Haptics mouse for visually impaired

The research presented draws from the disciplines of electronics, mechanical engineering, biological sciences and aesthetics to create a handheld tactile mouse which can be used to aid data perception for visually impaired individuals. Visual information is presented to the user by means of small tactile array housed in a modified computer mouse. Varying frequencies of vibrations can represent a number of onscreen environmental changes, such as changes in colour, light intensity or the numerical values. The device is designed to operate either as an assisting tool which operates in conjunction with other interfacing aids, or as a stand alone system with a reduced function set.

Measuring audience response on-line : an evaluation of the portable audience response facility (pARF)

If it is the case that artists and art explore organization of the brain (Zeki & Lamb, 1994), then the investigation of response to artistic performance holds promise as a window to perceptual and cognitive processes. The portable Audience Response Facility (pARF) is an instrument for recording real‐time audience response (Stevens et al. 2009). Twenty, handheld, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) collect responses on customizable skin interfaces. The pARF server transmits the customizable options, synchronizes devices and collects data for export. In this paper we report ratings of the usability of the pARF that were collected after 37 participants had used it to continuously rate engagement along a single dimension while a female dance artist gave two performances of a short solo contemporary dance work. The motion of the dancer was also captured as she performed the piece but only usability rating data are reported here. Ratings indicate that the cognitive load imposed by continuously rating engagement while watching a dance performance was manageable and the pARF was easy to use. An extended familiarization phase may further reduce dual task demand.

Towards haptic microrobotic intracellular injection

This paper proposes a system providing the operator with an intuitive method for controlling a micromanipulator during intracellular injection. A low-cost haptic device is utilised and 3D position-to-position kinematic mapping allows the operator to control the micropipette using a similar method to handheld needle insertion. The workspaces of the haptic device and micromanipulator are analysed and the importance of appropriate scaling to positioning resolution and tracking performance is investigated. The control issues integral to achieving adequate control of the micromanipulator using the Phantom Omni haptic device are addressed. Aside from offering an intuitive method for controlling the micropipette, this work lays the foundation for real-time haptic assistance in the cell injection task.

M-learning in an off-campus environment : using iPods in accounting education

The widening availability of the internet and the popularity of handheld devices such as Apple’s iPod are creating a generation of tech-savvy students who are becoming more demanding for innovative ways of accessing information. In this study thirty iPods were distributed to students studying an exclusively online graduate level accounting program at a mid-sized Australian university. The students were required to use their iPods as part of the course’s online learning environment. At the end of the semester students were given two questionnaires: (1) to illicit their opinions on the usefulness of the iPod as a learning tool, and (2) to establish their learning styles (using a VARK© questionnaire). The findings indicate that flexibility the perceived benefit of using iPods allowing more efficient and effective study time. In particular the mobility (m-learning) that allowed students to take advantage of what would otherwise be down-time such as travelling on public transport. Disadvantages related to the difficulty in reading text on a small screen and the ability to move to particular parts of a recorded lecture with precision. These comments were consistent for all demographics however students with a more visual learning style rated the iPod more important to their learning than other students. This study involved a small sample but the generally positive response to the use of iPods indicates that there would be value in further studies with larger groups.

The implementation of mobile technology in organizations : expanding individual use contexts

Mobile computing devices such as personal digital assistants, smart mobile phones, and other handheld computing devices hold much promise in terms of their organizational application. Many existing models of the individual acceptance and implementation of information technology in organizational contexts have been developed in the era of “at the office” computing such as MIS, office automation, groupware, and so forth. We conducted two in-depth case studies of the implementation of mobile technology in healthcare organizations. The studies highlight interrelated individual use contexts due to the mobility of the technology: the individual as employee, as professional, as private user, and as member of society. The cases show that influences emanating from these use contexts impacted on the individual adoption of the technology within the organization. While broad extra-organizational influences are incorporated in some existing individual technology adoption models, we show that it becomes relevant to accommodate these influences more specifically in research models of mobile computing in organizations. Based on the extant literature and the case study data we pave the way toward more comprehensive models of the adoption and implementation of mobile technologies in organizations.

Hand held bell SFX

A stereo recording of a hand held bell ringing.

A Smartphone-based obstacle sensor for the visually impaired

In this paper, we present a real-time obstacle detection system for the mobility improvement for the visually impaired using a handheld Smartphone. Though there are many existing assistants for the visually impaired, there is not a single one that is low cost, ultra-portable, non-intrusive and able to detect the low-height objects on the floor. This paper proposes a system to detect any objects attached to the floor regardless of their height. Unlike some existing systems where only histogram or edge information is used, the proposed system combines both cues and overcomes some limitations of existing systems. The obstacles on the floor in front of the user can be reliably detected in real time using the proposed system implemented on a Smartphone. The proposed system has been tested in different types of floor conditions and a field trial on five blind participants has been conducted. The experimental results demonstrate its reliability in comparison to existing systems.

