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Wearable Assistive Devices for Disabled and Older People (Volume II)
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Wearable Assistive Devices for Disabled and Older People (Volume II)

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Wearables".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 14197

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Marion Hersh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biomedical Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK
Interests: assistive technology, with related work in design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Disabled and older people use assistive devices to overcome barriers, enabling them to do more and more safely, easily, and enjoyably participate in society. Wearable devices are becoming increasingly popular. They take the form of smartwatches, headbands, rings, glasses and clothing, wireless headbands, and head-mounted displays, among others.

Wearable assistive devices in the form of low-tech prostheses date back nearly 5000 years. The first electronic assistive device may have been the Akouphone hearing aid in 1898. Technological developments, including in sensors, wireless networks, the Internet of Things, virtual reality, and miniaturization, provide considerable potential for development.

The popularity of wearable devices provides an opportunity to design wearable assistive devices that are non-stigmatizing and encourage regular use (wear). They are less likely to be lost or mislaid, an important advantage for many older and disabled people. However, wearable devices with small components may present accessibility and usability issues.

This Special Issue covers the full range of assistive devices. All papers should present a significant original contribution. This could include presentation and discussion/evaluation of the results of a survey; presentation, discussion, and evaluation of new wearable assistive devices; critical discussion of accessibility, usability, and other design issues; and/or review and critical evaluation of the current state of the art. Research methodologies should be clearly, but concisely, presented, and demonstrate rigor. All papers should clearly describe the underlying theoretical and conceptual framework and must be relevant to an international audience.

