論文

To obtain a fluent human-robot collaboration, reciprocal awareness is fundamental. In this paper, we propose to achieve it by creating a haptic connection between the human operator and the collaborative robot. Data coming from a wearable skin vibration sensor are used by the robot to recognize human actions, and vibrotactile signals are used to inform the human about the correct recognition of her/his actions. It is shown that the proposed communication paradigm, based on shared haptic perception, allows to improve cycle time performance in a complex human-robot collaborative task.

For mobility-impaired people, the wheelchair is considered as a main navigation and accessibility device. However, due to the inherited design of the chair, the user is restricted to utilize his hand all the time during navigation resulting in a dual impairment. Our proposed system, SlideFusion, expands on previous work of collaborative and assistive technologies for accessibility scenarios. SlideFusion is focused on the remote collaboration of the mobility impaired person, that an operator can remotely access an avatar embedded into the wheelchair. To reduce the physical and cognitive overload on the wheelchair user, we propose the use of eye gaze modality sharing with the remote operator. The eye gaze modality enables implicit interactions that do not require the user to point or verbally say, thus leveraging indirect communication. By using this, not only accessibility can be provided to wheelchair users and their caregivers, but also hearing impairments and pronunciation disorders are applicable.

We present "Sophroneo: Fear not", a VR horror experience with thermal feedback interface. To emphasize the supernatural side of the experience we introduce several innovative approaches, such as long intense cold feedback, liminal audio and physiological feedback loops. We built a wearable thermal feedback setup with water-cooled Peltier TEC elements for long cold sensations to improve the immersion and to increase the sense of fear and unease. At several points of the experience the player will have to close their eyes and interact with the VR environment depending on their other senses alone.

Building off of previous Human-Computer Interaction research on reminiscent and art therapy, this case study examines using a multi-modal album to help older residents with dementia engage with others while sharing portions of their life story. The narratives contained within the album were designed in cooperation with assisted care home residents with dementia. However, due to the progression of their dementia, adaptions to standard interviewing processes for gathering the narratives were needed. Through the use of multi-sensory stimulates (visual and somatic), over time, we were able to understand our participants' narratives as well as their personhood. Furthermore, the adaptions led to questioning the importance of narrative accuracy and the ultimate purpose of building the albums. The next phase is to evaluate the long-term effects of the creation process and the albums themselves.