The proliferation of body worn autometric devices has been enabled by advances in low-power electronics and fueled by the quantified-self movement. These devices range in complexity from pedometers to clinical vital sign measurement. They all share the same drawback, typically the most expensive and heaviest component, the battery. The future of autometric devices lies in wireless power. This work explores what is required from autometric devices and presents the results of testing both an embedded version and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) version of a wirelessly powered autometric device. / Graduation date: 2013

The occurrence of total knee replacements is increasing in the United States for persons over the age of 45 because they are inexpensive and a very effective method for treating degenerative joint diseases. Rehabilitation requires regular access to a wide variety of resources and personnel and, as the demand for post-operative, rehabilitative care increases, the ability to marginally relieve the healthcare system by offloading resources to the patient is necessary. Tools to enable tracking a patient’s rehabilitative progress at home are an essential method to help unload the healthcare system. The purpose of this project is to design and develop a wearable home rehabilitation device for knee replacement. This thesis utilizes design ethnography tools such as expert interviews, rehabilitation observation, a participatory design workshop, iterative development, and an idea feedback study. Leveraging advancements in technology and the field of eTextiles, this study investigates the product feasibility and acceptance of discreet on-body sensors to provide a product that enables patients to better perform rehabilitation on their own, but also to allow for a feedback loop for physicians and therapists to view patient progress.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Full text release at OhioLINK's ETD Center delayed at author's request

Human-computer interaction (HCI) is being revolutionized by computational design and artificial intelligence. As the diversity of user interfaces shifts from personal desktops to mobile and wearable devices, yesterday’s tools and interfaces are insufficient to meet the demands of tomorrow’s devices. This dissertation describes my research on leveraging different physical channels (e.g., vibration, light, capacitance) to enable novel interaction opportunities. We first introduce FontCode, an information embedding technique for text documents. Given a text document with specific fonts, our method can embed user-specified information (e.g., URLs, meta data, etc) in the text by perturbing the glyphs of text characters while preserving the text content. The embedded information can later be retrieved using a smartphone in real time. Then, we present Vidgets, a family of mechanical widgets, specifically push buttons and rotary knobs that augment mobile devices with tangible user interfaces. When these widgets are attached to a mobile device and a user interacts with them, the nonlinear mechanical response of the widgets shifts the device slightly and quickly. Subsequently, this subtle motion can be detected by the Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), which is commonly installed on mobile devices. Next, we propose BackTrack, a trackpad placed on the back of a smartphone to track finegrained finger motions. Our system has a small form factor, with all the circuits encapsulated in a thin layer attached to a phone case. It can be used with any off-the-shelf smartphone, requiring no power supply or modification of the operating systems. BackTrack simply extends the finger tracking area of the front screen, without interrupting the use of the front screen. Lastly, we demonstrate MoiréBoard, a new camera tracking method that leverages a seemingly irrelevant visual phenomenon, the moiré effect. Based on a systematic analysis of the moiré effect under camera projection, MoiréBoard requires no power nor camera calibration. It can easily be made at a low cost (e.g., through 3D printing) and ready to use with any stock mobile device with a camera. Its tracking algorithm is computationally efficient and can run at a high frame rate. It is not only simple to implement, but also tracks devices at a high accuracy, comparable to the state-of-the-art commercial VR tracking systems.

Conventional head-mounted projection displays (HMPDs) contain of a pair of miniature projection lenses, beamsplitters, and miniature displays mounted on the helmet, as well as a retro-reflective screen placed strategically in the environment. We have extened the HMPD technology integrating the screen into a fully mobile embodiment. Some initial efforts of demonstrating this technology has been captured followed by an investigation of the diffraction effects versus image degradation caused by integrating the retro-reflective screen within the HMPD. The key contribution of this research is the conception and development of a mobileHMPD (M-HMPD). We have included an extensive analysis of macro- and microscopic properties that encompass the retro-reflective screen. Furthermore, an evaluation of the overall performance of the optics will be assessed in both object space for the optical designer and visual space for the possible users of this technology. This research effort will also be focused on conceiving a mobile M-HMPD aimed for dual indoor/outdoor applications. The M-HMPD shares the known advantage such as ultralightweight optics (i.e. 8g per eye), unperceptible distortion (i.e. ≤ 2.5%), and lightweight headset (i.e. ≤ 2.5 lbs) compared with eyepiece type head-mounted displays (HMDs) of equal eye relief and field of view. In addition, the M-HMPD also presents an advantage over the preexisting HMPD in that it does not require a retro-reflective screen placed strategically in the environment. This newly developed M-HMPD has the ability to project clear images at three different locations within near- or far-field observation depths without loss of image quality. This particular M-HMPD embodiment was targeted to mixed reality, augmented reality, and wearable display applications.

