Image editing tools can pose a challenge for motor impaired individuals who wish to perform image manipulation. The process includes many steps and can be difficult given a lack of tactile input such as mouse and keyboard. To increase the availability of image editing for motor impaired individuals, the potential for new tools and modalities have to be explored. In this project, a prototype was developed, which allows the user to edit images using eye tracking and deep learning models, specifically the DALL-E 2 model. This prototype was then tested on users who rated its functionality based on a set of human-computer interaction principles. The quality of the results varied a lot depending on the eye movements of the user, and the provided prompts. The results of the user testing found that there was potential for an editing tool implementing eye tracking and AI assistance, but that it requires further iteration and time to learn how to use. Most users enjoyed the experience of using the prototype and felt that continued experimentation would lead to improved results. / Användandet av bildbehandlingsverktyg kan för någon med motoriska svårigheter, specifikt de utan möjlighet att använda sina händer, innebära flera svårigheter. Processen omfattas av många steg som kan vara särskilt besvärliga utan användningen av mus och tangentbord. För att öka tillgängligheten av dessa verktyg behöver nya system utforskas, till exempel sådana som använder AI system. I denna studie utvärderas ett sådant system, för vilken en prototyp utvecklades. Prototypen låter användaren redigera bilder med hjälp av eye tracking och maskininlärningsmodellen DALL-E 2. Deltagarna i studien utvärderade funktionaliteten baserat på utvalda människa-datorinteraktionsprinciper. Resultaten av utvärderingen skiljde sig en del, till stor del grundat i ögonrörelserna av användaren och den givna ändringsbeskrivningen. Resultaten visade på att det fanns potential för ett bildbehandlingsverktyg som implementerar både AI och eye tracking men att det krävs mer tid och iterering för användaren att lära sig modellen. Användare fann överlag ett nöje i att använda programmet och upplevde att de skulle kunna presterat bättre resultat om de fick mer tid att experimentera.

The aim of the thesis is to provide a qualitative analysis of the RightHear navigation system in the building of the Faculty of Education, Charles University (Magdalény Rettigové 4, Prague) as a means of providing assistance with spatial navigation and independent mobility to visually impaired people. In the introduction, the thesis provides an overview of various aids and systems supporting independent mobility of the visually impaired. It also discusses the RightHear navigation system. The research part of the thesis analyses the current configuration of the RightHear system and proposes ways to improve it in the Faculty of Education building. The research utilised the methods of participatory observation and an unstructured in-depth interview with two consultants. The output of the thesis is a proposal for a new configuration of the RightHear navigation system in the building and suggestions for general rules for creating descriptions used for indoor navigation with RightHear. This output is based on knowledge of spatial orientation, independent mobility of visually impaired people and indoor navigation systems as well as the consultants' comments. The thesis includes specific conclusions and recommendations for practice and future research.

<div> <p><br></p> </div> Individuals with disabilities and persons operating in inaccessible environments can greatly benefit from the aid of robotic manipulators in performing activities of daily living (ADLs) and other remote tasks. Users relying on robotic manipulators to interact with their environment are restricted by the lack of sensory information available through traditional operator interfaces. These interfaces only allow visual task access and deprive users of somatosensory feedback that would be available through direct contact. Multimodal sensory feedback can bridge these perceptual gaps effectively. Given a set of object properties (e.g. temperature, weight) to be conveyed and sensory modalities (e.g. visual, haptic) available, it is necessary to determine which modality should be assigned to each property for an effective interface design. However, the effectiveness of assigning properties to modalities has varied with application and context. The goal of this study was to develop an effective multisensory interface for robot-assisted pouring tasks, which delivers nuanced sensory feedback while permitting high visual demand necessary for precise teleoperation. To that end, an optimization approach is employed to generate a combination of feedback properties to modality assignments that maximizes effective feedback perception and minimizes cognitive load. A set of screening experiments tested twelve possible individual assignments to form the combination. Resulting perceptual accuracy, load, and user preference measures were input into a cost function. Formulating and solving as a linear assignment problem, a minimum cost combination was generated. Results from experiments evaluating efficacy in practical use cases for pouring tasks indicate that the solution is significantly more effective than no feedback and has considerable advantage over an arbitrary design. <br>

