Smartphones as digital instructional interface devices: the teacher’s perspective

Globally, many nations have put in place policies on technology enhanced teaching and learning in an effort to keep abreast with the rapid advancement in technology. However, the use of technology in education has been slow in many third world countries, inclusive of Zimbabwe. COVID-19 restrictions inadvertently accelerated the adoption of digital instructional interface devices (DIIDs). Smartphones are preferred DIIDs because of their popularity amongst children as well as teachers. However, their successful penetration as DIIDs is largely dependent on teachers’ dispositions as key agents of curriculum implementation. Zimbabwe is known to have a 52% smartphone penetration rate for all citizens. The study was therefore carried out to determine the penetration rate of smartphones in science teachers, and also to probe teachers’ views on learners being allowed unlimited access to smartphones. The study adopted descriptive survey design from a quantitative research approach. Data was collected from 179 science teachers through a self-developed electronic questionnaire that was administered through the Kobo Toolbox online survey application. Results show that the smartphone penetration rate in science teachers is 87%. Multitasking and indecent exposure are the main forms of learner deviance that make teachers more reluctant to accept smartphones as DIIDs. In the presence of school-wide and classroom policies that cater for both merits of smartphone use and ease of policy enforcement, Zimbabwe science teachers are however ready to fully embrace smartphones as useful DIIDs.

Using Depth Cameras for Recognition and Segmentation of Hand Gestures

In recent years, in combination with technological advances, new paradigms of interaction with the user have emerged. This has motivated the industry to create increasingly powerful and accessible natural user interface devices. In particular, depth cameras have achieved high levels of user adoption. These devices include the Microsoft Kinect, the Intel RealSense, and the Leap Motion Controller. This type of device facilitates the acquisition of data in human activity recognition. Hand gestures can be static or dynamic, depending on whether they present movement in the image sequences. Hand gesture recognition enables human-computer interaction (HCI) system developers to create more immersive, natural, and intuitive experiences and interactions. However, this task is not easy. That is why, in the academy, this problem has been addressed using machine learning techniques. The experiments carried out have shown very encouraging results indicating that the choice of this type of architecture allows obtaining an excellent efficiency of parameters and prediction times. It should be noted that the tests are carried out on a set of relevant data from the area. Based on this, the performance of this proposal is analysed about different scenarios such as lighting variation or camera movement, different types of gestures, and sensitivity or bias by people, among others. In this article, we will look at how infrared camera images can be used to segment, classify, and recognise one-handed gestures in a variety of lighting conditions. A standard webcam was modified, and an infrared filter was added to the lens to create the infrared camera. The scene was illuminated by additional infrared LED structures, allowing it to be used in various lighting conditions.

Generalized Classification of Vulnerabilities of Interfaces to the Transport Infrastructure of the Smart City

We consider the problem of classifying the vulnerabilities present in interface devices that are used in the interaction of people and components of the transport infrastructure of the Smart City. A conceptual model of the terminological base of the subject area is introduced, on the basis of which a unified classification of vulnerabilities is synthesized. A formal record of vulnerability classes is given, as well as their examples.

New Ethical Issues in Cerebral Palsy

Current societal and technological changes have added to the ethical issues faced by people with cerebral palsy. These include new representations of disability, and the current International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, changes in legislation and international conventions, as well as applications of possibilities offered by robotics, brain–computer interface devices, muscles and brain stimulation techniques, wearable sensors, artificial intelligence, genetics, and more for diagnostic, therapeutic, or other purposes. These developments have changed the way we approach diagnosis, set goals for intervention, and create new opportunities. This review examines those influences on clinical practice from an ethical perspective and highlights how a principled approach to clinical bioethics can help the clinician to address ethical dilemmas that occur in practice. It also points to implications of those changes on research priorities.

A Battery-Powered Soft Electromechanical Stimulation Patch for Haptic Human-Machine Interfaces

One grand challenge in haptic human-machine interface devices is to electromechanically stimulate sensations on human skins wirelessly by thin and soft patches under a low driving voltage. Here, we propose a soft haptics-feedback system using highly charged, polymeric electret films with the annulus-shape bump contact structure to induce mechanical sensations on volunteers under an applied voltage as low as 5 volts. Together with bendable lithium ion batteries and a flexible circuit board, an untethered stimulation patch is constructed for active operations of at least 2 hours with low power consumptions. As an application example, a “silent haptic communication” system is demonstrated to transmit English alphabet letters via the mechanical beating patterns from a patch onto the fingertip of a receiving volunteer. The analytical model, design principle, and performance characterizations can be applicable for the integrations with other devices in wearable electronics toward various applications, including AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality).

Spin-coated $$\hbox {Cu}_2\hbox {ZnSnS}_{4}$$ solar cells: A study on the transformation from ink to film

In this paper, we study the DMSO/thiourea/chloride salt system for synthesis of pure-sulfide $$\hbox {Cu}_2\hbox {ZnSnS}_{4}$$ Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) thin-film solar cells under ambient conditions. We map out the ink constituents and determine the effect of mixing time and filtering. The thermal behavior of the ink is analyzed, and we find that more than 90% of the solvent has evaporated at $$250\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ 250 ∘ C . However, chloride and sulfoxide species are released continually until $$500\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ 500 ∘ C , suggesting the advantage of a higher pre-annealing temperature, which is also commonly observed in the spin-coating routines in literature. Another advantage of a higher pre-annealing temperature is that the worm-like pattern in the spin-coated film can be avoided. We hypothesize that this pattern forms as a result of hydrodynamics within the film as it dries, and it causes micro-inhomogeneities in film morphology. Devices were completed in order to finally evaluate the effect of varying thermal exposure during pre-annealing. Contrary to the previous observations, a lower pre-annealing temperature of $$250\,^{\circ }\hbox {C}$$ 250 ∘ C results in the best device efficiency of 4.65%, which to the best of our knowledge is the highest efficiency obtained for a pure-sulfide kesterite made with DMSO. Lower thermal exposure during pre-annealing results in larger grains and a thicker $$\hbox {MoS}_2$$ MoS 2 layer at the CZTS/Mo interface. Devices completed at higher pre-annealing temperatures display the existence of either a Cu-S secondary phase or an incomplete sulfurization with smaller grains and a fine-grain layer at the back interface.