Textile forms of wearable technology offer the potential for users to interact with electronic devices in a whole new manner. However, the operation of a wearable system can result in non-traditional on-body interactions (including gestural commands) that users may not be comfortable with performing in a public setting. Understanding the societal perceptions of gesture-based interactions will ultimately impact how readily a new form of mobile technology will be adopted within society. The goal of this research is to assess the social acceptability of a user's interaction with an electronic textile wearable interface. Two means of interaction were studied: the first was to assess the most acceptable input method for the interface (tapping, sliding, circular rotation); and the second assessment was to measure the social acceptability of a user interacting with the detachable textile interface at different locations on the body. The study recruited participants who strictly identified themselves as being of American nationality so as to gain insight into the culture-specific perceptions of interacting with a wearable form of technology.

While much attention has been paid to the usability of desktop computers, mobile com- puters are quickly becoming the dominant platform. Because mobile computers may be used in nearly any situation--including while the user is actually in motion, or performing other tasks--interfaces designed for stationary use may be inappropriate, and alternative interfaces should be considered. In this dissertation I consider the idea of microinteractions--interactions with a device that take less than four seconds to initiate and complete. Microinteractions are desirable because they may minimize interruption; that is, they allow for a tiny burst of interaction with a device so that the user can quickly return to the task at hand. My research concentrates on methods for applying microinteractions through wrist- based interaction. I consider two modalities for this interaction: touchscreens and motion- based gestures. In the case of touchscreens, I consider the interface implications of making touchscreen watches usable with the finger, instead of the usual stylus, and investigate users' performance with a round touchscreen. For gesture-based interaction, I present a tool, MAGIC, for designing gesture-based interactive system, and detail the evaluation of the tool.

The sales representatives primary duties are to attract wholesale and retail buyers and purchasing agents to their merchandise, and to address any of their client's questions or concerns. Aided by a laptop computer connected to the Internet, they can access the customer information and sell products to their customer immediately. This project, a Mobile Order Entry System using cellphones, will give sales representatives as state-of-the-art alternative in accessing anf selling products to their customers through cell phones instead of using laptop computers.

No description available.

Thesis(M.Com. (Business Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing the use of mobile technology in SMEs for the improvement of the supply chain. The study uses the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Technology Readiness Index (TRI) as theories. This study has four objectives: (1) To identify the determinants of the use of mobile technology in supply chains of SMEs, (2) To determine the level of adoption of mobile technology in the supply chain of SMEs, (3)To determine the relationships between determinants of the use of mobile technology and the adoption of mobile technology in the supply chain of SMEs, and (4) To determine the relationship between mobile technology adoption and supply chain performance. The study uses a quantitative approach. Exploratory and correlation research is used to determine the determinants of adoption of mobile technology. The study population are SMEs in Polokwane Local Municipality. A sample of 122 is used and aself administered questionnaire is used to collect primary data. Data analysis is carried out utilising SPSS version 27. A Cronbach alpha test is carried out to measure the internal reliability of the research instrument. The results show that there are positive relationships between determinants of the use of mobile technology and the adoption of mobile technology in the supply chain of SMEs and that there is a positive relationship between mobile technology adoption and supply chain performance. It is recommended to businesses to take into consideration the determinants of mobile technology adoptionin attempting to improve their supply chain performance and to adopt the mobile technology to enhance productivity and the processes of supply chain for those who have not adopted it. The research contributes to the knowledge about the factors influencing the use of mobile technology in SMEs for the improvement of supply chains / Service SETA