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Tivadar RI, Franceschiello B, Minier A, Murray MM. Learning and navigating digitally rendered haptic spatial layouts. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2023; 8:61. [PMID: 38102127 PMCID: PMC10724186 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-023-00208-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Learning spatial layouts and navigating through them rely not simply on sight but rather on multisensory processes, including touch. Digital haptics based on ultrasounds are effective for creating and manipulating mental images of individual objects in sighted and visually impaired participants. Here, we tested if this extends to scenes and navigation within them. Using only tactile stimuli conveyed via ultrasonic feedback on a digital touchscreen (i.e., a digital interactive map), 25 sighted, blindfolded participants first learned the basic layout of an apartment based on digital haptics only and then one of two trajectories through it. While still blindfolded, participants successfully reconstructed the haptically learned 2D spaces and navigated these spaces. Digital haptics were thus an effective means to learn and translate, on the one hand, 2D images into 3D reconstructions of layouts and, on the other hand, navigate actions within real spaces. Digital haptics based on ultrasounds represent an alternative learning tool for complex scenes as well as for successful navigation in previously unfamiliar layouts, which can likely be further applied in the rehabilitation of spatial functions and mitigation of visual impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruxandra I Tivadar
- The Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Department of Ophthalmology, Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Centre for Integrative and Complementary Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Cognitive Computational Neuroscience Group, Institute for Computer Science, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Switzerland.
| | - Benedetta Franceschiello
- The Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Switzerland
- Institute of Systems Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO Valais), Sion, Switzerland
| | - Astrid Minier
- The Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Ophthalmology, Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Micah M Murray
- The Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Department of Ophthalmology, Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- The Sense Innovation and Research Center, Lausanne and Sion, Switzerland.
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Sangari A, Bingham MA, Cummins M, Sood A, Tong A, Purcell P, Schlesinger JJ. A Spatiotemporal and Multisensory Approach to Designing Wearable Clinical ICU Alarms. J Med Syst 2023; 47:105. [PMID: 37847469 DOI: 10.1007/s10916-023-01997-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
In health care, auditory alarms are an important aspect of an informatics system that monitors patients and alerts clinicians attending to multiple concurrent tasks. However, the volume, design, and pervasiveness of existing Intensive Care Unit (ICU) alarms can make it difficult to quickly distinguish their meaning and importance. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of two design approaches not yet explored in a smartwatch-based alarm system designed for ICU use: (1) using audiovisual spatial colocalization and (2) adding haptic (i.e., touch) information. We compared the performance of 30 study participants using ICU smartwatch alarms containing auditory icons in two implementations of the audio modality: colocalized with the visual cue on the smartwatch's low-quality speaker versus delivered from a higher quality speaker located two feet away from participants (like a stationary alarm bay situated near patients in the ICU). Additionally, we compared participant performance using alarms with two sensory modalities (visual and audio) against alarms with three sensory modalities (adding haptic cues). Participants were 10.1% (0.24s) faster at responding to alarms when auditory information was delivered from the smartwatch instead of the higher quality external speaker. Meanwhile, adding haptic information to alarms improved response times to alarms by 12.2% (0.23s) and response times on their primary task by 10.3% (0.08s). Participants rated learnability and ease of use higher for alarms with haptic information. These small but statistically significant improvements demonstrate that audiovisual colocalization and multisensory alarm design can improve user response times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayush Sangari
- Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Rd, Stony Brook, NY, 11790, USA.
| | - Molly A Bingham
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Mabel Cummins
- Department of Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Aditya Sood
- Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, New York, USA
| | - Anqy Tong
- Department of Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Joseph J Schlesinger
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
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