scholarly journals Design of a 3D Platform for Immersive Neurocognitive Rehabilitation

Information ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 134
Author(s):  
Danilo Avola ◽  
Luigi Cinque ◽  
Daniele Pannone
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Video Gaming ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Head Mounted Displays ◽  
Position Task ◽  
Neurocognitive Rehabilitation ◽  
Real Patients ◽  
Rehabilitation Tasks

In recent years, advancements in human–computer interaction (HCI) have enabled the development of versatile immersive devices, including Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs). These devices are usually used for entertainment activities as video-gaming or augmented/virtual reality applications for tourist or learning purposes. Actually, HMDs, together with the design of ad-hoc exercises, can also be used to support rehabilitation tasks, including neurocognitive rehabilitation due to strokes, traumatic brain injuries, or brain surgeries. In this paper, a tool for immersive neurocognitive rehabilitation is presented. The tool allows therapists to create and set 3D rooms to simulate home environments in which patients can perform tasks of their everyday life (e.g., find a key, set a table, do numerical exercises). The tool allows therapists to implement the different exercises on the basis of a random mechanism by which different parameters (e.g., objects position, task complexity) can change over time, thus stimulating the problem-solving skills of patients. The latter aspect plays a key role in neurocognitive rehabilitation. Experiments obtained on 35 real patients and comparative evaluations, conducted by five therapists, of the proposed tool with respect to the traditional neurocognitive rehabilitation methods highlight remarkable results in terms of motivation, acceptance, and usability as well as recovery of lost skills.

Understanding the Effect of Task Complexity and Problem-Solving Skills on the Design Performance of Agents in Systems Engineering

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salar Safarkhani ◽  
Ilias Bilionis ◽  
Jitesh H. Panchal
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
System Level ◽  
Maximization Problem ◽  
Theoretic Model ◽  
Engineering Process ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Quality Function ◽  
Design Task

Systems engineering processes coordinate the efforts of many individuals to design a complex system. However, the goals of the involved individuals do not necessarily align with the system-level goals. Everyone, including managers, systems engineers, subsystem engineers, component designers, and contractors, is self-interested. It is not currently understood how this discrepancy between organizational and personal goals affects the outcome of complex systems engineering processes. To answer this question, we need a systems engineering theory that accounts for human behavior. Such a theory can be ideally expressed as a dynamic hierarchical network game of incomplete information. The nodes of this network represent individual agents and the edges the transfer of information and incentives. All agents decide independently on how much effort they should devote to a delegated task by maximizing their expected utility; the expectation is over their beliefs about the actions of all other individuals and the moves of nature. An essential component of such a model is the quality function, defined as the map between an agent’s effort and the quality of their job outcome. In the economics literature, the quality function is assumed to be a linear function of effort with additive Gaussian noise. This simplistic assumption ignores two critical factors relevant to systems engineering: (1) the complexity of the design task, and (2) the problem-solving skills of the agent. Systems engineers establish their beliefs about these two factors through years of job experience. In this paper, we encode these beliefs in clear mathematical statements about the form of the quality function. Our approach proceeds in two steps: (1) we construct a generative stochastic model of the delegated task, and (2) we develop a reduced order representation suitable for use in a more extensive game-theoretic model of a systems engineering process. Focusing on the early design stages of a systems engineering process, we model the design task as a function maximization problem and, thus, we associate the systems engineer’s beliefs about the complexity of the task with their beliefs about the complexity of the function being maximized. Furthermore, we associate an agent’s problem solving-skills with the strategy they use to solve the underlying function maximization problem. We identify two agent types: “naïve” (follows a random search strategy) and “skillful” (follows a Bayesian global optimization strategy). Through an extensive simulation study, we show that the assumption of the linear quality function is only valid for small effort levels. In general, the quality function is an increasing, concave function with derivative and curvature that depend on the problem complexity and agent’s skills.

scholarly journals Proof of Concept: Game-Based Mobile Learning—The First Experience With the App Actionbound as Case-Based Geocaching in Education of Veterinary Neurology

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmin Nessler ◽  
Elisabeth Schaper ◽  
Andrea Tipold
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Veterinary Education ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Case Based Learning ◽  
The University ◽  
Real Patients ◽  
Case Based