Dr. Marion Hersh
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 5420 KiB  
Article
Pedestrian Crossing Sensing Based on Hough Space Analysis to Support Visually Impaired Pedestrians
by Takeru Yoshikawa and Chinthaka Premachandra
Sensors 2023, 23(13), 5928; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23135928 - 26 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2269
Abstract
There are many visually impaired people globally, and it is important to support their ability to walk independently. Acoustic signals and escort zones have been installed on pedestrian crossings for the visually impaired people to walk safely; however, pedestrian accidents, including those involving [...] Read more.
There are many visually impaired people globally, and it is important to support their ability to walk independently. Acoustic signals and escort zones have been installed on pedestrian crossings for the visually impaired people to walk safely; however, pedestrian accidents, including those involving the visually impaired, continue to occur. Therefore, to realize safe walking for the visually impaired on pedestrian crossings, we present an automatic sensing method for pedestrian crossings using images from cameras attached to them. Because the white rectangular stripes that mark pedestrian crossings are aligned, we focused on the edges of these rectangular stripes and proposed a novel pedestrian crossing sensing method based on the dispersion of the slope of a straight line in Hough space. Our proposed method possesses unique characteristics that allow it to effectively handle challenging scenarios that traditional methods struggle with. It excels at detecting crosswalks even in low-light conditions during nighttime when illumination levels may vary. Moreover, it can detect crosswalks even when certain areas are partially obscured by objects or obstructions. By minimizing computational costs, our method achieves high real-time performance, ensuring efficient and timely crosswalk detection in real-world environments. Specifically, our proposed method demonstrates an impressive accuracy rate of 98.47%. Additionally, the algorithm can be executed at almost real-time speeds (approximately 10.5 fps) using a Jetson Nano small-type computer, showcasing its suitability as a wearable device. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wearable Assistive Devices for Disabled and Older People (Volume II))
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25 pages, 5766 KiB  
Article
Application of Foot Hallux Contact Force Signal for Assistive Hand Fine Control
by Jianwei Cui, Bingyan Yan, Han Du, Yucheng Shang and Liyan Tong
Sensors 2023, 23(11), 5277; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23115277 - 2 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1510
Abstract
Accurate recognition of disabled persons’ behavioral intentions is the key to reconstructing hand function. Their intentions can be understood to some extent by electromyography (EMG), electroencephalogram (EEG), and arm movements, but they are not reliable enough to be generally accepted. In this paper, [...] Read more.
Accurate recognition of disabled persons’ behavioral intentions is the key to reconstructing hand function. Their intentions can be understood to some extent by electromyography (EMG), electroencephalogram (EEG), and arm movements, but they are not reliable enough to be generally accepted. In this paper, characteristics of foot contact force signals are investigated, and a method of expressing grasping intentions based on hallux (big toe) touch sense is proposed. First, force signals acquisition methods and devices are investigated and designed. By analyzing characteristics of signals in different areas of the foot, the hallux is selected. The peak number and other characteristic parameters are used to characterize signals, which can significantly express grasping intentions. Second, considering complex and fine tasks of the assistive hand, a posture control method is proposed. Based on this, many human-in-the-loop experiments are conducted using human–computer interaction methods. The results showed that people with hand disabilities could accurately express their grasping intentions through their toes, and could accurately grasp objects of different sizes, shapes, and hardness using their feet. The accuracy of the action completion for single-handed and double-handed disabled individuals was 99% and 98%, respectively. This proves that the method of using toe tactile sensation for assisting disabled individuals in hand control can help them complete daily fine motor activities. The method is easily acceptable in terms of reliability, unobtrusiveness, and aesthetics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wearable Assistive Devices for Disabled and Older People (Volume II))
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15 pages, 3240 KiB  
Article
Conformable Electrode Arrays for Wearable Neuroprostheses
by Narrendar RaviChandran, Mei Ying Teo, Andrew McDaid and Kean Aw
Sensors 2023, 23(6), 2982; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23062982 - 9 Mar 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2596
Abstract
Wearable electrode arrays can selectively stimulate muscle groups by modulating their shape, size, and position over a targeted region. They can potentially revolutionize personalized rehabilitation by being noninvasive and allowing easy donning and doffing. Nevertheless, users should feel comfortable using such arrays, as [...] Read more.
Wearable electrode arrays can selectively stimulate muscle groups by modulating their shape, size, and position over a targeted region. They can potentially revolutionize personalized rehabilitation by being noninvasive and allowing easy donning and doffing. Nevertheless, users should feel comfortable using such arrays, as they are typically worn for an extended time period. Additionally, to deliver safe and selective stimulation, these arrays must be tailored to a user’s physiology. Fabricating customizable electrode arrays needs a rapid and economical technique that accommodates scalability. By leveraging a multilayer screen-printing technique, this study aims to develop personalizable electrode arrays by embedding conductive materials into silicone-based elastomers. Accordingly, the conductivity of a silicone-based elastomer was altered by adding carbonaceous material. The 1:8 and 1:9 weight ratio percentages of carbon black (CB) to elastomer achieved conductivities between 0.0021–0.0030 S cm−1 and were suitable for transcutaneous stimulation. Moreover, these ratios maintained their stimulation performance after several stretching cycles of up to 200%. Thus, a soft, conformable electrode array with a customizable design was demonstrated. Lastly, the efficacy of the proposed electrode arrays to stimulate hand function tasks was evaluated by in vivo experiments. The demonstration of such arrays encourages the realization of cost-effective, wearable stimulation systems for hand function restoration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wearable Assistive Devices for Disabled and Older People (Volume II))
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Review

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25 pages, 1158 KiB  
Review
Recent Developments in Haptic Devices Designed for Hearing-Impaired People: A Literature Review
by Alejandro Flores Ramones and Marta Sylvia del-Rio-Guerra
Sensors 2023, 23(6), 2968; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23062968 - 9 Mar 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 7400
Abstract
Haptic devices transmit information to the user, using tactile stimuli to augment or replace sensory input. People with limited sensory abilities, such as vision or hearing can receive supplementary information by relying on them. This review analyses recent developments in haptic devices for [...] Read more.
Haptic devices transmit information to the user, using tactile stimuli to augment or replace sensory input. People with limited sensory abilities, such as vision or hearing can receive supplementary information by relying on them. This review analyses recent developments in haptic devices for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals by extracting the most relevant information from each of the selected papers. The process of finding relevant literature is detailed using the PRISMA guidelines for literature reviews. In this review, the devices are categorized to better understand the review topic. The categorization results have highlighted several areas of future research into haptic devices for hearing-impaired users. We believe this review may be useful to researchers interested in haptic devices, assistive technologies, and human–computer interaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wearable Assistive Devices for Disabled and Older People (Volume II))
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