completing IADL for PWD using iCAD.

During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, the use of technology to continue societal functions, maintain daily living, and gather information became near ubiquitous overnight. In the United States, universities moved to remote online education, non-essential personnel were asked to work from home, many businesses were forced to rapidly embrace online purchasing and even entertainers held concerts on social media platforms. Professional medical personnel, as well as state and local officials, held daily press briefings about the virus on television, radio, and social media. Disaster research has shown that often disasters exacerbate preexisting inequalities during all-hazards and therefore there are several populations likely to be more at risk, such as people with disabilities, and older adults. While complications from the coronavirus were more severe for older adults and those with preexisting health conditions, the preparedness and response efforts to contain the virus lessened the resiliency of other populations during the US outbreaks, potentially hampering their ability to recover at the same rate. For example, several press conferences from officials failed to include or display ASL interpreters. This would put some Americans at a disadvantage since they may have been unable to receive all of the pertinent information on how to keep safe. Furthermore, with nearly 22% of households without broadband internet access (per Pew Research Center), several individuals will not be able to take advantage of the rapid remote learning and work-from-home recommendations. Even when individuals have access to the Internet, older adults have been found to be less knowledgeable about privacy and security tools than younger adults.

Wheeled mobility devices enable persons with limited mobility to maintain an independent lifestyle. Lever-drive propulsion options have been shown to increase wheeled mobility device efficiency while reducing physical strain on users. Despite these benefits, they have not been widely adopted for everyday use. Two novel lever-drive devices (RoScooter and RoTrike) provide an alternative to pushrim propulsion by using an integrated front-and-center push-pull lever mechanism. The objectives of this study were to assess the usability and performance of the lever-drive devices using both rehabilitation professional and user feedback. The study enrolled 17 rehabilitation professionals and 13 users who performed various mobility tasks to rate the performance of the RoScooter and RoTrike for ease of use, stability, safety, appearance, and comfort. Users were graded on their performance using a scoring system based on the Wheelchair Skills Test. Rehabilitation professionals suggested improvements in regard to adjustability, maneuverability, target population, and appearance, preferring the operations of the RoScooter to the RoTrike. Users reported that the devices were entertaining and easy to use, but improvements in adjustability, reversal methods, and operation options to appeal to a wider range of consumers are needed before lever-drive devices are suitable to replace or supplement current wheeled mobility devices.

Capturing the outcomes of assistive technology (AT) is essential to know what works and what is needed. People across the globe are working to close the gap of unmet need for AT, and to enable access to quality AT products and services. Inconsistent terminology, measures and a lack of coordinated systems prevent the sharing of knowledge, and the lack of articulated global priorities limit the usefulness of data for policymakers and resource allocation decisions. This paper provides methods of a global "Grand Challenge" project, run by the Global Alliance of Assistive Technology Organizations, and describes the resulting challenges. A multiphase, mixed method approach founded on participatory principles sought to capture multi-country and multi-stakeholder perspectives "from the ground up." A collaborative consensus method was adapted to document and distil AT challenge data from global regions, to refine this data with global stakeholder organizations, and to publish a shortlist of AT Grand Challenges. The 2022 Grand Challenges in Outcomes and Impact are 1) measuring need, 2) documenting inputs, 3) measuring outcomes, 4) measure impacts, 5) sharing data, and 6) informing policy. The challenge now remains to work together to resolve them.

UNav is a computer-vision-based localization and navigation aid that provides step-by-step route instructions to reach selected destinations without any infrastructure in both indoor and outdoor environments. Despite the initial literature highlighting UNav's potential, clinical efficacy has not yet been rigorously evaluated. Herein, we assess UNav against standard in-person travel directions (SIPTD) for persons with blindness or low vision (PBLV) in an ecologically valid environment using a non-inferiority design. Twenty BLV subjects (age = 38 ± 8.4; nine females) were recruited and asked to navigate to a variety of destinations, over short-range distances (<200 m), in unfamiliar spaces, using either UNav or SIPTD. Navigation performance was assessed with nine dependent variables to assess travel confidence, as well as spatial and temporal performances, including path efficiency, total time, and wrong turns. The results suggest that UNav is not only non-inferior to the standard-of-care in wayfinding (SIPTD) but also superior on 8 out of 9 metrics, as compared to SIPTD. This study highlights the range of benefits computer vision-based aids provide to PBLV in short-range navigation and provides key insights into how users benefit from this systematic form of computer-aided guidance, demonstrating transformative promise for educational attainment, gainful employment, and recreational participation.

People who are blind struggle to gauge water levels in bottles by weight alone. This work shows that combining information about a filled bottle's weight and center of gravity can enhance the accuracy of measuring the water level. Bumps were attached to the sides of cylindrical bottles at positions corresponding to the centers of gravity of water levels between 4 and 9. These bumps allow individuals to use additional information about the center of gravity to measure the water level in the bottle. Eight subjects who were blind participated in the experiment, and the results indicated that using the center of gravity method with a plastic bottle was the most accurate, with an average water level error of 0.04, but it took 57.83 seconds. Contrarily, using the weight method, the plastic bottle yielded the fastest results, with an average time of 6.51 seconds, but it led to an average water level error of 0.88.

A three-level training intervention was developed using the Quality Implementation Framework (QIF) to increase technology transfer of rehabilitation technologies to market. Thirty-two teams completed Level 1, 14 completed Level 2, and 6 completed Level 3. The validated Technology Transfer Readiness Assessment Tool (TTRAT) measured teams' technology transfer progress and the effectiveness of the training program. Teams that completed at least two training levels demonstrated increased technology transfer readiness. Additional team outcomes include receiving other federal awards, FDA designations, and generating sales. Future work includes measuring teams' progress relative to participant demographics and developing additional training content based on gaps in technology transfer readiness. The multi-level training initiative shows it is a promising foundation for training researchers and aspiring entrepreneurs on technology transfer and subsequent technology transfer outcomes.