Case-based learning is a valuable tool to impart various problem-solving skills in veterinary education and stimulate active learning. Students can solve imaginary cases without the need for contact with real patients. Case-based teaching can be well performed as asynchronous remote-online class. In time of the COVID-19-pandemic, many courses in veterinary education are provided online. Therefore, students report certain fatigue when it comes to desk-based online learning. The app “Actionbound” provides a platform to design digitally interactive scavenger hunts based on global positioning system (GPS)—called “bounds” —in which the teacher can create a case study with an authentic patient via narrative elements. This app was designed for multimedia-guided museum or city tours initially. The app offers the opportunity to send the students to different geographic localizations for example in a park or locations on the University campus, like geocaching. In this way, students can walk outdoors while solving the case study. The present article describes the first experience with Actionbound as a tool for mobile game-based and case-orientated learning in veterinary education. Three veterinary neurology cases were designed as bounds for undergraduate students. In the summer term 2020, 42 students from the second to the fourth year of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover worked on these three cases, which were solved 88 times in total: Cases 1 and 2 were each played 30 times, and case 3 was played 28 times. Forty-seven bounds were solved from students walking through the forest with GPS, and 41 were managed indoors. After each bound, students evaluated the app and the course via a 6-point numerical Likert rating scale (1 = excellent to 6 = unsatisfactory). Students playing the bounds outdoors performed significantly better than students solving the corresponding bound at home in two of the three cases (p = 0.01). The large majority of the students rated the course as excellent to good (median 1.35, range 1–4) and would recommend the course to friends (median 1.26, range 1–3). Summarizing, in teaching veterinary neurology Actionbound's game-based character in the context of outdoor activity motivates students, might improve learning, and is highly suitable for case-based learning.

An Examination of Head-Mounted Displays and Task Complexity in an Airborne Command and Control Simulation Environment

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (17) ◽  
pp. 1635-1638
Author(s):  
Scott M. Galster ◽  
Robert S. Bolia ◽  
Rebecca D. Brown ◽  
Alison M. Tollner
Keyword(s):  
Task Complexity ◽  
Command And Control ◽  
The Other ◽  
Control Environment ◽  
Simulation Environment ◽  
Information Availability ◽  
Head Mounted Displays ◽  
Primary Display ◽  
And Control ◽  
And Task

Technology-induced increases in information availability have elevated the issue of display cluttering in application domains in which display space is limited. To remediate this problem, evaluations of potential display technologies should be conducted. This paper discusses the examination of head-mounted displays (HMDs) in a simulated airborne command and control environment. Twelve participants engaged in tasks in which they were required to retrieve information from one of several display technologies. This information was available via two HMDs, on paper, and on the primary display. Further, as in previous work, the task complexity was also manipulated. The results indicated that the HMDs tested, in general, did not produce a performance benefit over the other methods of information retrieval. However, the HMDs.did not show a decrement in performance as previous studies have shown. Potential uses of HMDs.and other display technologies are discussed.

Autonomy Measures for Robots

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui-Min Huang ◽  
Elena Messina ◽  
Robert Wade ◽  
Ralph English ◽  
Brian Novak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Group ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Unmanned Vehicles ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Unmanned Systems ◽  
Current State ◽  
A Value

Robots are becoming increasingly autonomous. Yet, there are no commonly accepted terms and measures of how “autonomous” a robot is. An ad hoc working group has been formed to address these deficiencies, focusing on the unmanned vehicles domain. This group is defining terminology relevant to unmanned systems and is devising metrics for autonomy levels of these systems. Autonomy definitions and measures must encompass many dimensions and serve many audiences. An Army general making decisions about deployment of unmanned scout vehicles may want to only know a value on a scale from 1 to 10, whereas test engineers need to know specifics about the types of environments and missions that the vehicles are expected to deal with. Any system will have to communicate with humans, hence this is an important dimension in evaluating autonomy. The autonomy levels for unmanned systems (ALFUS) group is therefore developing metrics based on three principal dimensions: task complexity, environmental difficulty, and human interaction. This paper reports on the current state of the ALFUS metric for evaluating robots.

scholarly journals Relationships between video-gaming habits, parental monitoring and school performance

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-248
Author(s):  
Daniel Lloret Irles ◽  
Víctor Cabrera Perona ◽  
Yolanda Sanz Baños
Keyword(s):  
School Performance ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Parental Monitoring ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Parental Control ◽  
School Achievement ◽  
Video Gaming ◽  
Gambling Problem ◽  
Problem Behaviour ◽  
Significant Relationships

Children spend an average of 1.3 hours per day on video game and problematic video gaming prevalence is set between 2% and 8%. High levels of intensity and frequency of video gaming are associated with lower school achievement. Home is the most preferred place to play. Therefore parental monitoring is crucial. Objective: To analyse gaming patterns and to identify significant relationships between parental monitoring and academic performance. Method: Participants: 610 students of Secondary Education mean age 13.84 years (SD=1.27; range 12-16). Ad hoc scales were developed to analyse gaming frequency and intensity, school performance and parental monitoring. Results: Children, whose parents control gaming time and show interest in the contents continuously, play significantly fewer days, fewer hours and with adjusted contents to their age. Those with discontinuous parental control ("sometimes"), show a higher gaming frequency and intensity, and the proportion of unadjusted content, and do not differ from those without parental control. In addition, a greater number of hours of play are related to lower academic achievement. Discussion/ conclusions: This work helps in defining gambling problem behaviour. Results indicate that parental control is effective, on condition that it must be continuous and consistent.

