Horseback riding therapy for a deafblind individual enabled by a haptic interface

Interventions for adults with deafblindness - an integrative review

PURPOSE

To compile the current research on interventions for rehabilitation aimed at adults (aged 18-65 years) with deafblindness.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive search was conducted in eight databases. An additional manual search was also carried out. A total of 7049 unique references were initially identified, and after screening, 28 original scientific articles were included. The results from these articles were categorized based on limiting consequences of deafblindness: communication, orientation and to move around freely and safely and access to information, as well as to psychological adaptation to deafblindness.

RESULTS

Fourteen of the included articles had their main focus on access to communication, ten on orientation and the ability to move around feely and safely, three on the opportunity to gain access to information, and one related to psychological adaptation to deafblindness. Most articles focused on technical devices, of which one-third were single case studies.

CONCLUSION

There is a limited number of evaluated interventions for people with deafblindness. Most of the existing studies involved one to five participants with deafblindness, and only few studies involved a larger number of participants. More research with a larger number of participants are needed, which could be facilitated by international cooperation between practitioners and researchers.

A Suite of Robotic Solutions for Nuclear Waste Decommissioning

Dealing safely with nuclear waste is an imperative for the nuclear industry. Increasingly, robots are being developed to carry out complex tasks such as perceiving, grasping, cutting, and manipulating waste. Radioactive material can be sorted, and either stored safely or disposed of appropriately, entirely through the actions of remotely controlled robots. Radiological characterisation is also critical during the decommissioning of nuclear facilities. It involves the detection and labelling of radiation levels, waste materials, and contaminants, as well as determining other related parameters (e.g., thermal and chemical), with the data visualised as 3D scene models. This paper overviews work by researchers at the QMUL Centre for Advanced Robotics (ARQ), a partner in the UK EPSRC National Centre for Nuclear Robotics (NCNR), a consortium working on the development of radiation-hardened robots fit to handle nuclear waste. Three areas of nuclear-related research are covered here: human–robot interfaces for remote operations, sensor delivery, and intelligent robotic manipulation.

Tacsac: A Wearable Haptic Device with Capacitive Touch-Sensing Capability for Tactile Display

This paper presents a dual-function wearable device (Tacsac) with capacitive tactile sensing and integrated tactile feedback capability to enable communication among deafblind people. Tacsac has a skin contactor which enhances localized vibrotactile stimulation of the skin as a means of feedback to the user. It comprises two main modules—the touch-sensing module and the vibrotactile module; both stacked and integrated as a single device. The vibrotactile module is an electromagnetic actuator that employs a flexible coil and a permanent magnet assembled in soft poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), while the touch-sensing module is a planar capacitive metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure. The flexible coil was fabricated on a 50 µm polyimide (PI) sheet using Lithographie Galvanoformung Abformung (LIGA) micromoulding technique. The Tacsac device has been tested for independent sensing and actuation as well as dual sensing-actuation mode. The measured vibration profiles of the actuator showed a synchronous response to external stimulus for a wide range of frequencies (10 Hz to 200 Hz) within the perceivable tactile frequency thresholds of the human hand. The resonance vibration frequency of the actuator is in the range of 60–70 Hz with an observed maximum off-plane displacement of 0.377 mm at coil current of 180 mA. The capacitive touch-sensitive layer was able to respond to touch with minimal noise both when actuator vibration is ON and OFF. A mobile application was also developed to demonstrate the application of Tacsac for communication between deafblind person wearing the device and a mobile phone user who is not deafblind. This advances existing tactile displays by providing efficient two-way communication through the use of a single device for both localized haptic feedback and touch-sensing.

[Interpreter-Aided Psychotherapy for Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Patients - a Systematic Review of Research and Recommendations for Psychotherapists with Normal Hearing and Sign Language Interpreters]

In Germany, deaf patients undergoing psychotherapy have the right to have the costs of a sign language interpreter covered by the insurance since 2001. The effectiveness of interpreter-aided psychotherapy worldwide is disputed. A systematic literature review was conducted on sign language interpreter-aided psychotherapy. Six scientific databases were searched. Two independent raters conducted a 2-step rating process. Out of 1,184 identified publications, 10 studies in German and English language were included. These 10 studies examined between 1 and 85 deaf patients (7-60 years) in different psychotherapeutic settings (8 ambulatory, 4 family therapy). Nine studies reported therapy success. Relevant knowledge (e. g. about culture of deaf people), attitudes (e. g. openness), abilities (e. g. sign language) and general conditions (e. g. declaration for professional secrecy, light conditions) were recommended for psychotherapists with normal hearing and sign language interpreters. Empirical data on psychotherapy with sign language interpreters is low and methodologically limited. The present study can be considered as a starting point for further research.