Some individuals have difficulty using standard hand-manipulated input devices such as a mouse and a keyboard effectively. For such users who at the same time have sufficient control over face and head movement, a robust perceptual or vision-based user interface that can track face movement can significantly help them. Using vision-based consumer devices makes such a user interface readily available and allows its use to be non-intrusive. Designing this type of user interface presents some significant challenges particularly with accuracy and usability. This research investigates such problems and proposes solutions to create a usable and robust face tracking user interface using currently available state-of-the-art technology. In particular, the input control in such an interface is divided into its logical components and studied one by one, namely, user input, capture technology, feature retrieval, feature processing, and pointer behavior. Different options for these components are studied and evaluated to see if they contribute to more efficient use of the interface. The evaluation is done using standard tests created for this purpose. The tests were done by a single user. The results can serve as a precursor to a full-scale usability study, various improvements, and eventual deployment for actual use. The primary contributions of this research include a logical organization and evaluation of the input process and its different components in face tracking user interfaces, a common library for computer control that can be used by various face tracking engines, an adaptive pointing input style that makes pointing using natural movement easier, and a test suite that can be used to measure performance of various user interfaces for desktop systems.

Wearable robotics and exoskeletons have been explored for their efficacy in physical rehabilitation and for assistance in daily activities for people with motor disorders. The overall objective of this thesis is to design a powered soft exoskeleton for people with dropfoot and excessive inversion, commonly after a stroke, and to optimize the control parameters for each individual while considering different dimensions. This compilation thesis is based on two papers that focus on the design and verification of the ankle joint exoskeleton prototype, and control parameters optimization using human-in-the-loop optimization, respectively. In the first paper, we presented the design of the powered soft ankle exoskeleton, mainly consisting of the actuation system, Bowden cables, and textile components, to assist two degrees of freedom (DoF), dorsiflexion and eversion, simultaneously.A proof-of-concept study was performed to verify the functionality of the exoskeleton in two aspects: assisting/controlling two DoFs simultaneously and compensating for the resistance during ankle plantarflexion. Our results suggested that two-DoF assistance can be delivered with the structure, and the proposed force-free controller can counteract the inherent resistance in the system. In the second paper, a multi-objective-based human-in-the-loop optimization method was proposed, aiming at optimizing gait quality in different aspects simultaneously.In this case study, the multi-objective optimization method, Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II, was implemented in the human-in-the-loop optimization. Four generations, comprising ten sets of control parameters in each generation, were tested on one non-disabled subject wearing the exoskeleton described in paper I. The results indicated that this novel method can identify the control laws that optimize both gait quality metrics. In the set of solutions, control laws with different focuses can be selected for different purposes or individual uses. / Bärbara robotar och exoskelett har utforskats för deras effektivitet inom fysisk rehabilitering och som stöd i dagliga aktiviteter för personer med motoriska störningar. Det övergripande målet med denna avhandling är att designa en kraftdriven mjuk exoskelett för personer med fallfot och överdriven inversion, vanligt efter en stroke, och att optimera kontrollparametrarna för varje individ med hänsyn till olika dimensioner. Denna sammanställda avhandling bygger på två artiklar som fokuserar på design och verifiering av prototypen för fotledsexoskelett samt optimering av kontrollparametrar med mänsklig medverkan. I den första artikeln presenterade vi designen av det kraftdrivna mjuka fotledsexoskelettet, som huvudsakligen består av aktiveringssystem, Bowden-kablar och textilkomponenter, för att assistera i två grader av frihet (DoF), dorsiflexion och eversion, samtidigt. En konceptbevisstudie genomfördes för att verifiera funktionen hos exoskelettet avseende två aspekter: assistera/styra två DoFs samtidigt och kompensera för motståndet under plantarflektion i fotleden. Våra resultat antydde att två-DoF-assistans kan levereras med strukturen och att den föreslagna kraftfria styrenheten kan motverka det inneboende motståndet i systemet. I den andra artikeln föreslogs en mänsklig medverkande optimeringsmetod baserad på flera mål, med syfte att optimera gångkvaliteten i olika aspekter samtidigt. I denna fallstudie implementerades den flerobjektiva optimeringsmetoden Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II i den mänskliga medverkansoptimeringen. Fyra generationer, med tio uppsättningar av kontrollparametrar i varje generation, testades på en icke-funktionshindrad försöksperson som bar det exoskelett som beskrivs i den första artikeln. Resultaten indikerade att denna nya metod kan identifiera styrregler som optimerar både gångkvalitetsmått. I uppsättningen lösningar kan styrregler med olika fokus väljas för olika ändamål eller individuella användningsområden. / <p>QC 231115</p>

