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The purpose of this research is to design and develop a new alternative input method, called HF Interface, for selecting and manipulating on-screen objects based on tracking the user’s head pose and recognizing his/her facial expressions, using a 3D depth sensing camera. To specify a target of interest, the HF interface detects changes in…

We developed and evaluated a BLE-based indoor location awareness system called Smart Signage to provide blind and visually impaired people with better accessibility to the built environment. The Smart Signage system consists of three components; a user component, an environmental component, and a smartphone app. The user component implemented with a Bluetooth low energy…

This research has developed a prototype software package called SPARC (Slideshow Presentation Access with Real-time Communication) that enables people with blindness or visual impairments to have synchronous access to slideshow presentation made with Microsoft Office PowerPoint, using cloud computing as a core Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The SPARC consists of three inter-related system…

As one of the most influential technologies to improve and make changes in our daily living, Internet of Things (IoT) technology has drastically developed and extensively gained in popularity, as time goes by. Undoubtedly, a successful application of the IoT technology to rehabilitation engineering domains enables people who have special needs not only to…

We have designed and developed a handy alternative control method, called ARoMA-V2 (Assistive Robotic Manipulation Assistance with computer Vision and Voice recognition), for controlling assistive robotic manipulators based on computer vision and user voice recognition. Potential advantages of ARoMA-V2 over the traditional alternatives include: providing completely hands-free operation; helping a user to maintain a…

People with severe physical disabilities have found it difficult or impossible to independently use assistive robotic manipulators (ARM) due to their lack of access to the conventional control methods and the cognitive/physical workload associated with operating the ARMs. This study aims to develop and evaluate an alternative control method for ARMs that enables these…

The research and development of assistive robotic manipulators (ARMs) aims to enhance the upper-extremity daily functioning of individuals with disability. Resources continue to be invested, yet the field still lacks a standard framework to serve as a tool for the functional assessment and performance evaluation of ARMs. A review of the literature lends several…

One of the most challenging barriers to a successful application of the assistive robots is how to enable users who have special needs to interact with the robot aids in an efficient and comfortable manner, since the conventional control method using a traditional joystick combined with buttons and/or knobs demands fine motor control and…

The continuum of controlling an assistive robotic manipulator (ARM) ranges from manual control to full autonomy. Shared control of an ARM operates in the space between manual control and full autonomy. This paper reviews the status quo on shared control of ARMs. Though users and ARMs can divide responsibilities for a manipulation task in…

We developed and evaluated an assistive robotic manipulator called KitchenBot that operates along an overhead track built into the kitchen to assist individuals with upper extremity impairments for common kitchen tasks. Focus groups conducted with eleven participants from the potential user population revealed that potential users had very positive perceptions, opinions, and attitudes toward…