Haptic microrobotic cell injection system

Microrobotic cell injection is the subject of increasing research interest. At present, an operator relies completely on visual information and can be subject to low success rates, poor repeatability, and extended training times. This paper focuses on increasing operator performance during cell injection in two ways. First, our completed haptic cell injection system aims to increase the operator's performance during real-time cell injection. Haptic bilateralism is investigated and a mapping framework provides an intuitive method for manoeuvring the micropipette in a manner similar to handheld needle insertion. Volumetric virtual fixtures are then introduced to haptically assist the operator to penetrate the cell at the desired location. The performance of the volumetric virtual fixtures is also discussed. Second, the haptically enabled cell injection system is replicated as a virtual environment facilitating virtual offline operator training. Virtual operator training utilizes the same mapping framework and haptic virtual fixtures as the physical system allowing the operator to train offline and then directly transfer their skills to real-time cell injection.

Students' perceptions on using iPods in accounting education : a mobile-learning experience

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to assess the benefits derived from the application of mobile devices as part of the students’ online learning experience and the extent to which the perceived benefits are linked to student learning styles.

Design/methodology/approach – A small group of students enrolled in an exclusively online graduate accounting program were issued with iPods as part of their learning materials. Two data collection instruments were issued: a questionnaire to elicit students’ opinions on the usefulness of the iPod as a tool for learning; and a questionnaire to establish their learning styles (using a VARK© questionnaire).

Findings – The findings indicate that the primary advantage of iPods lies in its portability, which, in turn, facilitated efficient and effective use of time and study planning. The portability attached to iPods allowed students to take advantage of what otherwise have been down-time, such as commuting. Students with a preference for visual learning rated the iPod as being important to their learning.

Research limitations/implications – The generalizability of the findings is limited due to the low sample size (23) that constrains the robustness of the results.

Originality/value – The exploratory nature of this study provides preliminary evidence on the perceived usefulness of handheld devices as a learning tool.

Challenging the traditional sequence of teaching introductory calculus

Despite considerable research with students of calculus, rate, and hence derivative, remain difficult concepts to teach and learn. The demonstrated lack of conceptual understanding of introductory calculus limits its usefulness in related areas. Since rate is such a troublesome concept, this study piloted reversing the usual presentation of introductory calculus to begin with area and integration, rather than rate and derivative. Two classes of first-year university students taking introductory calculus were selected to pilot the effect of changing the sequence; one class was a control group and the other class followed the reversed sequence. Advances in technology, especially computer algebra systems (CASs) may facilitate new ways of studying mathematics. In this study, handheld CASs were used to support students’ thinking as they grappled with the concepts of introductory calculus. The use of CASs enabled consideration of symbolic patterns and numerical integration leading to a deeper conceptual understanding of integration. The easy access to the multiple representations of functions provided by CASs facilitated an exploration of rate where each representation highlighted different aspects of rate resulting in deeper conceptual understanding of differentiation.

Dynamic path determination policy for distributed multimedia content adaptation

Multimedia content adaptation allows the ever increasing variety of handheld devices such as Smartphones to access distributed rich media resources available on the Internet today. Path planning and determination is a fundamental problem in enhancing performance of distributed multimedia content adaptation systems. Most of the existing path determination mechanisms use static path determination criteria based solely on associating a path with a single behavior aggregate score. However, some criteria such as availability are best represented using different functionality rather than being accumulated into the aggregate score. Moreover, since selection criteria have different behavior towards the score, this principle need to be considered. In this paper, we propose a dynamic multi-criteria path determination policy that selects an optimal path to the content adaptation services that best meet the user preferences and QoS requirements. The performance of the proposed approach is studied in terms of score’s fairness and reliability under different variations. The results indicate that the proposed policy performs substantially better than the baseline policy.

Young children's transfer of learning from a touchscreen device

Because young children are devoting increasing time to playing on handheld touchscreen devices, understanding children's ability to learn from this activity is important. Through two experiments we examined the ability of 4- to 6-year-old children to learn how to solve a problem (Tower of Hanoi) on a touchscreen device and subsequently apply this learning in their interactions with physical objects. The results were that participants demonstrated significant improvement at solving the task irrespective of the modality (touchscreen vs. physical version) with which they practiced. Moreover, children's learning on the touchscreen smoothly transferred to a subsequent attempt on the physical version. We conclude that, at least with respect to certain activities, children are quite capable of transferring learning from touchscreen devices. This result highlights the limitations of generalizing across screen-based activities (e.g., "screen time") in discussing the effects of media on young children's development.