Center of Pressure Trajectory and Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters When Walking with Limited Knee Flexion

Stiff-knee, which indicates reduced range of knee flexion, may decrease gait stability. Although it is closely related to an increase in fall risk, the effect of limited knee flexion on the balance capacity during walking has not been well studied. This study aimed at examining how walking with limited knee flexion would influence the center of pressure (COP) trajectory and spatiotemporal gait parameters. Sixteen healthy young participants conducted four different walking conditions: normal walking and walking with limited knee flexion of their left knee up to 40 and 20 degrees, respectively. Results show that the participants walked significantly (p<0.05) slower with shorter stride length, wider step width, less cadence, and decreased stance phase when walking with limited knee flexion, compared to normal walking. The increase in the asymmetry and variability of the COP was also observed. It indicates that limited knee flexion during walking might affect the dynamic balance.

A Comparison of Presentation Mediums for the Study of Trust in Autonomous Vehicles

The purpose of this study is to compare presentation methods for use in the validation of the Trust in Selfdriving Vehicle Scale (TSDV), a questionnaire designed to assess user trust in self-driving cars. Previous studies have validated trust instruments using traditional videos wherein participants watch a scenario involving an automated system but there are strong concerns about external validity with this approach. We examined four presentation conditions: a flat screen monitor with a traditional video, a flat screen with a 2D 180 video, an Oculus Go VR headset with a 2D 180 video, and an Oculus Go with a 3D VR video. Participants watched eight video scenarios of a self-driving vehicle attempting a right-hand tum at a stop sign and rated their trust in the vehicle shown in the video after each scenario using the TSDV and rated telepresence for the viewing condition. We found a significant interaction between the mean TSDV scores for pedestrian collision and presentation condition. The TSDV mean in the Headset 2D 180 condition was significantly higher than the other three conditions. Additionally, when used to view the scenarios as 3D VR videos, the headset received significantly higher ratings of spatial presence compared to the condition using a flatscreen a 2D video; none of the remaining comparisons were statistically significant. Based on the results it is not recommended that the headset be used for short scenarios because the benefits do not outweigh the costs.

Understanding Learning Environments, Personality, and Proctoring During Mandatory Remote Delivery

To evaluate students’ online learning environments, the relationship between personality and online learning success, and students’ perceptions about online proctoring during mandatory remote delivery due to the pandemic, students responded to an online survey. Learning environments generally included houses and rarely included on-campus housing. The specific room type was predominantly the bedroom. Only conscientiousness was related positively to anticipated semester GPA. The positive relationship between anticipated and overall GPA supports the notion that more conscientious students tend to be successful in online learning situations, as online education was rated as slightly ineffective. A majority of students did not see a need for online proctoring due to the inability or time required to search for materials, which would only harm one’s performance. There is a need to research further the impact of the study environment, relationship of the students’ personality to learning success, and consequences of online proctoring during remote learning.

Combined Model of Technology Use and Medical Adherence in eHealth Technology Implementation

eHealth applications are expected to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare systems by providing improved medical information flow between medical providers and patients. Although the technology is expected to empower patients, lower treatment costs, and provide real-time collection of health data, individuals may be apprehensive about the use and efficacy of eHealth technologies. Medical professionals are often unaware of human factors technology acceptance or usability models which impact the use of medically focused technology, such as eHealth applications. Similarly, human factors professionals are often unaware of treatment adherence models which map the relationship of illness factors and individual differences to treatment protocols. The present paper presents a theoretical approach through which technology acceptance and usability models should be combined with medical treatment adherence models to ensure that eHealth applications are used properly and effectively.

A Remote Synthetic Testbed For Human-Robot Teaming: An Iterative Design Process

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) missions often involve a need to complete tasks in hazardous environments. In such situations, human-robot teams (HRT) may be essential tools for future USAR missions. Transparency and explanation are two information exchange processes where transparency is real-time information exchange and explanation is not. For effective HRTs, certain levels of transparency and explanation must be met, but how can these modes of team communication be operationalized? During the COVID-19 pandemic, our approach to answering this question involved an iterative design process that factored in our research objectives as inputs and pilot studies with remote participants. Our final research testbed design resulted in converting an in-person task environment to a completely remote study and task environment. Changes to the study environment included: utilizing user-friendly video conferencing tools such as Zoom and a custom-built application for research administration tasks and improved modes of HRT communication that helped us avoid confounding our performance measures.

Interdisciplinary Models and Frameworks for the Study of Artificial Social Intelligence

This symposium provides a complementary set of papers exploring frameworks and models for developing artificial social intelligence (ASI) for teams. ASI consists of components of social cognition that support teamwork and more general interpersonal interactions. Although AI is rapidly evolving and fielded in a variety of operational settings, the implementation of such systems is vastly outpacing our ability to understand how to design and develop technologies appropriately. This symposium is meant to help redress this gap. Consisting of scholars representing the cognitive, computational, and organizational sciences, the papers discuss how they integrate theory and methods to inform development of agents capable of complex collaborative processes. Collectively, these papers synthesize perspectives across disciplines in support of an interdisciplinary research approach for ASL The goal is to contribute to research and development in the area of Human- AI- Robot Teaming effectiveness.

Beat the Bots: Exploring the Effects of Placebo Manipulation on Performance During Video Gameplay

This study investigates placebos and video games’ usefulness as psychological research tools. One proposed underlying mechanism of the placebo effect is participants’ expectations. Such expectation effects exist in sports psychology and healthcare domains, but inconsistent findings have emerged on whether similar effects impact a participants’ cognitive performance. Concurrently, using video games as task environments is an emerging methodology relating to expertise and large-scale behavioral data collection. Therefore, this study examines the expectancy effect induced by researcher instructions on in-game performance. The instructional expectancy condition for this study is in-game successes framed using emoting (e.g., emoting under the pretense of subsequent performance increases) versus a control group. Preliminary results showed no evidence of different in-game performance between expectancy conditions. Potential mechanisms that could have led to a lack of effect were discussed.

Usability Evaluation of Telepresence Interfaces for Older Adults

Telepresence has the potential to assist older adults to stay socially connected and to access telehealth. Telepresence was initially created for office use, thus the usability of telepresence for older adults remains unknown and there is a lack of design recommendations, particularly those with an emphasis on users’ age-related needs and limitations. To bridge the gap, this study assessed two telepresence user interfaces (UIs). One UI was designed to mimic common features founds in commercially available telepresence systems. Another UI was designed based on design guidelines for older adults. Each UI was integrated to a virtual driving environment created via Unity. To assess the usability of both UIs, thirty older adults participated in usability testing. Questionnaires and semi-structured interview were administered following each UI test sessions. Results of this study provide insight on what usability features are critical for the aging population to use telepresence, such as high color contrast, automated controls, and consistent icons.

Analysis of Shoulder Sprains and Strains in Mining

Material handling injuries reported to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) result in nearly 70,000 days of work lost each year. Several mitigation efforts for these injuries focus on the back, but shoulder injuries account for four times the days lost. Nonfatal incidents reported to MSHA from 2013 through 2017 were limited to shoulder sprains and strains and were analyzed to determine what contributed the most to these injuries. Injuries were coded based on the task performed, motions involved, and the tools used. The analysis indicated that auto maintenance and tasks involving loading/unloading supplies led to the highest number of injuries. Many of these injuries were related to operating equipment or the use of specific tools. The injuries often involved lifting/lowering or pulling/pushing movements. These findings suggest future mitigation strategies for the risk of shoulder sprains and strains should focus on auto maintenance and tasks involving loading/unloading supplies.