scholarly journals Relationships between video-gaming habits, parental monitoring and school performance

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-248
Author(s):  
Daniel Lloret Irles ◽  
Víctor Cabrera Perona ◽  
Yolanda Sanz Baños
Keyword(s):  
School Performance ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Parental Monitoring ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Parental Control ◽  
School Achievement ◽  
Video Gaming ◽  
Gambling Problem ◽  
Problem Behaviour ◽  
Significant Relationships

Children spend an average of 1.3 hours per day on video game and problematic video gaming prevalence is set between 2% and 8%. High levels of intensity and frequency of video gaming are associated with lower school achievement. Home is the most preferred place to play. Therefore parental monitoring is crucial. Objective: To analyse gaming patterns and to identify significant relationships between parental monitoring and academic performance. Method: Participants: 610 students of Secondary Education mean age 13.84 years (SD=1.27; range 12-16). Ad hoc scales were developed to analyse gaming frequency and intensity, school performance and parental monitoring. Results: Children, whose parents control gaming time and show interest in the contents continuously, play significantly fewer days, fewer hours and with adjusted contents to their age. Those with discontinuous parental control ("sometimes"), show a higher gaming frequency and intensity, and the proportion of unadjusted content, and do not differ from those without parental control. In addition, a greater number of hours of play are related to lower academic achievement. Discussion/ conclusions: This work helps in defining gambling problem behaviour. Results indicate that parental control is effective, on condition that it must be continuous and consistent.

scholarly journals Wearable Augmented Reality Application for Shoulder Rehabilitation

Electronics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Condino ◽  
Giuseppe Turini ◽  
Rosanna Viglialoro ◽  
Marco Gesi ◽  
Vincenzo Ferrari
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Frame Rate ◽  
Markerless Tracking ◽  
Head Mounted Displays ◽  
Target Frame ◽  
Microsoft Hololens ◽  
Technical Features ◽  
Wearable Augmented Reality ◽  
Real Patients ◽  
Rehabilitation Exercise

Augmented reality (AR) technology is gaining popularity and scholarly interest in the rehabilitation sector because of the possibility to generate controlled, user-specific environmental and perceptual stimuli which motivate the patient, while still preserving the possibility to interact with the real environment and other subjects, including the rehabilitation specialist. The paper presents the first wearable AR application for shoulder rehabilitation, based on Microsoft HoloLens, with real-time markerless tracking of the user’s hand. Potentialities and current limits of commercial head-mounted displays (HMDs) are described for the target medical field, and details of the proposed application are reported. A serious game was designed starting from the analysis of a traditional rehabilitation exercise, taking into account HoloLens specifications to maximize user comfort during the AR rehabilitation session. The AR application implemented consistently meets the recommended target frame rate for immersive applications with HoloLens device: 60 fps. Moreover, the ergonomics and the motivational value of the proposed application were positively evaluated by a group of five rehabilitation specialists and 20 healthy subjects. Even if a larger study, including real patients, is necessary for a clinical validation of the proposed application, the results obtained encourage further investigations and the integration of additional technical features for the proposed AR application.

scholarly journals Can Immersive Virtual Reality Videogames Help Parkinson’s Disease Patients? A Case Study

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4825
Author(s):  
Pablo Campo-Prieto ◽  
Gustavo Rodríguez-Fuentes ◽  
José Mª Cancela-Carral
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Video Gaming ◽  
Immersive Virtual Reality ◽  
System Usability Scale

Video games have proven useful in physical rehabilitation therapy. Accessibility, however, is limited for some groups such as the elderly or patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). We explore the potential of fully immersive video games as a rehabilitation tool in PD patients. Four patients with mild-moderate PD (3 males:1 female, 53–71 years) participated in the study. Training consisted in two immersive virtual reality video gaming sessions. Outcomes were evaluated using System Usability Scale (SUS), Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), Game Experience Questionnaire-post game (GEQ), an ad hoc satisfaction questionnaire and perceived effort. All participants completed the sessions without adverse effects (100%), without SSQ symptoms reported. Post-gaming SUS was >75% in both sessions (range 75–80%). Post-gaming GEQ scores were 3.3–4.0/4 in both sessions. Immersive virtual reality video gaming is feasible in patients with mild-moderate PD, with positive usability and patient satisfaction, and no adverse effects.

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