Background Individuals with intellectual disabilities need continued supports in completing daily living tasks to increase the likelihood of achieving independence. Fortunately, research has shown that assistive technology, and particularly video prompting helps support independent living for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Aims This study investigated the efficacy of a highly customizable task analysis smartphone application in assisting three young adults with intellectual disabilities learn how to cook three different multistep recipes. Materials & Methods Three young adults with intellectual disabilities enrolled in a four-year postsecondary education program (PSE) participated in a multiple probe design across participants to examine the effect of a Task Analysis app on the participants' completion of three cooking tasks. Results In this present study, the use of video prompting to teach a daily living skill resulted in large and meaningful effect size gains of 99%–100% for all three participants, as measured by Tau-U. Discussion Video prompting is an effective instructional strategy which allows the user to self-prompt and manage their ability to successfully complete daily living skills. In this current study, video prompting made a substantial difference in the safety of participants. Conclusion The use of video prompting can decrease the reliance on others (e.g., teachers and caregivers), improve self-confidence of the user, and improve the user's level of autonomy.

The continuous integration of wireless communication systems in medical and healthcare applications has made the actualisation of reliable healthcare applications and services for patient care and smart home a reality. Diverse indoor approaches are sought to improve the quality of living and consequently longevity. The research centres on the development of smart healthcare solutions using various indoor technologies and techniques for active and assisted living. At first, smart health solutions for ambient and wearable assisted living in smart homes are sought. This requires a detailed study of indoor localisation. Different indoor localisation technologies including acoustic, magnetic, optical and radio frequency are evaluated and compared. From the evaluation, radio frequency-based technologies, with interest in wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and radio frequency identification (RFID) are isolated for smart healthcare. The research focus is sought on auto-identification technologies, with design considerations and performance constraints evaluated. Moreover, the design of various antennas for different indoor technologies to achieve innovative healthcare solutions is of interest. First, a meander line passive RFID tag antenna resonating at the European ultra-high frequency is designed, simulated and evaluated. Second, a frequency-reconfigurable patch antenna with the capability to resonate at ten distinct frequencies to support Wi-Fi and worldwide interoperability for microwave access applications is designed and simulated. Afterwards, a low-profile, lightweight, textile patch antenna using denim material substrate is designed and experimentally verified. It is established that, by loading proper rectangular slots and introducing strip lines, substantial size antenna miniaturisation is achieved. Further, novel wearable and ambient methodologies to further ameliorate smart healthcare and smart homes are developed. Machine learning and deep learning methods using multivariate Gaussian and Long short-term memory recurrent neural network are used to experimentally validate the viability of the new approaches. This work follows the construction of the SmartWall of passive RFID tags to achieve non-invasive data acquisition that is highly unobtrusive. / Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) of the Federal Government of Nigeria

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This report covers the design research process and results of the 9-week Thesis Project I.A hands-on, Research Through Design approach led the project through an iterative process with a focus on creating functional prototypes and validation with experts to answer the research question: How could proprioceptive wearable technology assist in improving the quality of life for patients of Parkinson’s Disease? Within this main question, focus points have been placed on designing for comfort (i.e. wearability) and well-being with attention to aesthetics. The project builds upon the theories of Design for well-being, Embodied Interaction and Wearable technology and is supported by research on proprioception, Parkinson’s Disease, postural instability and sensory stimuli. The result is a series of models, sketches and prototypes and this report covering the process. The final concept and prototype is a system that monitors upper body posture and provides vibro-tactile feedback on strategically placed areas of the body to guide the patient towards the desired posture.

Postpartum Depression (PPD) affects 8-15 percent of new mothers in Sweden every year. The majority of PPD cases go undetected, and only a few percent receive adequate care. New ways to detect and diagnose PPD are required. In my previous work, PPD experts expressed willingness to integrate social assistive robots (SARs) into their medical team. Moreover, we disclosed that future work was needed to include patients' perspectives on the subject. This thesis aims to provide insights from mothers with experience of mental health issues in relation to their pregnancy to elicit perceptions, attitudes and opinions towards SARs in PPD healthcare. Semi-structured interviews with participants (n=10) and a generative design activity were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis. The results suggest split opinions towards SARs in PPD healthcare. Participants expressed healthcare needs, and how SARs could be used to address these issues. Opinions towards the robot's appearance, including characteristics, gender and ethnicity were also discussed. Future work including midwives, child health nurses' and perspectives is needed, as well as a larger sample of women to validate the robot’s appearance, gender and characteristics.